University offices will be closed and no classes will be held on Friday, March 29, 2013, in observance of Good Friday, according to Tom Greene, provost. The closing actually begins at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 28; no classes should continue beyond that time, and other events, apart from those connected with the religious observance of Holy Week, should not be scheduled from that time through Monday, April 1. Even though classes are not scheduled for Easter Monday, offices will be open.
The early closing on Holy Thursday is intended to allow students, faculty, and staff to attend the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which will be celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 4:30 p.m. The University’s custom of closing on Good Friday is in acknowledgment of the special religious character of the day. In Catholic tradition, Good Friday has always been recognized as one of three important days (the Sacred Triduum) of religious observance: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or robb@up.edu.