The focus moves to the cross on Good Friday.

“We come in and have a distribution from communion from the night before,” Ford said. “It’s the night that Jesus is in the tomb.”

On April 7, the Great Vigil of Easter begins at sundown.

“Easter Vigil is absolutely my favorite service of the year. It’s an incredible service,” Ford said. “We start outside at sundown, and we build a fire outside, a new fire, and bless it. We light the Christ candle, which is three to four feet tall. The deacon takes the candle and leads the procession into the church.”

The congregation listens to Bible stories from the creation story through the “stories of God’s interaction and intervention and salvation through the history of the world,” Ford said.

The days of services conclude on Easter Sunday.

“It’s a celebratory service for us. The kids have flowers, and we have a wire-mesh cross, and they come in and fill up the cross,” Ford said.

The schedule of services will make a meaningful Easter season for the congregation, Ford said.

“You’ve walked through it, you’ve heard it. In some ways, you’ve re-experienced the whole thing. It’s so much more real for you if you’ve done this,” he said. “Instead of just skipping over all that and jumping right to Easter, it’s just so much more meaningful.”

The services on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday begin at 7 p.m. at the church located at 4163 Shelby County 39. For more information about St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church, visit Stcatherinesal.com or call 618-8367.