What’s with colleges having class on Good Friday?

[Anonymous]

It's common in NY and NJ for offices (including the NYSE) to close on Good Friday. It's also common for those who grew up in that area to not understand that other places in the country do things differently.

[Anonymous]

Oh you mean on Passover? And during Ramadan?

Yeah, it's lame.

[Anonymous]

My kid's public university in another state has Good Friday off.

Funny, on a parents group I'm in some parents were actually complaining that Good Friday was off instead of the Monday after Easter. They wanted their kids to be able to come home for Easter dinner, but the kids wouldn't have time to drive back to campus that night. Another parent suggested having "Easter lunch" instead and that was immediately shot down as unacceptable!

[Anonymous]

I frankly don't get why Good Friday is off in modern times. It never was when I was growing up in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I recall that we are supposed to not work or do fun stuff only between 12-3, to commemorate the hours when Jesus was suffering on the cross before dying. To use that time to meditate or contemplate or appreciate or think about those who have sacrificed for you.

That’s ancient history. Next to nobody does that now.

NP. Our family does this. Calling it "ancient history" made me laugh!

We do this as well. My daughter's schools is off both Holy Thursday and Good Friday. There are some Catholics who have not totally abandoned their faith. And my daughter will be the first to call us out if we forget to pray before a meal. Love that she had such a strong Catholic education.

Ditto here. For the people who said you can walk into a church at any time on Good Friday, not true. The liturgy starts at 3pm, coinciding with Christ dying on the cross. And for those of you who said it's not practiced anymore, the Basilica of St Mary is packed every year on Holy Thursday evening for the mass of the last supper and on Friday for the liturgy of Christ dying on the cross. For practicing Catholics, of which are a great number, it is a truly holy day.

We have absolutely no idea what day or time Jesus was executed.

The traditional understanding of noon to 3 comes from Mark which mentions the sixth and ninth hours of the day as the period of darkness, with Christ's last words coming at the ninth hour. It's not coming from nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I recall that we are supposed to not work or do fun stuff only between 12-3, to commemorate the hours when Jesus was suffering on the cross before dying. To use that time to meditate or contemplate or appreciate or think about those who have sacrificed for you.

That’s ancient history. Next to nobody does that now.

NP. Our family does this. Calling it "ancient history" made me laugh!

We do this as well. My daughter's schools is off both Holy Thursday and Good Friday. There are some Catholics who have not totally abandoned their faith. And my daughter will be the first to call us out if we forget to pray before a meal. Love that she had such a strong Catholic education.

Ditto here. For the people who said you can walk into a church at any time on Good Friday, not true. The liturgy starts at 3pm, coinciding with Christ dying on the cross. And for those of you who said it's not practiced anymore, the Basilica of St Mary is packed every year on Holy Thursday evening for the mass of the last supper and on Friday for the liturgy of Christ dying on the cross. For practicing Catholics, of which are a great number, it is a truly holy day.

We have absolutely no idea what day or time Jesus was executed.

The traditional understanding of noon to 3 comes from Mark which mentions the sixth and ninth hours of the day as the period of darkness, with Christ's last words coming at the ninth hour. It's not coming from nowhere.

The entire Easter Holiday is based on a pagan tradition. The only reason Good Friday and Easter are even celebrated in the Spring is because the church wanted to align the holy days with Ostara. I'm a Christian and celebrate Easter, but marking the exact time has always seemed weird to me, even as a Catholic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recall that we are supposed to not work or do fun stuff only between 12-3, to commemorate the hours when Jesus was suffering on the cross before dying. To use that time to meditate or contemplate or appreciate or think about those who have sacrificed for you.

That’s ancient history. Next to nobody does that now.

NP. Our family does this. Calling it "ancient history" made me laugh!

We do this as well. My daughter's schools is off both Holy Thursday and Good Friday. There are some Catholics who have not totally abandoned their faith. And my daughter will be the first to call us out if we forget to pray before a meal. Love that she had such a strong Catholic education.

Ditto here. For the people who said you can walk into a church at any time on Good Friday, not true. The liturgy starts at 3pm, coinciding with Christ dying on the cross. And for those of you who said it's not practiced anymore, the Basilica of St Mary is packed every year on Holy Thursday evening for the mass of the last supper and on Friday for the liturgy of Christ dying on the cross. For practicing Catholics, of which are a great number, it is a truly holy day.

We have absolutely no idea what day or time Jesus was executed.

The traditional understanding of noon to 3 comes from Mark which mentions the sixth and ninth hours of the day as the period of darkness, with Christ's last words coming at the ninth hour. It's not coming from nowhere.

The entire Easter Holiday is based on a pagan tradition. The only reason Good Friday and Easter are even celebrated in the Spring is because the church wanted to align the holy days with Ostara. I'm a Christian and celebrate Easter, but marking the exact time has always seemed weird to me, even as a Catholic.

A popular myth but untrue. The dating of Easter predates the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons so there's no connection to Ostara/Eostre apart from using the name. Easter is in the Spring because the biblical narrative connects it to Passover (you can see this in languages where the word for Easter is derived from the word for Passover like Latin and Greek's Paschal). The Gospel of John even gives a specific date 14 Nisan.

[Anonymous]

I personally see no reason for colleges to observe Good Friday, but I do see comments like this on the parents' Facebook page at my son's school all the time. They honestly cannot believe that a public university would not give the students time off for Easter.

These are usually the same parents trying to find roommates, housing, tutors, rides, textbooks, a barber, professor contact information, etc. for their adult children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally see no reason for colleges to observe Good Friday, but I do see comments like this on the parents' Facebook page at my son's school all the time. They honestly cannot believe that a public university would not give the students time off for Easter.

These are usually the same parents trying to find roommates, housing, tutors, rides, textbooks, a barber, professor contact information, etc. for their adult children.

Poster at 9:52 here.
I wonder if our kids go to the same school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's common in NY and NJ for offices (including the NYSE) to close on Good Friday. It's also common for those who grew up in that area to not understand that other places in the country do things differently.

LOL, yes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually find it underhanded.

you have every right to take leave day and celebrate in the manner that fits you, and deal with any fall out from work. Similarly, your child has a right to skip class that day, and deal with any repercussions that may arise.

Freedom, you know, means choice. Choices may have consequences. But you get to decide what to do. See how that works?

[Anonymous]

Catholic U gets Holy Thursday-Easter Monday off.

[Anonymous]

I was in my college's chapel choir and service wasn't until 7. We had time to go to class, do rehearsal, be fed and to the service just fine. So even the singers with early call managed it just fine.

[Anonymous]

Grew up in upstate NY. Catholic high school. Did not have off on Good Friday.

Catholic college in the Northeast. We did not have off on Good Friday either, although now I see the school IS off on Good Friday. I don't know what changed - Monday is also off, so perhaps the Friday off is for students traveling home for the weekend.

One of my kids is at a Christian college, Mon off, not Friday. Other kid is at a Catholic college, has both Fri and Mon off.

I don't see a reason to be upset about not having Good Friday off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid's public university in another state has Good Friday off.

Funny, on a parents group I'm in some parents were actually complaining that Good Friday was off instead of the Monday after Easter. They wanted their kids to be able to come home for Easter dinner, but the kids wouldn't have time to drive back to campus that night. Another parent suggested having "Easter lunch" instead and that was immediately shot down as unacceptable!

You see, the proper way to do it is to give holiday on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday, and Monday for “Little Easter”. The last two are Pasqua ans Pasquetta in Italy, and on Pasquetta you go out for picnics 😁