Churches in La Jolla are preparing to celebrate the most important weekend in the Christian faith. Each denomination will venerate Jesus’ sacrifice in its own way, but ministers from four local churches shared the same sentiment: Easter is a time to celebrate new life and renewed hope in Christ. The following is a peek into the hearts and doors of four churches in the Village as they commemorate Holy Week. The crosses and statues are shrouded in purple cloth at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church on Prospect Street in sacred remembrance of Holy Week. The priests are preparing themselves and the church for the most important liturgies of the year. “All of it is a sacred remembering,” said The Rev. Eleanor Ellsworth at St. James. “Holy Week is not supposed to be business-as-usual. We restrict regular business to a minimum so we can spiritually prepare for each of the great liturgies that we put together and participate in.” Tonight, the congregation will share a simple Middle Eastern meal at 6 p.m. to honor Christ’s last meal when he broke bread and blessed the wine to share with his disciples. The Eucharist — the bread and wine symbolizing the body and blood of Christ — will be placed in a lit chapel and will not be taken again until Easter morning. The priests will then strip the altar bare. The Episcopal Church believes a mysterious transformation occurs after the Eucharist, where the bread and wine becomes “the Real Presence of Christ.” “That does not say … that it literally is the body and blood [of Christ] as it was 2,000 years ago,” Ellsworth said. “… But when you bless that bread and do it in the context of worship, something changes. The ordinary becomes sacred.” On Good Friday, beginning at 10 a.m., the priests will carry a heavy, wooden cross into the sanctuary for people to kneel before to pray for the world and to remember those who have departed. The church remains open until 3 p.m. for people to pray and meditate upon Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Stations of the Cross follows at 4 p.m. This is when the congregation proceeds past 14 carvings and pictures depicting the events from Jesus’ condemnation to his crucifixion. This year, the devotion is geared toward children; the ceremony will be abbreviated and lively. St. James concludes Good Friday with a reenactment of the Gospel of John at 7 p.m. Saturday will be a quiet day until dusk when the Easter vigil begins and the church moves from solemnity into joy. St. James will not host a vigil this year, and encourages people to head to St. Paul’s Cathedral downtown or to St. Peter’s in Del Mar. The vigil begins at dusk with the lighting of the “the primordial fire,” symbolizing the beginning of creation, and readings from Exodus when, Christians believe, God freed the Israelites from their oppressors in Egypt. A sudden switch is made from the Old Testament to the New when the priests flip on the lights and proclaim, “Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Christ is risen!” The congregation will share the Eucharist and new Christians will be baptized into the faith. On Easter morning, St. James will hold services at 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. with a children’s egg hunt at 10 a.m. Ellsworth described the Episcopal Church as both Catholic and Protestant in that it shares a similar order of worship as the Catholic Church, but reformed itself in the Protestant tradition to ordain women, permit priests to marry and established a less hierarchical structure than the Catholic Church. The Congregational Church of La Jolla on Cave Street has evolved from a stern, Puritan background into a liberal-minded denomination with a simple form of worship. Now part of the United Church of Christ, the Congregational Church was the first to ordain women into the ministry, oppose slavery and openly ordain gay and lesbian ministers. At one time, the Puritans didn’t celebrate Easter or Christmas. “Sunday was the Lord’s day so it was like a weekly Easter,” said pastor Sam Greening. Parishioners are no longer Puritans and have since adopted mainstream customs. Tonight, the church will commemorate Jesus’ last supper with a light meal of bread, soup and fruit at 6:30 p.m. The pastor will read psalms foreshadowing the sacrifice and betrayal of Christ. The congregation will also take communion, consisting of bread and grape juice. The pastor views the communion as spiritual, not physical, but welcomes parishioners to draw their own conclusions. In Greening’s view, “the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper does not bring Christ’s body down to us; rather, the sacrament lifts our hearts and minds to Christ.” Later that evening, Greening will place a bare, wooden cross and a bucket of flowers on the lawn in front of the church for the community to decorate throughout the weekend. People are also welcome to bring flowers from their own garden. Good Friday will be commemorated with a 45-minute service at noon. Easter morning service is held at 10:30 a.m. La Jolla Presbyterian Church offers an Easter morning service that leaves behind tradition entirely. A contemporary service is held in the Life Center building at 10 a.m. where there is no cross, no pulpit and no hymnals. Participants may grab a coffee and come dressed as they are. “It’s the informality that people appreciate, that there’s more focus on worshipping God,” said pastor Paul Cunningham. A traditional service will be held in the sanctuary on tonight at 7 p.m. to commemorate Jesus’ last supper, and communion will be taken. The service will end in darkness. No Good Friday service is planned. On Sunday, a traditional Easter service will also be held in the sanctuary at 7:30 a.m., 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. “Easter reminds us in a very profound way how Christ came to live amongst us, the suffering he endured for us and the hope we have in him,” Cunningham said. Mary Star of the Sea on Girard Avenue has the most extensive plans for celebrating Holy Week. Tonight, the church will hold its Maundy service from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Priests will wash the feet of parishioners as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. The priest will bless the bread for parishioners to take home to share. After the priest has consecrated the bread, it will be placed in the tabernacle for the church to honor and guard. “The bread is no longer bread but the body and blood of Christ,” said Martin Magana, director for Hispanic ministries. Good Friday is a day of fasting, beginning with prayer at 8 a.m. The church proceeds through Stations of the Cross, as seen through the eyes of Mary, at 1 p.m., with a Spanish service at 5 p.m. A reading of the events leading up to Christ’s death will follow at 2 p.m. in a ceremony called the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. At 7:30 p.m., Catholics will show affection for Christ by kissing a crucifix in a ceremony accompanied by readings and a cappella singing. Death will give way to life at the Saturday vigil, held from 8 to 11 p.m. The laity will enter the church carrying candles. The priest will announce three times, “Christ: Light of the world.” New converts to Catholicism will take their first communion and first baptism. “It’s a very high, happy, joyful time,” Magana said. On Easter morning, lilies will adorn the church and organza will be draped across the altar. Mass will be held at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon.