Centenary to host Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, April 5th
Centenary College wishes to extend an invitation to the public to attend its annual Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, April 5, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. The service is free to attend, and it will feature the Centenary College Choir and friends.
Everyone is welcome to attend the service that will be held in Hargrove Memorial Amphitheatre, commonly called “The Shell.” The Choir welcomes community choristers, alumni, and friends to join for the program and celebrate the holiest day of the Christian calendar. Assisting with the liturgy of the service are Rev. Maddie Russo, Centenary’s chaplain; and special guest Rev. R.L. Bethley, North District Superintendent of the Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church.
The program recounts the final days of Jesus' passion and ushers in the celebration of the resurrection as the morning sun rises.
“The contour of the service begins in darkness, a reminder of the deep despair of Christ's followers in the aftermath of the crucifixion," says Dr. David Hobson, director of the Centenary College Choir. "Thus, the liturgy reminds the congregation of those profound events leading to the cross, and it never seems to fail that as the sun rises, the story reaches its resurrection climax. The music is poignantly woven into the narrative to add sound and emotional dimensions to what is the crux event of the Christian faith.”
The service is one of the oldest traditions of the Choir dating back to the 1950s.