FROM THE PASTOR There will be a SECOND COLLECTION taken up at all of the Masses this weekend for EASTER FLOWERS. We decorate our sanctuary in memory of our deceased loved ones as a visible reminder of the new life that is theirs as a result of Easter. If you would like to make a financial contribution towards this, please write the name of the deceased person on the outside of the envelopes that are in the pews and place your offering in this week’s second collection. In the event that finances are problematic for you, please feel free to simply write the name of the person on the outside of the envelope and simply place it in the basket. We are happy to remember everyone in our prayers at the Altar. As we begin this most holy of weeks, the Church commemorates the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Our celebration of the sacred mysteries of our faith allow us to be focused upon the victory of Christ over death and our participation in His glorious life that is given to us through our Baptism. The schedule of the events of HOLY WEEK is included in the bulletin and it is my hope that all parishioners will take part in these sacred and solemn ceremonies. On HOLY THURSDAY, we begin the SACRED TRIDUUM by recalling the gift of the Eucharist that Jesus Christ has entrusted to His Church as the abiding Memorial of His Real Presence among us. During the Mass at 7:30 PM, we will wash the feet of twelve parishioners to recall the command of Christ to be of service to each other. We will take up a Special Collection to benefit the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of our parish as a reminder of our need to attend to the poor. At the conclusion of the Mass, Christ, truly present in the Eucharist, will be taken in procession and placed in a Tabernacle away from the Altar. The Church will be stripped bare as we pray in union with the Lord on the night of His agony. The lower Church will remain open until midnight so that we can all pray quietly. We will conclude the evening with Night Prayer at Midnight. The services on GOOD FRIDAY are beautiful in their simplicity. We begin with Morning Prayer at 8:00 AM. The STATIONS OF THE CROSS will be prayed at Noon. The CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S PASSION will take place at 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Both of these services will contain the Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion. A special collection will be taken up for the shrines of the Holy Land at both of these services. The most important of all services takes place on Saturday evening when the Church gathers in Vigil. During the Liturgy at 7:30 PM, we will bless the Easter fire and light the Paschal Candle from the new fire. The candle, symbol of Christ’s triumph over death, is carried in procession through the darkened Church as the reminder that JESUS CHRIST IS THE LIGHT OF LIFE. The Church celebrates in Word and Sacrament the newness of life that is bestowed upon those who believe in Him. We welcome to our family Samantha DeMasi who has completed the RCIA program. -Fr. Kiely
Posted on: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 19:32:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015