Pastor’s Letter: March 24, 2024

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We enter into Holy week.  This Sunday is called Palm  Sunday where we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the people waved palm branches and greeted Jesus as a sign of respect The Palm Sunday services include the Gospel reading of the Passion  narrative – the account of his suffering and crucifixion.  The colors used in this weekend’s liturgy of red and white symbolizes the redemption Christ paid for the world with his sacrifice and blood.

On Monday, the priests of our Archdiocese will gather with our Archbishop for the Chrism Mass where the holy oils are blessed by our Archbishop that will be used for sacraments and rituals.  The Oil of the Sick will be used in the Sacrament of the anointing of the sick to bring healing and strengthening.  The Oil of Catechumens will be used before baptism to signify cleansing and strengthening, and the Sacred Chrism is used for Baptism, Confirmation and Ordination to signify consecration.

We invite you if you have not had the chance to make a good confession.  Please note the times for confessions in our bulletin.

Thursday marks the beginning of our Easter Tridium.  It is known as the Mass of the Lord’s Supper where we commemorate Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples.  At the end of the Mass the altar is stripped in preparation for Good Friday.  After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, we are invited to participate in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament till midnight.  This tradition represents the disciples who were invited to stay up with the Lord during his agony in the garden before He was betrayed by Judas.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It is a day of fast and abstinence where we are invited to reflect on God’s love and promise of eternal life that gives us hope.

The Easter Vigil celebrates the resurrection of our Lord that takes place during nightfall.  For us Christians, this is the most Holy of all solemnities in our Church.  At the Easter Vigil, we will welcome all those in our RCIA program into our Church.

Please note the times for our liturgies in our Family of Parishes for Holy Week.

A Blessed Holy Week to all of you.

Fr Marc