Dear Friends in Christ,

Welcome to Holy Week. Today we begin the most solemn week of our Church year. My prayer for all of us during these days is to remain open to the many possibilities we will have to grow closer to Jesus. With our celebration today of Palm Sunday, and as we read and proclaim together Mark’s Passion Narrative, the Church directs our minds and hearts to the celebration of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the great Easter Vigil, the Paschal Triduum, our high Holy Days. Please make every effort to clear your calendars to be with us for these celebrations that will help to remind us of the new life we share in the life-giving Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Remember, we always “change things up” in our lives for special moments. The Paschal Triduum is such a moment!

The first thing I would like to remind you of is the Palm Sunday Cantata that our choir will present this afternoon at 4 pm. I can tell you this, it is first class and a beautiful presentation of the events surrounding the life-giving Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. It is most certainly an event for the entire family, and I would encourage you to attend with your children. I am confident that you will experience a very real and tangible blessing from God.

The mass of the Lord’s Supper, Holy Thursday, will begin at 7 pm. This is the night we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist, the center of our Catholic life. This liturgy is certainly one of the most beautiful of the entire year. Following the homily that night, I will be washing the feet of parishioners to recall the action of Jesus following the Last Supper. The mass will end that night with a traditional procession through the church with the Eucharist. All are invited that night to spend time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This, of course, is to commemorate and remember Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples before he was handed over to the Roman authorities. We have a sign-up sheet at the entrance of the church for you to spend that time with Jesus and other parishioners, in watchful prayer. The altar and sanctuary will be stripped of all adornment at the end of mass. This will prepare the worship space for the solemn Liturgy of Good Friday.

We will have two celebrations on Good Friday, one at 12 noon and the other at 7 pm. Good Friday is the only day in the Church Year when we do not celebrate mass. Rather, the day is reserved for a solemn celebration and remembrance of the Passion and Death of Jesus. The Good Friday Liturgy is stark and quite beautiful in its simplicity. This is the day when we venerate the cross. Here at All Hallows, this part of the Liturgy is particularly moving. We will pass through the congregation the cross we have had in the sanctuary since Ash Wednesday. It is very heavy and as it is passed through the congregation, we are reminded of the heavy burden of sin in our lives and how Jesus has taken that away for us. Also on Good Friday, the Church prays for all of God‘s creation throughout the world in the Prayers of General Intersession. The final moment of the Good Friday Liturgy is, of course, the reception of Holy Communion which will have been consecrated the night before on Holy Thursday. The cross used for our veneration will be placed in front of the altar for private devotion and prayer following the service.

Holy Saturday evening, the great Easter Vigil, is the night we will initiate into the life of Christ our eight Elect and Candidates. This night is our first celebration of Easter. It is a glorious night filled with history, symbolism, and sacramental Grace. Through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, our Elect and Candidates will become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church. Please make every effort to be here to pray and welcome them as they celebrate their new life in Christ!

On Easter Sunday our masses are at 8 am, 10 am, and 12 noon. We have special music planned for each celebration with strings and brass as we celebrate with joy the Resurrection of Jesus. I will look forward to greeting you and celebrating the Feast of our Redemption!

God’s blessings be with each of you.

Sincerely in Christ,
FJ