Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
With our palm branches held high, we start Holy week with the Passion of our Lord this Sunday. We witness the intense love that Jesus has for all of us. During his passion, Jesus stilled healed, comforted, forgave and instilled hope in others. During his passion, Jesus gave life to others and as Christians we are called to the Cross as well to give life to others. Holy week is a time in which we are called to reach out to others with the love of Jesus. The choice to follow Christ is essential for looking beyond ourselves so we can concentrate on the needs of others.
The Paschal Triduum starts this week and we are called to empty ourselves and become more like Jesus in his selfless and self –giving way. ‘Triduum’ comes from two Latin words (tres and dies) which mean ‘a space of three days.’ The Easter Triduum begins at sundown on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lords supper and concludes at sundown on Easter Sunday; its high point Triduum is the celebration of the Easter Vigil.
On Holy Thursday we commemorate the institution by Jesus of the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and of the Priesthood. In our liturgy we will also celebrate and remember the great humility of Jesus in washing the feet of his disciples. On this day, we are called to recognize that the Eucharist celebrates and strengthens our unity in the Body of Christ and helps us shape our lives after Christ’s, challenging us to lead lives characterized by compassion and forgiveness.
On Good Friday, we celebrate and remember the passion and death of Jesus and show our love by our veneration of the cross of that crucified Lord and our own determination to follow in his footsteps.
In the Easter Vigil ceremonies, we celebrate the light of Christ rising in glory and dispelling the darkness of our hearts and minds. Commemorating the moments when Jesus conquered death, left the tomb and sent his disciples to continue his mission. The person of STHY continues its mission of Jesus Christ by welcoming our new members to the Church through baptism and the profession of faith. This is a great witness to the life of the Church. We all show our solidarity by renewing our own baptismal promises as well.
On Tuesday evening March 26th the Chrism Mass will be celebrated at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Downtown. The Chrism Mass is one of the most solemn and significant liturgies of the church. In the Mass, the Archbishop (Cardinal DiNardo) blesses three oils — the oil of catechumens (oleum catechumenorum or oleum sanctorum), the oil of the infirm (oleum infirmorum) and holy chrism (sacrum chrisma) — which will be used in the administration of the sacraments throughout the archdiocese for the year. At the end of Mass, the oils are distributed to all parishes. Also during the ceremony all the priests of the Archdiocese are asked to renew their priestly vows and commitment to priesthood. The Chrism Mass demonstrates the unity of Holy Orders. This action shows the unity that exists between the Bishop and the clergy under his authority.
Our own young people from the current 2024 confirmation class will perfom the live the Stations of the Cross on Friday March 29th at 5:30 pm in the prayer garden. Please take a sometime to contemplate what Jesus accomplished on the cross for us, and to pray for and support the young people in our parish.
The Holy Week schedule is as follows: Holy Thursday 7:00 pm, Good Friday Service 3:00 pm; Easter Vigil, Saturday Evening 8:30 pm. Easter Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am.
Finally, the parish offices will be closed Thursday March 28th and Friday march 29th in observance of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Have a blessed Holy Week.
God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels
