Praying for our Holy Father

PRAYER FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI
Lord, source of eternal life and truth,
give to your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit
of courage and right judgment, a spirit
of knowledge and love. By governing
with fidelity those entrusted to his care,
may he, as successor to the Apostle
Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your
Church into a sacrament of unity, love
and peace for all the world. Amen.
V/ Let us pray for Benedict, the pope.
R/ May the Lord preserve him,
give him a long life,
make him blessed upon the earth,
and not hand him over
to the power of his enemies.
V/ May your hand
be upon your holy servant.
R/ And upon your son,
whom you have anointed.

Holy Week Celebrations

HOLY THURSDAY - MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
On Holy Thursday we commemorate the Last Supper that Christ had
with his Apostles. At the Supper he anticipated his death and offered
them his Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine.
He commanded his apostles to repeat this action saying “Do this in
Memory of Me”. At the beginning of this Mass, the tabernacle is
empty, since we are remembering the First Eucharist.
This evening we also remember the “New Commandment” that Christ
left us at the Last Supper, “Love one another as I have loved you”.
Some parishioners will have their feet washed by the priests to
remember how Christ humbled himself and washed his disciples feet.
As Christians we are called to humble ourselves and serve others. It
is only by frequently receiving Jesus in Holy Communion that we can
be transformed into his likeness and love as he loved. After this Mass
is concluded, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to the lower level of the Church for prayer and adoration. This is to recall
Christ’s Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane where he went to pray
with his disciples. Peter, James and John fell asleep. Christ asked them
“Could you not spend one hour with me?’ We spend time in prayer
and adoration this night to make reparation for all the times we have
fallen asleep and failed to keep vigil with Christ. We are pleased to welcome Bishop Ustrzycki to lead us in this celebration which begins at 7:00 p.m..

GOOD FRIDAY
On Good Friday, we commemorate the death of Jesus on the cross for
our salvation. There will be two celebrations on Good Friday, 11:00a.m. and 3:00 p.m. On this day our parish also sponsors a Fishy Fry from 4:00-7:30pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall. We also mark the Stations of the Cross (lead by our youth) at 7:00pm.

HOLY SATURDAY
Holy Saturday remains a day of mourning, fasting and prayer – joining
Christ in his descent among the dead. We commemorate the
“absence” of Christ by refraining from celebrating the sacraments
during the day.

We mark the custom of blessing the food for Easter celebrations at 1:00pm


EASTER VIGIL
The Easter Vigil, which begins at 7:00p.m., is the highest point of our Liturgical year. On this night we commemorate Christ’s Glorious Resurrection from the dead.

The evening begins in complete darkness – to represent the darkness that
covered the world without Christ. The Easter fire is lit at the back of the
Church and blessed. From this fire we light the Easter candle, which
represents the risen Christ emerging from the tomb and enlightening the
world. The congregation carries small candles of their own which are lit
from the Christ candle. As the presider reaches the front of the Church,
he chants an ancient hymn known as the “Exultet” announcing the
Church’s joy at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Vigil continues with a series of readings from the Old Testament,
beginning with the Creation of the world, and summarizing the whole
history of Israel. We reflect upon all of the great deeds God has done for
us throughout history. Before the New Testament Reading and Gospel,
the Glory to God is sung – and the lights in the Church are raised to full
power as we hear of the greatest deed of God – the death and resurrection
of his Son, that has saved us from sin and death.

After the Homily, the Baptismal font is blessed and together the
congregation renews its baptismal promises. It is Jesus Christ, risen
from the dead, who gives the baptismal water the power to forgive sins.
Those who have been preparing to become Catholic receive the
Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. They will make their First
Communion that evening as well. We are welcoming 11 new members into our faith this evening.

While it is true that the Easter Vigil is the longest rite in our Liturgical
Calendar (2 ½ hours), the solemn and celebratory spirit makes it move
quickly. It is an opportunity to support those entering the Church and to
reflect on our own Baptism and Confirmation. While it may be difficult
to attend with small children, it is a wonderful opportunity for older
children to witness the richness of our Catholic Faith. The vigil Mass is
usually less crowded than the Masses on Easter Sunday. Please plan to
attend with your family this year.


EASTER SUNDAY

The Easter Sunday Mass is the model for all of our Sunday Masses
throughout the year – each and every Sunday is like a “little Easter” –
where we participate in the death and resurrection of our Lord. On
Sunday Morning, we continue the joy that filled the Easter Vigil. We
will renew our Baptismal promises and the presider will sprinkle the
congregation with Holy Water. The victory over sin and death that we
have received in Christ must permeate the rest of our year.