Sacred Tridiuum:

Holy Thursday

Begins our Sacred or Easter Triduum. These are the three days that focus more deeply on the days of salvation and the Pascal Mystery. Daily Mass or Funeral Masses are not celebrated during the Triduum so that we are able to focus more deeply on the meaning and solemnity of these days. The Church gathers to celebrate Morning Prayer. Morning Prayer is, after the Mass, the most important prayer form in the life of the Church. We pray the Psalms and read the scriptures.

In the morning the priests and faithful of the Diocese gather at the Cathedral to celebrate the “Chrism Mass.” At this Eucharist, the bishop blesses the oils that will be used in the parishes throughout the year. The Oil of the Catechumens is used for those who will enter the Church at Baptism to strengthen them in their journey as a Christian. The Oil of the Sick is used by the priests to anoint those who are sick or near death. The bishop consecrates The Sacred Chrism and the power of the Holy Spirit is infused into the oil. Chrism is used at Baptism and Confirmation as well as the Ordination of a priest to anoint in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The oils are then solemnly received into the parish church.

In the evening, the Church gathers to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Last Supper is the first Mass that Jesus celebrated. He commanded the disciples, as he does to us today, to do this in remembrance of Him. The Eucharist/Mass/Liturgy celebrates the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. It also makes real the fact that Jesus will be present to us, through this saving action, for all time. We are invited at each Mass to enter into the days of salvation and allow it to touch the very depths of our beings.

At the Last Supper Jesus also creates the ministerial or ordained priesthood. The Apostles were the first priests of the New Covenant so that just as the priests of the Old Testament were able to offer sacrifice to God for the people, so the priests of the New Covenant are called to do the same. This celebration also contains a “new commandment.” Jesus washes the feet of the disciples. In this action, called the “mandatum” or command Jesus teaches His followers that in order to be His disciples we have to be willing to be “servants of all.”

At the end of the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the tabernacle and brought to another place. This offers the faithful time to pray before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In our parish we will process to the Chapel in the Parish Center, which will be open until 11:30 pm. I invite you to sign the sheet in the vestibule of the Church so that that the Blessed Sacrament is never left unattended.

At the end of the Liturgy the church is stripped and left bare, and the Holy Water is removed as we enter

into the days of silence. The tabernacle of our church will be empty until the Easter Vigil. In a sense as Jesus was hidden in the tomb we also await the resurrection.  Return to schedule

Good Friday

This is truly the most solemn and profound of all our holy days. The great sacrifice of the life of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins reminds us of His obedience to the Father. The death of Jesus on the cross is His body broken for our sins and His blood that washes us clean. The sadness of His death is always seen in light of the glory of His resurrection. As we venerate the wood of the cross during our Liturgy, we are called to give thanks

Now the forgiveness of our sins are remembered in the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass. On the cross we hear the cry of Jesus to the Father, “Why have You abandoned me?”  A plea that will be answered in the most profound way on Easter. We enter and leave the church in silence as we stand in awe of all that Jesus willing gave for us. As He is laid in the tomb, the Bridegroom, as described in Scripture, is taken from our midst. The Church begins her period of waiting. May that crucifixion inspire us to act in love and obedience to the will of God in our own lives.

Mass is not celebrated today, but so that the faithful are not deprived of the Eucharist Holy Communion consecrated on Holy Thursday will be disturbed. We gather at 9am to pray Morning Prayer and at 7:30pm to walk the Stations of the Cross. Return to schedule

Holy Saturday/ Easter Vigil

After 9am Morning Prayer, the Church continues her silent vigil awaiting the great news of resurrection.

At the Easter Vigil at 7:30pm, the Church competes the days of waiting and this culminated the Great and Holy Triduum. The days of waiting are about to end. God will redeem humankind in the silent hours of the night .God shakes the world from its slumber and the power of resurrection touches the world from that darkened tomb. This night we enter the Church in darkness that will be lit by the fire of the watchman who awaits the dawn of resurrection.

The Pascal /Christ/Easter Candle is blessed and consecrated and gives light to the darken church. As the candle is solemnly processed to the altar, the faithful are invited to light their Baptismal candles. The church is filled with the light of Christ and those who have, through Baptism, dedicated themselves to continue the work of Jesus. The great Easter Proclamation or Exsultet is sung announcing the great and wondrous work of Jesus.

The readings that are read are a highlighting of the history of our salvation, beginning with the creation of the world. The Holy Water is blessed and the faithful renew the promises made at Baptism. Any adults seeking entrance into the Church are baptized at the Easter Vigil. At the Gospel acclamation we hear the great “Alleluia” heard for the first time since Lent began. It is the great story of the empty tomb, which we have waited these 40 days to hear. To distinguish the glorious celebration of Easter and the joy in hearing the Alleluia again, we shall sing it before and after the Gospel. At the end of Communion the Blessed Sacrament will again be solemnly placed in the Tabernacle.  Return to schedule

As you can see, these days are filled with ritual, symbolism and joy. They tell the story in a profound way the work of our redemption and salvation. I encourage you to participate as much as you can in these days of prayer and joy.

May your Holy Week fill you with the presence of God’s love and a deep sense of prayer and thanksgiving.  Return to schedule