Dear Parishioners:
Fr. Healey and Fr. Mahoney celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Monsignor Seamus Horgan.
Last week, we had two grand celebrations honoring St. Patrick and St. Joseph. Both Masses were joyful and faith-filled, and the receptions were lively and fun. I thank all those who helped make these Parish Feasts a great celebration. I also wish to thank Monsignor Seamus Horgan from the Vatican Embassy and Bishop McManus of Worcester, who celebrated the Masses and delivered outstanding homilies. Their presence at OLM is a great honor for us, and I am grateful for their willingness to come and celebrate with us.
It is Palm Sunday, and thus, Holy Week begins today. It is the final week of Lent and the week before Easter. It begins on Palm Sunday and includes the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil.
On Palm Sunday, the Passion of Our Lord is proclaimed. The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the Latin patior meaning "suffer," refers to the sufferings our Lord endured for our redemption, from the agony in the garden until His death on Calvary. The Gospels' Passion Narratives provide the details of our Lord's Passion. It is a powerful and prayerful way to begin Holy Week.
Commenting on the Passion, St. Jose Maria Escriva said, "The tragedy of the Passion brings to fulfillment our own life and the whole of human history. We can't let Holy Week be just a kind of commemoration. It means contemplating the mystery of Jesus Christ as something which continues to work in our souls. The Christian is obliged to be altered—Christus, ipse Christus: another Christ, Christ Himself."
Indeed, every Christian must enter into the profound mysteries and prayerful celebration of Holy Week to be altered into another Christ, Christ Himself. So, I encourage you to join us this Holy Week in prayer and devotion on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.
The Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday is at 7:00 pm and includes the washing of the feet. The Blessed Sacrament will be transferred to the Altar of Repose, and adoration will continue until midnight. This Mass recalls the Last Supper and the Lord's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
On Good Friday, the Stations of the Cross are at 3:00 pm, and the Liturgy of the Good Friday is at 7:00 pm with the Veneration of the Cross. As we recall our Lord's suffering upon the Cross, it is a day on which Mass is not celebrated. It is a day of fasting and abstinence and calls for deep prayer and devotion.
On Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil, the Mother of All Vigils, will be celebrated after sundown at 7:30 pm. It is the only Mass on Holy Saturday. We will joyfully welcome five new members to the Catholic Church. Please pray for them.
Easter Sunday recalls the glory of our Lord's Resurrection from the dead. We will celebrate with Masses at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, and 10:30 am. There will be no 5:00 pm Mass on Easter Sunday.
During Holy Week, there are also opportunities for Confession. Confession will be available Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 11:45 am before the 12:05 pm Mass. Two priests, including a Dominican Friar, are available on Monday night at 6:00 pm. On Spy Wednesday, there will be two hours of Confession from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, with four priests available. We have all these opportunities, including the All-Day Confession this Saturday, to make a good Confession before Easter.
Also, during the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, Solemn Morning Prayer and the Office of Readings will be prayed each morning at 8:00 am. Our Church is open all day, and Holy Week is a good time for all of us to pray with the Lord here in Church.
Holy Week has begun. Indeed, the week that changed the world begins today. I pray you make it a week that changes your world and life. May we enter it with prayer and devotion that we might be altered into "Christus, ipse Christus: another Christ, Christ Himself." Please join us for Holy Week services. Please get to Confession and make your Easter Duty. Let us pray, adore, and rejoice in the great mysteries of our Catholic Faith. A Blessed Holy Week and Holy Easter to all! Be well. Do good. God Bless