Holy Week Letter

Dear parishioners,

     We have come to the holiest of weeks, the week in which we commemorate the saving passion, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Church calls to mind the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, the paschal lamb that was slain for the salvation of humanity. We begin this Palm Sunday with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem to fulfill the Father's will. Like the pilgrims who accompany Jesus to Jerusalem, we lift palm branches as we sing Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

     Our hosanna would then lead us into the Upper Room on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), for the Mass of the Lord's Supper, where, with Jesus and his disciples, we will experience the inauguration of the Priesthood and the Holy Eucharist. Our Lord would stoop to wash the feet of his disciples, which according to him, is necessary for them to have a part in him. Our Lord would give us this example of service, and command us to go do the same for our brothers and sisters. He says, "You call me Lord and master, and so I am. If I, your Lord and master, have washed your feet, you must now do the same for one another..." As we sing the Mandatum, from which we get the title Maundy Thursday, we remember this command to love and service. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, this is what the Lord calls us to do. Our celebration concludes with a procession with the Eucharist into the chapel, where we will spend time in adoration before the Lord until 10:00pm.

     On Good Friday, the day our Lord makes the ultimate sacrifice of self, in obedience to the will of the Father, we begin with morning prayer (Lauds) at 8:30am. It is a day of fast and abstinence; that is, we eat only one full meal and avoid meat and meat products. Our Celebration of the Passion will begin at 3:00pm. During this liturgy, as there will be no Mass, the Church commemorates the once-and-for-all death of Our Lord. We hear the Passion Narrative read from the gospel according to John, we unveil the cross, and venerate the wood of the cross. This is a solemn celebration, and it will conclude with the congregation participating in the Eucharist consecrated at the Mass of the Lord's Supper. The congregation will depart this service in silence. We will convene again at 5:00pm for the Stations of the Cross.

     Our Holy Saturday will begin with the Lauds at 8:30am. The Church awaits in silence at the tomb for the Resurrection of the Lord. The Lord has descended into the dead where he has gone to do battle against the forces of death, and to liberate the souls of the just who preceded him from the pangs of death. The evening celebration begins at 9:00pm with the Lucernarium, the blessing of the Easter fire, and the Paschal Candle. This night would be characterized by themes of darkness, light, and water. The world was in total darkness on account of sin, and Christ the light of the world came into this darkness and dispelled it. We are baptized with water and renewed by the waters of rebirth. On this night, we will receive new members into the Church through the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. We are filled with joy that the number of the baptized would be increased.

     Finally, as we celebrate the joy of our Lord's resurrection, we pray that the merits of the Paschal Mystery may be applied to the priestly soul of our beloved founding pastor, Fr. Joseph Payne, CSC. The 50th anniversary of his death is Tuesday, March 31. Please say a prayer for him.

     We hope you will join us in prayer for these beautiful Triduum Liturgies which mark the highest point of our year. 

May Jesus bless you and Our Lady protect you. 

Fr. Julius