Dear Beloved parishioners,
It is the lull before the storm. As I sit here typing this, I am listening to a lovely piece –The Wise Thief performed by the Phoenix Bach Choir (see the song of the day below) knowing that, starting with the 8th grade presentation of the passion tomorrow, and then the evening celebration of Tenebrae, my schedule is about to get very full. So I am enjoying this respite, trying to get some incidental things out of the way, so that I can enter these days less as a ‘busy priest’ and more as the active participant in the prayer these days invite of us all.
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Opportunities for prayer abound.
Wednesday, the 8th grade put on a set of ‘enacted stations’ of the cross – starting at 10:15. (I am not sure how long this will be, but under a half hour…) Wednesday evening (7pm) will be our Tenebrae service – from the word meaning Darkness. It is a reading of the scripture texts that surround the events of our Lord’s passion and death, with some lovely music intertwined.
Thursday morning begins the sacred Triduum – the ‘three days’ which are the holiest in the church’s calendar. Morning prayer, including a meditation on the themes of the day, will happen at 8am.
And here is where I need to correct an error in the pulpit announcement from this weekend. We will have confessions after morning prayer each morning, but on Holy Thursday, they will end at 8:45am, so that Fr. Johnson and I have time to get to the Cathedral for the Chrism Mass. On Good Friday and Holy Saturday, we will stay as long as there are penitents…
Here is the rest of the schedule for the Triduum:
Holy Thursday:
8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
7:00 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Adoration begins after Mass
11:00 p.m. Night Prayer
Good Friday
8:00 am: Morning Prayer
3:00 pm: Stations of the Cross
7:00 pm: The Lord’s Passion
Holy Saturday
8:00 am: Morning Prayer
8:00 pm: Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday
7:30 a.m. Mass of the Resurrection
9:00 a.m. Mass of the Resurrection
11:00 a.m. Mass of the Resurrection
These days are the days of the church’s retreat. I pray that we all avail ourselves of the grace the Triduum hold out for us…
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On the practical side of things, there are a few items to note.
1. Beginning with the Triduum, we will return to 4 Eucharistic ministers giving out communion, and will return to our pre-covid way of processing down the side-middle aisles and returning via the center aisles and the wall aisles. For those needing the low gluten consecrated hosts, those will be with the two Eucharist ministers/priest/deacon closest to the middle aisle…
2. There are two special collections these days.
Good Friday is the collection in support of the Holy Land shrines and the work of the Franciscans in keeping them up and open. Having had the grace of walking there twice, I can tell you the life changing experience it is having the opportunity to walk where Jesus walked… There will be one basket in our usual place.
Easter Sunday has a second collection for our retired priests. There will be a Second basket, clearly marked, RETIRED PRIEST COLLECTION. Use the regular basket for the normal collection and that one to support Fr. Johnson and all our retired brothers who continue to pray for us daily.
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Don’t forget about the Education Survey as a part of All Things New Initiative. That one will take a bit longer to fill out, (~20 minutes) and is only available electronically. (Okay, technically, I could print them out, but it is 57 pages…) Though, don’t be daunted by that number – it is an ‘if-then’ survey – so you don’t have to fill out all 57 pages, just the ones that are the result of your ‘if’ choice. Go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EDUCATIONSURVEY2022
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Finally, because there are still miles to go before I sleep, the song of the day, as promised, is from the Album: Grechaninov: Passion Week, Op. 58: VIII, The Wise Thief.
Blessings,
Fr. Bill