“Mission” Accomplished, and a Holy Week Challenge

As this bulletin goes to press on Wednesday, we are anticipating the final night of our Lenten Mission-Retreat on God’s Healing Power, which has been a beautiful, powerful experience led by Father Paul Desmarais. He speaks to us about the importance of being open to the inner healing Christ wants most for us – not just focusing on physical cures, which Jesus sometimes does as visible signs of the more important mental and spiritual healing he did that could not be seen. Father Paul also speaks clearly about the obstacles to healing we might put in the way ourselves, or open the door to by allowing dark spiritual forces into our minds to discourage us or rob us of the hope Christ gives us. These talks are crucial preparation for the Mass of Healing we will now celebrate. Nearly two hundred people came back each night for more, and we would all encourage those who missed it to watch the mission videos on our website and social media platforms. We are all so grateful to Fr. Paul, to our liturgical ministers from both parishes – especially music and hospitality, to the Sunday Experience Team who hosted the social with refreshments, and to the Pastoral Team who planned and coordinated this whole spiritual experience.

Now on to my Holy Week Challenge!  The Masses on Palm Sunday & Easter are the most important and powerful, yet these are the minimum commitment we as Catholics are called to attend for Holy Week. For us to grow deeper in our spirituality and the heart of our faith, I challenge every one of us to add one new day in church this week. The principal observance during Holy Week is the Sacred Easter Triduum (the three days), a continuous liturgy celebrating Christ’s life, death, and resurrection that runs from Thursday through Saturday night. If you have attended one part of this before, consider adding another part this year.
 

• I especially recommend Holy Thursday, known as the Mass of the Lord’s Supper: a family-friendly experience, similar to Sunday Mass but more intimate (have kids sit near the front to see). These powerful rituals express Jesus’ love in instituting the Eucharist and the priesthood – including washing a few people’s feet, and a solemn procession and Adoration with the Eucharist.
• Good Friday Liturgy of the Passion (3:00 pm at St. Mary or 7:30 pm at St. Martha), which deepens the Passion Sunday experience with solemn rituals, including Veneration of the Cross.
• Holy Saturday’s Easter Vigil, though it may be too long for many people (over two hours), it includes a beautiful Service of Light (fire and candles), extensive readings of God’s work in salvation history, and the blessing of Easter Holy Water to renew our baptismal promises.

Earlier in the week, you have three other options:
 

• Tuesday has the Mary Garden Prayer Group (7:30pm) and “The Light is On for You” Reconciliation (7:00-8:00pm), which will be the last opportunity for Sacramental Confession and Reconciliation scheduled in our parishes before Easter (no afternoon confessions on Holy Saturday).
• Wednesday we pray a traditional Tenebrae service of light and darkness (see separate article).

A good way to remember times and locations: after Palm Sunday, all evening services will be at 7:30 this week, and alternate between our churches (see our Holy Week schedule for details). Blessed Holy Week!

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Parish Registration Drive This Weekend After Masses: If you’re not registered as a parishioner of either St. Martha or St. Mary Parishes (or if you are not certain), please take a moment on your way out of Mass to fill out a simple sign-up card before you leave. This will start the registration process that you can continue from home online. Being a registered parishioner is important not only for our parish census numbers, but to be sure you receive regular communications from your parish and for sacramental purposes – especially if you want to be a godparent or sponsor for someone’s Baptism or Confirmation.

Church QR Codes Moving from Pews to Bulletin: later this week, we will remove the QR codes from the church pews and replace them with a new QR code in the weekly bulletin. If you use the QR code to follow the readings or make online donations in church, be sure to take a bulletin on the way into church.