Holy Week

04-02-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Mike Straley

Howdy,

I pray your Lent was holy and now we enter into the most sacred time of the year: Holy Week. It is like no other week of the year and I hope you are all able to adjust your schedules to enter this week as much as possible.

We begin with Passion Sunday, first with the joyful entry into Jerusalem waving our palm branches and then preparing ourselves by hearing the reading of our Lord’s Passion. Monday the priests of our diocese have a retreat to prepare ourselves for the week. Monday evening is Chrism Mass, when the priests renew their promises and the Holy Oils for the coming year are blessed by Bishop Dolan. Wednesday we have confessions at 5:00pm.

Remember the Mass schedule changes on Holy Thursday; there is not morning Mass only the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:30pm. Good Friday there is no Mass at all. We will have confessions again from 10-12 in the morning and the celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3:00pm. As usual, we will also celebrate the Stations of the Cross Friday evening.

Holy Saturday is the Vigil Mass of Easter at 7:30pm. I remind you that this is not a normal Mass, it usually is about 3 hours long. During this Mass, we welcome new members into the Catholic Church through Baptism, Confirmation, and their First Holy Communion.

Easter Sunday we welcome so many friends and relatives that more Masses are required. The early Mass is at 7:00am, not 7:30am. In the church, we have Masses as usual at 9:00am and 11:00am, and we also have Masses in the Parish Center at 9:15am and 11:15am.

This will be my last Holy Week with you as pastor and I cannot tell you how excited and honored I am to celebrate this Holy Week with you.

The Blessings of our Risen Lord be with you all,

Fr. Mike