We’ve come to a busy week.  A Holy Week for the Church.   And not just a Holy Week because these things happened to Jesus of Nazareth almost 2000 years ago. A Holy Week because our celebration builds up our faith and strengthens us for our witness to the world.

And it only works if we show up! Let’s think about the moments when we need especially to be Church this week:

Holy Thursday.  Our celebration of the Lord’s death and resurrection begins with the 7 pm Mass, the Mass that recalls the beginning of Christ’s Passion, his gift of Eucharist, and priesthood. And it’s a celebration that continues through the night hours. The Diocese has continued to urge us to keep an old tradition with a new name, “Get Up and Pray.”   Why not take the time that night to thank God for his great gifts by praying at any of the altars of repose in our area churches?   Why not join us for Night Prayer to close out that holy night at 11:30?  

Good Friday. Each morning from Thursday through Saturday, we offer Lauds, the Church’s Morning Prayer, at 8:30 am.   Good Friday at 5:30 pm, we’ll have Stations of the Cross.  But the heart of this sacred day is the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at 1 pm. It’s not a Mass. Out of wonder and awe, we don’t offer the sacrifice that was offered on the Cross that day.  We do listen to God’s word, we venerate the image of his cross, and we receive communion.  

Holy Saturday.  We often say we want to have a welcoming parish.  Holy Saturday’s your day, then. Welcome Easter in the dark hours when Christ rose from the dead. Welcome the adults who will be baptized and confirmed that very night.   Yes, the Easter Vigil at 8:00 pm is a long Mass, but it’s always been the highlight of the Church’s year—it tells our story from creation to that moment when the waters of baptism create a new Christian. If our phone use app tells us we’ve used hours upon hours of our lives on social media, we can take 2 hours for God on Easter Eve. Please join us for this beautiful celebration!

And, completely unrelated to this Holy Week:  

You’ll see an update elsewhere in the bulletin about our upcoming linkage.  Some dates have been adjusted, but we are continuing to move forward.  Expect to hear about a new weekend Mass schedule to serve all three sites for St Boniface and St Ann Parishes.  

Also, when we have a second priest beginning this summer, we’ll be looking to set a new weekday Mass schedule. We need to respect the importance of the three worship sites in our parishes and allow room for funeral Masses. But I’m open to considering a reasonable range of options. I’ll certainly give you, especially those who come to daily Mass or would like to come to daily Mass, an opportunity to weigh in with your hopes moving forward.