Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:
We now find ourselves waiting in anticipation of Holy
Week and Easter. Holy Week will find us mourning
the Passion and Death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, because on Palm Sunday we will listen to the
Gospel description of what our Lord went through on
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday almost 2,000 years
ago.
On Tuesday, March 22, the annual Chrism Mass will
be celebrated at the Cathedral in Saginaw. It is on
this occasion that the new holy oils will be blessed
and consecrated by Bishop Cistone. Volunteers are
needed to attend this Mass and to present the oils to
the parish at our Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s
Supper.
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper will also feature the
washing of the feet of those wishing to participate.
Extra hosts will be consecrated for use on Good Fri-
day.
On Good Friday we will celebrate the Adoration of
the Cross and Holy Communion. This Eucharist will
consist of the Body of Christ preserved after the
Mass of the Lord’s Supper the night prior.
Then, on Saturday we celebrate the Easter Vigil. The
ceremonies of Holy Saturday are the most solemn
memorials of the entire liturgical year. They consist of
four parts: Service of Light, Liturgy of the Word, Litur-
gy of Baptism [which will not occur at St. Vincent his
year because of no Catechumens], and Liturgy of the
Eucharist. The entire celebration takes place at night
[starting at 8pm this year], and must end before dawn
on Easter Sunday. In the early Church the night be-
fore Easter was celebrated by the illumination of
churches and even whole cities. The revised Easter
Vigil services include ceremonies that go back to the
first centuries of the Christian era and stress the
Church’s joy in commemorating the night that Christ
rose from the dead.
Of course, Easter Sunday is a day when we come
to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection and his appear-
ances to several of his disciples after having been in
the tomb. What a joyful occasion!
Please plan to attend as many of these Holy Week
activities as you can, and while you are at it, why not
invite a friend to come along with you?
I hope you have a Christ-filled week!
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
May the Holy Spirit always be with you.
Deacon Mike