301 N. Bancroft Parkway, Wilmington, DE Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00AM - 3:00PM

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1 301 N. Bancroft Parkway, Wilmington, DE Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00AM - 3:00PM MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM Sunday: 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM Monday: 6:00 PM Tuesday - Thursday: 8:00 AM Rev. Msgr. Steven P. Hurley, V.G., Pastor Mr. Francis A. Quinlan, Deacon Ms. Patrice Roman, Music & Choir Director Mrs. Betsy Facciolo, Parish Secretary Mrs. Mickey Ciuffetellli, Parish Bookkeeper SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday 4:00-4:45 PM SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE Call the Parish Office at least 12 months in advance. Initial meeting with couple and parish clergy is required before setting a wedding date. VISITS TO THE SICK AND HOMEBOUND We are eager to provide visits to both hospitals and homes. Please inform the Parish Office upon entering the hospital to ensure that the parish clergy are aware of one s hospitalization. The Eucharist can be brought to the homebound on a regular basis. Please advise us of your needs by calling the parish office. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Celebrated the 2nd and 4th Sunday at 11:00 AM. A Baptism Preparation Class is required for new parents. Please call the Parish Office to register. MIRACULOUS MEDAL NOVENA Is prayed after the 6 PM Mass on Monday nights. PARISH REGISTRATION We welcome new members to our Parish Family. Please register at the Office and notify us it you are moving from the parish or if you have changed your address or telephone number. WILLS It is customary in Wills to remember your loved ones and institutions that have been important in life. We hope that St. Thomas the Apostle Parish merits your consideration. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS St. Thomas the Apostle Council #12374 meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7PM. Please call or jwalsh@chhetrick.com for more information.

2 Saint Thomas the Apostle April 14, 2019 FROM THE PASTOR Palm Sunday of the Lord s Passion Dear Brothers and Sisters, Every year on Palm Sunday, as I bless the palm and we process with it down the aisle and the Gospel is read, recounting Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the same thoughts occupy me. It is the same question and meditation that I have offered to you over the past few years on this solemn occasion. Why the change from Hosanna the Son of David to crucify Him!? There are probably a couple of different answers to this question, but I think that one answer has to do with expectations. When we are all excited and on an emotional high because our hopes and expectations are about to be fulfilled and then they are suddenly dashed to the ground we are not only terribly saddened but many times we get angry. This human response to disappointment is depicted often in Scripture. For example in the Book of Numbers we hear about the Israelites upset and complaining about the repulsive food they had to eat in the desert, all the while forgetting that just a few weeks earlier God had freed them from generations of slavery to the Egyptians. How quickly they turned on God. A similar reaction can be found in the people of Jerusalem as they hoped that Jesus was going to be their long-expected Messiah. God s Anointed One would be like King David who would lead the Israelites to throw off their hated Roman rulers and give them their long expected freedom. When it appeared that Jesus was going to be a different kind of Messiah, one who appeared to be gentle, merciful and forgiving and therefore perceived as weak, their frustrated hopes turned into anger. That appears to be what upset Judas, the one who was so concerned with money and power. Judas disappointment caused him to betray Jesus to the Jewish and Roman authorities. So the questions continue: What do we expect God to do for us? Just what kind of a Messiah do we expect? And when God doesn t answer our prayers the way we want Him to, how do we react? What is our own response? I think you know the answer. You and I have seen it in others; perhaps we have even seen it in ourselves. We get mad at God. We turn and walk away both from Him and from His Church. The uncomfortable truth is that Judas models our own turning away from Christ. Let s face it, we all have some fickleness in our hearts. Not only that, but all too often we join the thinking of the crowd around us. We are swept up by what is popular and fail to be fixed on what is right and just. What do we expect God to do for us? Just what kind of a Messiah do we expect? Instead of asking what we want God to do for us, let us turn the question around and ask: What does God want me to do? We now enter into Holy Week and once again God our Father gathers us up into His Christ. God knows full well what is in the human heart but He is undeterred by our failures and weaknesses. Next Sunday we will come out on the other side of Holy Week and filled with thanksgiving we will once again, with Christ, enter into His resurrection from the dead, sharing His victory over that which separates us from God. God s love for us is infinitely strong, unwavering, resolute, and all powerful. In the light of human history, a history filled with infidelities, betrayals, violence, and unspeakable evils, this is our only hope for peace in our souls and the triumph of love. Let us now join ourselves into Christ and there be swept up onto the heart of God. May God bless you, WHY PALMS? It was common practice in the ancient world to welcome home a king or war hero by laying out a path of palm branches for him to ride on or walk on similar to rolling out the red carpet today. For millennia, palm branches have been recognized as a symbol of peace, victory, and eternal life. In the beginnings of Christianity, the palm represented the victory of martyrs - the victory of the spirit over the flesh. In the fourth Century AD, coins issued under the Emperor Constantine continued to display the palm leaves of victory. In 1688 the Church decided that when they found the palm image carved on tombs discovered in the Roman catacombs, it was to be understood that a martyr had been buried there. Today we use palm leaves on Palm Sunday to commemorate Christ s sacrifice: we remember His death on the cross and continually praise Him for our salvation. And, we anticipate His Resurrection a week later at Easter: His victory over death holds out to us the hope of eternal life. The palm for Palm Sunday is blessed, and thereby becomes a sacramental. It can be returned to the church or taken home and kept for the year. Sacramentals must be treated with respect and should never be put in the trash. Blessed palms should be returned to nature. The faithful who take their palms home may either keep them as holy, or dispose of them properly. They should be buried in the ground or burned and the ashes spread outside. If you haven t saved a palm from a Palm Sunday past, do it this year! The historical significance and symbolism of this special branch will perpetuate a tradition that goes back thousands of years! How often do we get to do that?

3 HOLY WEEK at St. Thomas the Apostle WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 Tenebrae Service - 7pm Tenebrae (Latin for 'shadows' or 'darkness') is a ritual celebrated on the evening before Maundy Thursday. The distinctive service of Tenebrae is the gradual extinguishing of candles while a series of readings and psalms are chanted or recited. It is an excellent way to prepare for the Triduum. HOLY (MAUNDY) THURSDAY, APRIL 18 Mass of the Lord s Supper - 7pm, Adoration until 10pm Holy Thursday celebrates both the institution by Christ himself of the Eucharist and of the institution of the priesthood. The distinctive ritual of feet washing is a reminder of priestly service and humility. GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 19 Outdoor Stations of the Cross - 12pm (We will gather in the park area at the end of Bancroft Parkway in Union Park Gardens) Confessions Immediately following Stations Veneration of the Cross - 7pm On Good Friday, the entire Church fixes her gaze on the Cross at Calvary. In the solemn ceremonies we unite ourselves to our Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord. HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 20 Easter Vigil - 7pm The most beautiful of all Masses, the Easter Vigil begins with the service of light which reminds us of the Light of Christ burning brightly in our lives. The great Exsultet is chanted and the readings remind us of God s fidelity throughout salvation history. The Easter water is blessed and all renew their baptismal promises as we celebrate Christ s victory of sin and death. EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 21 Masses 8am, 10am The celebration from the night before continues. The Light of Christ shines brightly on each of us as we celebrate the Resurrection and anticipate the good things to come. We once again renew our baptismal promises and through the sprinkling rite, we are reminded of our call to embrace the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.

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5 2019 Annual Catholic Appeal AS I HAVE DONE FOR YOU, YOU SHOULD ALSO DO This year s Annual Catholic Appeal theme, As I have done for you, you should also do, is taken from the Gospel of St. John when he recounts Jesus washing the feet of His Disciples. It is through this role of servant that Jesus gives us a model to follow. But following Christ is no easy task because it means that we must put all others before ourselves. Thank you to everyone who has made a pledge to this year s diocesan Annual Catholic Appeal. If you have not yet participated, please consider doing so today. Your gift makes a real difference in the lives of thousands of individuals and families who reside within our 12-county diocese. Pledge envelopes are available in the pews and can be placed in the offertory basket. Thank you for your generosity. To learn more about the Annual Catholic Appeal, visit annualcatholicappeal. I AM AMONG YOU Jesus tells His disciples I am among you as the one who serves. And in every age, He calls some from among His disciples to serve as religious sisters and brothers, as deacons, and as priests. Have you ever considered that He might be calling you? Call or write Fr. Norm Carroll, Diocesan Vocation Director ( , vocations@cdow.org). Be sure to visit our website: vocations ST. VINCENT DE PAUL Please help by contributing through the special offertory envelope or the poor boxes located throughout the church. In the past three years, our SVDP conference has raised over $25,000 to help those in need. Thank you! FAMILY MOMENTS Marriage Moments: Holy Week is a sober time for all Christians as we remember a sacred meal (Holy Thursday), suffering (Good Friday), uncertainty (Holy Saturday) and rebirth (Easter). Talk about times in your marriage of special meals, suffering, uncertainty, and rebirth. Parenting Pointers: Why do we call Good Friday - "Good"? Isn't it all about Christ's suffering and death? Yes, BUT, sometimes we have to go through suffering to get to the good stuff. Talk with your child about how a hard or sad time eventually led to good. MEN AT MALVERN Share in the tranquility, peace and blessings of this Catholic retreat house nestled in the woods May 3rd to 5th. Join the men of Saint Thomas for this annual retreat. For 106 years the Malvern Retreat House has been known for its time-honored weekend retreats for men starting on Friday evening and ending on Sunday morning. Private adoration time in our magnificent oratories, uplifting liturgies, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, communal prayer with men for the Stations of the Cross, fellowship and group faithsharing, all comprise this great Catholic retreat weekend. To learn more, call Ray or John For information on retreats visit the website at malvernretreat.com or call Brochures are also available in the back of the church. GOD IS ON THE AIR Listen to Catholic Forum every Sunday morning at 6:05 a.m. on WDEL FM, 1150 AM and After it airs, listen online anytime at or search Catholic Forum on Apple, Spotify, or iheartradio podcasts. Next Sunday, April 21st, tune in to hear Bishop Malooly s annual MASS INTENTIONS Monday, April 15 6:00pm No Mass Tuesday, April 16 8:00am James J. Smith, Jr. Wednesday, April 17 8:00am James C. Skilling 7:00pm Tenebrae Service Holy Thursday, April 18 7:00pm Mass Adoration until 10:00pm Good Friday, April 19 7:00pm - Veneration of the Cross Holy Saturday, April 20 7:00pm Easter Novena Easter Sunday, April 21 8:00am Easter Novena 10:00am Easter Novena Easter Message, a report from Rome about Easter in the Vatican, and some terrific Easter music from the Saint John the Baptist/Holy Angels and Saint Joseph on the Brandywine choirs. For photos, information regarding upcoming guests, links and more, Like Catholic Forum on Facebook at DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY April 28th, Please join us in St. Ann's Church at 2013 Gilpin Avenue, Wilmington 19806, at 3pm for singing and reflection of the divine Mercy Chaplet. LAST WEEKEND S OFFERTORY $ 5,184 Thank you for your generosity

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