St. Mary s Holy Week 2018

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1 St. Mary s Holy Week 2018 Come and celebrate your faith! Come and celebrate with your community! v We should try to fit the liturgies of this HOLY WEEK into our usual routine and take the time to celebrate them. v It is only when we begin to see time as sacred that we can truly enter into the celebrations and experience the reality within and beyond the symbol and words. v Take the time to enter into the mystery! v Even as we remember the suffering and death of our Lord on Good Friday, we celebrate His glorious victory. v Even as we rejoice in Christ s victory and glorious new risen life at Easter, we remember that He first had to pass through suffering and death. Passion/Palm Sunday Sat. March 24 at 5 pm & Sun. March 25 at 10 am v With Passion/Palm Sunday we begin the final week of Lent and prepare ourselves to celebrate the Paschal Triduum. v Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. In the Gospel, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey and the townspeople threw palm fronds and clothing on the ground in front of him as a sign of respect. Palm branches are widely recognized as a symbol of peace and victory. v Parishioners will receive a palm frond to participate in the reenactment of this procession. 1

2 Chrism Mass Monday, March 26, at 7 pm St. Mary s Cathedral, Calgary v This is the celebration when Bishop McGrattan will bless the Holy Oils to be given to each parish in the Diocese for use throughout the year in Baptism, Confirmation and the Sacrament of the Sick. v Families will receive oils on behalf of the parish they are representing and will present them to their parish on Holy Thursday. Our Priests also renew their ministerial vows and commitment to the Bishop and the people of the Diocese. This celebration is a wonderful expression of unity and service! Please join us in prayer with and for our Bishop and all our pastors and people. TRIDUUM (The Three Great Days: Mar. 29- Apr. 1) v In Catholic tradition, the conclusion to Lent is called the Easter Triduum (a triduum is a space of three days usually accompanying a church festival or holy days that are devoted to special prayer and observance). The Easter Triduum begins Thursday evening of Holy Week with Eucharist and concludes with evening prayers Easter Sunday. v The Three Great Days are one continuous celebration: there is only one Entrance Procession (on Holy Thursday) and only one Dismissal (the Great Alleluia at the end of the Easter Vigil). 2

3 Holy Thursday March 29, Mass of the Lord s Supper at 7 pm v Please bring Bells for the Gloria. v The collection will be non-perishable food items for the Food Bank. Father Dennis will ask you to bring up your donation when the gifts of bread and wine are being brought forward v The Holy Oils which were blessed by our Bishop at the Chrism Mass on Monday of Holy Week will be presented during the Entrance Procession of our Holy Thursday celebration. v In the Gospel reading for Holy Thursday, we see Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and we hear What I have done to you, you must do to others. We will celebrate this message of humility and loving service to others by the Washing of Feet. v The church will remain open until 10 pm for those who wish to spend time in prayer with Adoration in Christ the King Day Chapel. Outdoor Way of the Cross Good Friday March 30 v Walk through the streets of Cochrane beginning at 10 am at the grassy area at the NW corner of 1 st Avenue W & 2 nd Street West (where the old KFC used to be) and ending in Cochrane s Memorial Park. Everyone is welcome to join this ecumenical event. There are stops along the way where different groups will do scripture reading and lead prayers. After a short silence the walk will continue and with singing of hymns as we walk. Celebration of the Lord s Passion at 3 pm v Held mid-afternoon to correspond to the time of death of Jesus on the cross. The Good Friday service features the reading of the Passion of Christ from St John s Gospel, a short homily, and a time of meditation and prayer, with Veneration of the Cross and a Communion Service with Eucharist reserved from the Holy Thursday Mass. Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of mourning, both for the death of Jesus and for the sins of the world that his 3

4 death conquers. We pray for all people everywhere in solemn prayers of intercession, acknowledging that Christ died for all. v The collection on Good Friday is for the Holy Land. Holy Saturday Easter Vigil March 31 at 9 pm v The Easter Vigil lasts significantly longer than an ordinary Sunday Mass. But don t leave the children at home! There is much that will appeal to their senses and what a wonderful experience of our faith! v Please bring your bells for the Gloria! v There are four parts to the Easter Vigil: 1. Service of Light: Weather permitting; this will take place in the Sacred Garden. We gather around a fire and think of Christ, the light of God s glory. We light the Paschal candle which represents Christ, the candle of each member of this gathered community of faith is lit from the Paschal candle, for we have received the light of Christ in our baptism. We listen to the Exsultet, or Easter Proclamation and let it echo deep within our own heart. 2. Liturgy of the Word: There are many readings from the Bible tonight, telling our story Creation, Abraham, Moses and finally the Gospel of the Resurrection is proclaimed: Christ is Risen! 4

5 3. Baptism: The Easter Candle leads the Elect and their sponsors to the baptismal font where they are baptized. This is the night! We profess our faith and renew our own baptismal commitment. We celebrate confirmation with our new members and pray: Come Holy Spirit! v Everyone will be invited to come forward to bless themselves with Holy Water from the Font after the Baptisms are completed. 4. Liturgy of the Eucharist: We welcome our new members to the Table of the Lord, and we celebrate the presence of our Risen Lord with us and within us in the Eucharist: Alleluia! v Please join the newly initiated members of our faith community for a reception after the Vigil. Coffee, juice and cake will be served. Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord April 1 at 10 am The celebration of the Easter Vigil & the Easter Sunday Mass does not mark the end of Easter! We have fasted and prepared for 40 days We have been immersed in the mystery of Jesus death and resurrection and our salvation in Him for 3 Great Days Now we feast and rejoice for 50 more days the Easter Season, until Pentecost! 5