Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Dear Parishioners,

Today, we enter the most sacred week of the year. We begin Holy Week. On this Palm Sunday, the palm branches that are blessed and carried by us symbolize the welcome Jesus received as He entered Jerusalem. In riding upon a colt, with people spreading their cloaks on the road before Him, Jesus entered the city, as the messianic king. Though He was not the Messiah they expected, the victory He went on to win on the cross over sin and death made Him a king for all humanity—for all ages. May the palms we raise today be symbols of the praise we give our Savior as He begins the days of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

The second collection today is for the Easter flowers.

On Holy Thursday we begin the Sacred Triduum. The word Triduum is a Latin word that means “three days.” The Church call the three days before Easter—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday—the “culmination of the entire liturgical year (General Norms of the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 18). During this time, the community commemorates the core of what we believe—Christ, crucified, buried, and risen—as well as the heart of the community is—a people freed and forgiven, restored and renewed by Christ’s resurrection.

I invite you to attend the Holy Week Liturgies. Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be at 7:00 P.M., followed by Adoration until 10:30 P.M. On Good Friday, the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion will be at 3:00 P.M. On Holy Saturday evening at 8:00 P.M., we gather in darkness to light the new fire, as we celebrate the Vigil. Please make ever effort to attend the Holy Week Liturgies.

Have a Blessed Holy Week!