Posted on March 22, 2024 View all Pastor's Letter
Greetings to all,
With the grace of God, we begin Holy Week. The gospels remind us that on this day, Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly, and He is received with joy by the people who cheered Him with leafy branches and palms. He enters riding a tiny colt as a sign of humility and to show that His kingdom is not of this world; the people shout with joy: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mk 11: 9-10). It is the procession of a king. Only this procession is preceded by a different king; there are no trumpets, fancy clothes, or signs of wealth. The attendees were poor, and their improvised red carpet was made of capes and palm branches. Jesus invites us to enter this Holy Week with humility, desires for conversion, and contrition for our sins. We will all receive palms as a sign of peace and hope, a sign that we have chosen to follow Jesus on the path to the Father. The presence of the palms in our homes is a reminder that we have cheered Jesus, our King, and followed Him to the cross so that we may be consistent with our faith and follow and acclaim the Savior throughout our lives.
Like last year, this year, we will also have Eucharistic Adoration on Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Holy Wednesday; we will have an exposition with the Blessed Sacrament. I invite everyone to pray in silence and meditate on the passion of Our Lord. We will expose the Blessed Sacrament from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I encourage everyone to participate. On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood – I ask you for a special prayer for all priests, especially those who work with you – the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (bilingual) will be at 6:00 p.m. We will take the Blessed Sacrament in procession to Hannan Hall, where we will prepare a unique altar, and there we will remain in adoration until midnight.
On Good Friday, a day of penance, fasting, and reflection, we will have confessions starting at 9:00 a.m. We will pray the Stations of the Cross in English at noon and the Liturgy of the Passion Services in English at 3:00 p.m. At 5:00 p.m., we will pray the Stations of the Cross in Spanish around the parking lot, and at the end, we will celebrate the Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord.
Holy Saturday is a day of silence and meditation; let’s imagine the Virgin Mary with a broken heart for the loss of her son. I invite you to pray the rosary commending all those mothers who have lost their children. At night, we will celebrate the Easter Vigil; we will have two celebrations, one in English at 8:30 p.m. and one in Spanish at 11:30 p.m. The main objective is that everyone can participate and enjoy the liturgical richness of this vigil in their language. I hope that many will participate. The Easter Vigil is the most important celebration of the liturgical year; it is the heart of the church’s life. I invite you to celebrate this holy night of the resurrection as a family.
Finally, I would like to inform you that the parish office will be closed starting Thursday, and we will reopen until Easter Tuesday. Also, during Easter week, we will cancel the 6:30 a.m. mass; we will only celebrate the 9:00 a.m. mass and no confessions until Saturday afternoon. I hope you understand that after Lent, we rest a little. I entrust myself to your prayers, and rest assured that I always carry you in my prayers. I hope we live this Holy Week with great intensity and that you can celebrate the Easter Triduum in grace.
God bless you.
Fr. Alex
