Palm Sunday and Holy Week
My Dear Parishioners,
Today is Palm Sunday, or sometimes called Passion Sunday. We mark the triumphal entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the Holy city of Jerusalem remembering that He was greeted with shouts of joy and adulation and the waving of palm branches as people of that day greeted royalty. The name Passion Sunday refers to the reading of the extended Gospel of the Passion. It is the first time that those coming into our Church hear that particular Gospel at a Sunday Mass. It is also the beginning of the most sacred time of our Liturgical year, Holy Week. I invite all of you to make an extra effort to be present to Our Lord at this sacred time.
During Holy Week we will hear confessions on Tuesday, March 26 from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, March 27 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (please note that there are no scheduled confessions during the Sacred Triduum, so this is the last opportunity to go to confession before Easter). The Sacred Triduum starts on Thursday, March 28th. We will have Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m. and the traditional Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:30 p.m. At this Mass we remember when, as recounted in the Gospel of St. John, that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as a sign of our call to serve one another. Please consider volunteering to have your foot washed at this Mass. It is an act of humility to have it done, but it also communicates a very important sign to our community. Sign- up sheets are at the church exits. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper is a great opportunity to join as a family and celebrate the dual occasions when Jesus instituted both the Eucharist and the Priesthood. After Mass on Holy Thursday, there will be the procession with the Eucharist to the altar of reposition and church will be open for adoration until Midnight. Many people still keep the tradition of visiting three churches this evening as most of them have an extended period of adoration into the evening.
On Good Friday March 29th at 3:00 p.m. we will celebrate the Solemn Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion with a special service. These prayers are designed to recall the Gospel story of the Lords’ crucifixion, also to honor or venerate the wood of the cross as the altar on which Jesus offered His Supreme Sacrifice, and finally it provides the opportunity to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. This is not a Mass. As a matter of fact, Good Friday is the only day of the year on which Mass is forbidden. Stations of the Cross are celebrated without Benediction on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Easter Vigil is celebrated on Saturday March 30th at 7:30 p.m. It is the ultimate celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. It marks the end of the waiting for the new dawn to come. Fire is blessed and the new light of Christ is symbolically brought into the Church. New Christians are baptized or received into the Church and our story, that is, the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is retold and we are renewed. Please note that the Easter Vigil Mass is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and there is no 5:00 Mass that day. Our Easter Sunday Masses are on March 31st at 7:30, 9:30, & 11:30 a.m.
We are now collecting the Lenten Rice Bowls. The money collected as part of your Lenten sacrifices will be forwarded to Catholic Relief Services. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. As we walk with Jesus this week, we remember the countless women, children and men who carry heavy crosses even today: crosses of hunger, of vulnerability, or of a lack of resources. How—like Simon of Cyrene—can you help to carry the crosses of our sisters and brothers in your local community and around the world? Visit www.crsricebowl.org/holy-week to learn more. Thank you for your generosity.
Please help spread the Good News of Easter by welcoming those who may be visitors to our church. We want them to feel like they belong and are accepted. Also please be mindful of the parking lots. I know you get tired of the reminders, but efficient parking is really necessary to allow the most number of people the chance to park. The Valley Road lot is for single space parking. The lot closest to the church is for head in or “bumper to bumper” parking. Please do not leave open spaces because that effectively boxes out others from entering. Thank you for your assistance.
God Bless You,
Fr. Bordonaro
Archbishop Pérez requested that the following Letter be communicated throughout the Archdiocese this week.
March 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On Good Friday, March 29, 2024, we celebrate the mystery of the Lord’s Passion and contemplate Jesus’ sacrifice to redeem humanity from sin and death. It has been our long- standing tradition to offer alms in support of the Catholic Community in the Holy Land each year on this day.
At the direction of Pope Francis, funds generated by Good Friday collections throughout the world support vital programs and critical services in the Holy Land. They are used to maintain the sacred places, to provide educational and pastoral programs, and to serve the needs of the poor through established charitable institutions.
On behalf of those Christians and others in so much need, I ask you to support the Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land on March 29, 2024 generously. Given current world events, our generosity to our brothers and sisters in this portion of the world is critically important this year.
Gratefully and with prayerful best wishes in Jesus
Christ,
+Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, D.D
Archbishop of Philadelphia