Triduum to St. Joseph
My Dear Parishioners,
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Although the liturgical feast is superseded by the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we can still honor this favorite saint of many. This week we honor two great saints in the Church’s canon. St. Patrick, the Patron saint of Ireland today (Sunday) and on Tuesday we honor our parish patron, St. Joseph, the husband of Mary. We will also we begin our Triduum to St. Joseph on Sunday after all the Masses. Please stay with us after Mass as we honor our parish patron. We take this time to offer our special prayers and intentions through the intercession of St. Joseph. These three days are called a Triduum. The word Triduum simply refers to three special days set aside for a particular purpose. Usually the word is used when speaking of Easter, for example, the Paschal Triduum refers to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Our St. Joseph Triduum sets aside some extra time to pray to our patron. St. Joseph is a great model for all people of faith, but especially for men, husbands, and fathers. While we all know that Joseph was married to the Blessed Mother and the foster father of Jesus, he is venerated for multiple reasons. The following are some of the titles attributed to St. Joseph: Light of the patriarchs, Spouse of the Mother of God, Chaste guardian of the Virgin, Foster-father of the Son of God, Watchful defender of Christ, Head of the Holy Family, Joseph most just, Joseph most chaste, Joseph most prudent, Joseph most valiant, Joseph most obedient, Joseph most faithful, Mirror of patience, Lover of poverty, Model of workmen, Glory of domestic life, Guardian of virgins, Pillar of families, Solace of the afflicted, Hope of the sick, Patron of the dying, Terror of demons, and Protector of Holy Church. We turn to St. Joseph and ask him to intercede on our behalf. The triduum envelopes which represent your intentions for St. Joseph will remain on the reredos (back altar) for the entire Triduum.
Easter is almost here. This week a group of young adults from our CCD program are presenting the Living Stations of the Cross, accompanied by music from our Contemporary Music Group, led by Mr. Bill Monaghan. The Living Stations help us to remember that Jesus truly suffered in his humanity. We have a tendency to treat the way of the cross as “a necessary evil on the way to our salvation.” We take this opportunity to recall that Jesus was not acting out some part of a Divine Play, he was a real human being and he responded to his suffering and those around him in a truly unique way, a way that has something to teach us. Our musicians and students worked hard on this presentation and I recommend making it a part of your Lenten spiritual preparation; it is a nice way to put yourself in the footsteps of Christ. The Living Stations will be on Friday, March 22nd at 7:30 p.m.
Lenten confessions are heard Wednesday Evenings in Lent from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Our Saturday confessions are regularly from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. 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 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. 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 Thursday, there will be the traditional procession with the Eucharist to the altar of reposition and church will be open for adoration until Midnight. Friday, March 29 is Good Friday, a day of Fast and Abstaining from meat. Morning Prayer will be at 8:00 a.m. and we will have the Solemn Commemoration of Our Lord’s Passion (with Holy Communion) at 3:00 p.m. Holy Saturday, March 30th we have Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m. and the Vigil Mass will be at 7:30 p.m. Masses on Easter Sunday follow the regular Sunday schedule: 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 a.m.
God Bless You,
Fr. Bordonaro