Holy Week and Easter at Our Savior

Events, PNCC /

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Our Saviour, (P.N.C.C.),

Following the Season of Christmas and a very successful Annual Meeting, our parish community is inching towards the celebration of the Easter Triduum. This celebration during Holy Week includes The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening (7:00 P.M.) which commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist (Mass and Holy Communion) as well as the Institution of the Sacred Priesthood. After this solemn Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is taken in procession to the Altar of Repose which is specially prepared for Adoration by the faithful. Following the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament, the altars of the church are stripped and adoration continues in a spirit of quiet and prayerful reflection before the Altar of Repose.

On Good Friday morning private Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament continues at the Altar of Repose until the Liturgy of the Passion and Death of Our Lord begins at 3:00 PM. This liturgy is not a Mass, but instead commemorates the Suffering of Our Lord following His Scourging and Condemnation at the hands of Pilate and His subsequent Crucifixion. The Holy Communion distributed at this liturgy will be consecrated the night before at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and is therefore “pre-sanctified”. This liturgy then of Good Friday is often remembered as the “Mass of the Pre-sanctified” and occurs in both the liturgies of the Church in the East and in the West. This liturgy ends as the Blessed Sacrament is taken from the Altar of Repose to the specially prepared “tomb” at the opposite, side altar. It is there housed in the tabernacle and exposed in the monstrance for the faithful to adore. The monstrance is covered reverently with a special transparent cloth, a symbol of the shroud which surrounded the crucified body of our Lord as He lay in the tomb. The faithful carry on adoration at the tomb until church closing.

On Holy Saturday morning, adoration continues at the Tomb. At noon Bitter Lamentations (Gorzkie Żale) will be sung after which Easter Foods will be blessed. Following this, the church and its altars are prepared for the celebration of the Easter Vigil which serves in reality as the first Mass of Easter. During this beautiful and ceremonious Mass, a new fire is blessed, the Easter candle, representing the Resurrected Christ is processed into the darkened church and the Exultet or Ancient Easter Proclamation is sung. Readings tracing the liberation of the Jews from their slavery in Egypt are read, prefiguring and relating to our liberation from the slavery of sin and death thanks to the Death and Resurrection of Christ. The Litany of the Saints is sung, new baptismal waters are blessed and baptismal promises renewed. This first Mass of Easter is joyously celebrated, completing the three main services of the Sacred Triduum.

I encourage all families of the parish to sign up for an hour’s adoration time sometime during the Sacred Triduum and to attend the scheduled Masses and services as well.. Sign up sheets will be provided for in the back of the church. These services were well attended last year, especially on Good Friday. I hope this year they will be even better attended.

I would like to thank everyone for the work and efforts they are investing in Our Saviour Parish. Where there is prayer and investment of time and spirit I feel, material and spiritual blessings will follow. Let us entrust ourselves to the workings of the Holy Spirit and pray for the health and growth of our parish.

Wishing you a blessed Lenten Season
And a Holy Easter,

Fr. Gregory Mikula
Our Saviour Parish Committee

+ MASSES AND SERVICES OF HOLY WEEK & EASTER +

PALM SUNDAY – March 24, 2013

  • BLESSING AND DISTRIBUTION OF PALMS, PROCESSION WITH PALMS FOLLOWED BY HIGH HOLY MASS – 9:00AM
  • Y.P.O. ANNUAL HAM RAFFLE AND BAKE SALE FOLLOWING HOLY MASS

HOLY WEDNESDAY – MARCH 27, 2013

  • BITTER LAMENTATIONS (ENGLISH) – 7:00PM

+ THE SACRED TRIDUUM +

HOLY (MAUNDY) THURSDAY – MARCH 28, 2013

  • THE MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER – 7:00PM
  • ADORATION AT THE ALTAR OF REPOSE – 8:00-9:00PM

GOOD FRIDAY – MARCH 29, 2013

  • CHURCH DOORS OPEN AT 9:00AM
  • PRIVATE ADORATION AT THE ALTAR OF REPOSE – 10:00AM – 3:00PM
  • LITURGY OF THE PASSION & DEATH OF OUR LORD – 3:00PM
  • ADORATION AT THE TOMB – 4:00PM – 9:00PM
  • BITTER LAMENTATIONS (ENGLISH) – 7:00PM

HOLY SATURDAY – MARCH 30, 2013

  • CHURCH DOORS OPEN AT 9:00AM
  • PRIVATE ADORATION AT THE TOMB – 9:00AM-12:00PM
  • GORZKIE ŻALE (PO POLSKU) – 12:00 NOON
  • BLESSING OF EASTER FOOD – 12:15PM
  • MASS OF THE EASTER VIGIL – 7:00PM

+ SOLEMNITY OF THE RESURRECTION +

EASTER SUNDAY – MARCH 31, 2013

  • HOLY MASS OF THE RESURRECTION – 9:00AM

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