Holy Week 2005

Dear Parishioners at Christ the Redeemer:

As we celebrate Passion Sunday with its blessing of Palms, we begin the holiest week of the Church’s liturgical year. Know that you are welcome and invited to share in the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, the Lord’s death and rising.

Join with the community on Holy Thursday to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper which begins the Triduum. As a faith community, we take bread bless, break, and share it within the community. We do the same with the cup. This is the solemn remembrance, which the Lord asked of his disciples: “Do this in memory of me.” As part of our liturgical memory, we will wash the feet of the faithful. After Mass and procession, there will be some time for adoration of the Eucharist in the Guadalupe Chapel.

Come and remember the Lord’s Passion and Death on Good Friday. We will share in the Solemn Reading of John’s Passion, in the Prayers for the whole Church, in the veneration of the Cross. Finally we will celebrate Holy Communion and know the Lord present in the Sacrament which remembers the death and rising from the dead.

On Holy Saturday night, our local community will gather to keep vigil. We will wait with scripture, song, and silence for the great celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. We will share in the Easter Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. This ends the Solemn observance of the Triduum and begins the Great Fifty Days of Easter.

These are times of intense prayer and celebration for the whole Church. Come and join with believers in the parish and throughout the world as we solemnly remember the saving deeds of the Father in Christ. This is a time of great blessing and coming to know the Lord among us.

Come with the many people who will come to celebrate Easter Sunday with us.

May the peace and joy of the Risen Lord be with you and your family.

Sincerely,

(Fr.) C. Donald Howard, SA
Pastor