The Paschal Triduum

It is good and fitting that as the Church universal enters into the celebration of the Paschal Triduum, our cluster parishes again gather as one as we journey together from life through death to resurrection.    After instituting himself as Eucharist for us, Jesus went to the garden where he prayed for just that, that all of us may be one (John 17:21).  Not as three distinct parishes then, but as one community of faith, we gather to immerse ourselves once again in recalling the great love that God has for us made manifest in Eucharist, in suffering, in death and ultimately in resurrection.  

The richness of these days runs so deep that a list of every detail could easily fill volumes.  Instead, I’d like to highlight a few moments and explore what they might teach us this year.

On Holy Thursday, we sing the great hymn of praise, the Gloria for the first time in 6 weeks.  We’ll ring the bells and hear the organ burst out in joy.  After that, however, as we hear the ancient stories of Passover and the Last Supper, we’ll begin to draw the music quieter.  Though we’ll continue to chant the acclamations, tonight we’ll do them without accompaniment, reflecting the increasingly somber tone of this night.  During the presentation of our gifts and the preparation of the altar, we’ll sing “Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.”  This ancient text reminds us that where there is true charity (and love) God is there.  Having just heard and seen our command to serve one another, we reflect on our call to bring that charity, love and service beyond our doors.   

After singing the Pange Lingua, a chant written by St. Thomas Aquinas centuries ago, we’re invited to remain in prayer with our Lord, just as the Apostles.  We’re invited to stay and keep watch and pray until 9 PM.  Since Mass doesn’t end tonight, we disperse in silence so we can gather again in silence on Friday.

Good Friday is the one day of the entire year when Mass is not celebrated.  Things feel stark, undecorated.  The echoes of the Gloria are hard to hear.  Gone is the sweet aroma of the incense.  At times today, the silence may feel uncomfortable.  Maybe it’s supposed to feel that way.  As we hear St. John’s Passion narrative, we come face to face not only with our own sinfulness, but with the price Jesus willingly paid for it.  We’ll come forward and venerate the cross. With a kiss, a genuflection, a bow or in some other way, we’ll recall the prayer, “We adore you, O Christ and we praise you, because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the word.”  After receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, we depart in silence. 

The Easter Vigil during the night begins in silence and darkness.  The final part of our great Triduum liturgy begins with a new fire,  and the proclamation of the Exsultet, the ancient proclamation of resurrection.  We hear the stories of our creation and salvation before again raising our voices in the Gloria.  The Alleluia makes a triumphant return as we prepare to hear the Easter gospel.  This night we also bless new water, a sign of our baptism into the life, death and resurrection of Christ.  This night we leave not in silent prayer, but with a joyful ALLELUIA!  ALLELUIA!   

So come with all your senses to pray, sing, listen and experience the richness of God’s love as the story again unfolds in our midst.  The locations and times can be found in the bulletin.

John Knetzger, IC Music Coodinator

Our Triduum celebrations are as follows:
Holy Thursday at 7:00pm at Immaculate Conception
Good Friday at 1:30pm at St. Mary's
Easter Vigil at 8:00pm at St. Peter of Alcantara

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is on March 24 this year, it is the sixth Sunday of Lent and it is the beginning of Holy week. 

On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was greeted by many people waving palms, and throwing their cloaks on the ground, just as they did when they were greeting military and government leaders.  The cloaks were placed on the ground to hold down the ever present dust from the road so important people would not be covered with dust when they arrived at their destination.  We are reminded that Jesus the Christ is a king because of this triumphant greeting.  The government leaders and military officials arrived on horses, usually with a large group of guards or soldiers around them, the way Jesus arrived, riding on a donkey, reminds us that he is a humble king, a king for all, poor and rich alike.

The formal celebration of Palm Sunday and Holy Week has been in practice since early in the 4th century.  In the earliest times the celebration began with a procession from the Mount of the Ascention and ended at the Church of the Holy Cross.   A few centuries later, around the 9th century, the practice became more widespread.  As the practice became more commonplace, the procession began at a church with the blessing of the palms, people processed outside the church, and then returned to church for a reading of the Passion.  The tradition continues today for our Parishes.

Many of the palms received are woven into crosses to diplay in our homes.  The palms we receive are blessed and should not be discarded in the trash.  The palms should be returned to church and they will be burned, the ashes will be used for the next year's Ash Wednesday blessing. I have many fond memories from childhood sitting at the table after dinner making braided crosses from the palms for our rooms. 

As we continue through Holy Week, we remember the Last Supper, and the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the washing of the disciple's feet by Jesus, reminding us all to be humble servants, (our new pope, Pope Francis I, certainly displays this humble servant leader attitude doesn't he?), and Jesus' arrest on Holy Thursday.  On Good Friday we remember Jesus' death on the cross.  The cross is a sign of Jesus' love for us, all of us are embraced by the cross and his love.   Jesus was called to save us and he did, we are called each day to help others, we can answer that call too.

Submitted by Denise Murre, Director of Child Ministry

Below is another Two Minute video from Busted Halo (I know I use them a lot but that's cause they're good!) on Holy Week:

And don't forget to register for Growing the Cluster! Not sure what that is? It is a cluster wide celebration of our faith that we do each year based on a different theme. This year we will be looking more closely at the Year of Faith and "Alone we can do little; together we can do much" from Helen Keller. ALL parishioners are invited to attend one of the six sessions, regardless of age or family status. We spend time praying together, learning together, eating together and growing as a community of faith.  Plus, its free! To register, go to http://www.portyouth.org/growingcluster.html or contact Denise Murre, Carol Burczyk or Maureen Rotramel.

            

How Does One Become Catholic? The RCIA Explained

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or RCIA is the process whereby adults or children who have never been baptized or have been baptized in another faith tradition are instructed about the Roman Catholic faith and decide that they would like to become members in our Church.

The process of catechizing adults was something done in the early Church when many were being converted to Christianity. It fell out of use over the years but the Second Vatican Council prescribed the revision of the rite of baptism of adults and decreed that the catechumenate for adults, divided into several steps, should be restored.

The initiation of catechumens (the name given to those who are deciding to be baptized in the Catholic church) is a gradual process that involves a spiritual journey of faith. This journey includes not only periods for making inquiry and maturing in the faith, but also the steps marking the catechumen's progess, as they pass, so to speak, through another doorway or ascend to the next level (RCIA, no. 6).

This March, we have a candidate who is seeking Full Communion with the Catholic Church. Candidates are those Christians who were baptized in another faith tradition but wish to become members of the Roman Catholic Church. Please join me in welcoming Brian Hartwig into the Catholic faith tradition. He will be making his profession of faith on Sunday, March 10 at the 10:30m Mass at St. Peter's.

OUTLINE FOR CHRISTIAN INITIATIONS OF ADULTS

I. Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate
       This is a time, of no fixed duration or structure, for inquiry and introduction to Gospel values, an opportunity for the beginnings of faith.
     1. First Step: Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens
         This is the liturgical rite, usually celebrated on some annual date or dates, marking the beginning of the catechumenate proper, as the candidates express and the Church accepts their intention to respond to God's call to follow the way of Christ.

II. Period of Catechumenate
        This is the time, in duration corresponding to the progress of the individual, for the nurturing and growth of the catechumens' faith and conversion to God; celebrations of the word and prayers of exorcism and blessing are meant to assist the process.
        2. Second Step: Election or Enrollment of Names
            This is the liturgical rite, usually celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent, by which the Church formally ratifies the catechumens' readiness for the sacraments of initiation and the catechumens, now called 'the elect', express the will to receive the sacraments.

III. Period of Purification and Enlightenment
         This is the time immediately preceding the elects' initiation, usually the Lenten season preceding the celebration of this initiation at the Easter Vigil; it is a time of reflection, intensely centered on conversion, marked by celebration of the scrutinies and presentations and of the preparation rites on Holy Saturday.
        3. Third Step: Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation
            This is the liturgical rite, usually integrated into the Easter Vigil, by which the elect are initiated through baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist.

IV. Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
          This is the time, usually the Easter season, following the celebration of initiation, during which the newly initiated experience being fully a part of the Christian community by means of pertinent catechesis and pertinent catechesis and particularly by participation with all the faithful in the Sunday Eucharistic celebration.

Do you know someone who is interested in becoming Catholic? In this Year of Faith, perhaps the way you live your life, as a follower of Christ, will inspire another to think about becoming a member of the Catholic Church. If you or someone you know wants to know more about the RCIA program, have them contact Carol Burczyk, Pastoral Associate, at 284-5771.

Submitted by Carol Burczyk, Pastoral Associate 

As we await the start of the papal conclave where the new pope will be selected, I thought it would be a good time to share the following video on how that will happen: