Weekend of March 23-24,2024

Dear Friends,

We enter into these holiest days in our Church year by proclaiming with all Christians, from every time and place and every age in the Church’s history, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” We know all too well, however, that these words of praise and honor for our Divine Lord as he entered Jerusalem, quickly turned to words of condemnation and betrayal, as later in the week many voices cried out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Each and every day of our lives as Christians, we celebrate the Paschal Mystery, i.e., the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as well as his promise to return in glory. The days of Holy Week, and in particular the Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday evening, Good Friday, Holy Saturday night/Easter Sunday) invite us to celebrate this Paschal Mystery more intensely, uniting our hearts with Jesus as we recall the great events which gave us new life. These are truly our holiest days, and so we enter with joy into the celebration which calls to mind the fact that we have been saved by the blood of Jesus. The words of Jesus in Saint John’s Gospel ring so very true for us during these sacred days: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that all who believe in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

I invite and strongly encourage each and every one of you to be with us during these solemn days. The liturgy of the Church during the Sacred Triduum is rich in word and symbol, and draws us into the very sacrifice of Jesus on the cross which reaches its climax in the celebration of the Resurrection at Easter. The schedule for the Sacred Triduum and Easter, which you should have received in your home, is reprinted in this bulletin for your convenience. Please note that the celebration of the sacred liturgy for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday night will all take place at Saint Timothy’s. Please join us for these holiest of our days, and so truly celebrate Holy Week and Easter as all Christians should.

            Besides participating in the celebration of the solemn liturgies of this holiest of weeks, I remind you of our Wednesday evening Mass at 7:00 in the lower church, followed by the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession).  Please remember that confessions will also be heard on Good Friday from 12:00-2:00 P.M. in the lower church at Saint Timothy’s. This will be the last opportunity for confession before Easter.

I encourage you also to invite someone in your life to Mass on Easter Sunday who, for whatever reason, does not normally come to Mass. Perhaps it is a relative, friend, coworker, or neighbor. Please, take this opportunity to welcome them home for Easter, and let them know they will find a warm welcome and a beautiful liturgical celebration here at Saint Bartholomew’s and Saint Timothy’s.

As we leave church today with our blessed palms, let us look forward to a week filled with the rich message of God’s love for us in Christ, a God who loves us so much that he gave his Son so that we may live.
 
            Know that you and those you love are daily remembered in my Mass and my prayers.

                                                                                    Love and prayers,
                                                                                    Father Olivere