Happy Easter to you and to your families. We have so much for which we can be grateful.
One year ago, we were not able to gather to celebrate the Paschal Triduum and Easter. All of our Holy Week services were recorded and our parishioners watched online. I remember clearly that our Easter Mass had well over 1,000 viewers on our YouTube channel (plus those at home who joined them in praying together).
This year we are able to celebrate together all the special liturgies that commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. Granted that these Masses and services are mostly outside, but let’s give thanks for what we have.
That’s my Easter wish for all of you: may we give thanks for all that has been accomplished since last Easter. Instead of moaning and complaining about what we cannot do, let’s focus on giving thanks to God for the blessings we have received.
The obvious blessing that comes to my mind is that we are able to celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments together. I am also grateful for all the support and encouragement I have received from my brother priests, deacons and dedicated parish staff. I am grateful that our parish school has been open since August 26, 2020 (with in person as well as distance learning) and has been able to operate safely without missing a day of school. I am grateful that our faith formation programs and Bible studies continue to help so many people grow spiritually.
While I am sad about our parishioners who died as a result of this dreadful virus, I am grateful for all those who have experienced healing and recovered. I am grateful for the dedicated doctors, nurses and frontline workers who have given so much of themselves. I am grateful to the scientists who worked so hard to develop vaccines that can keep us healthy.
Most of all, I am grateful to God for our many parishioners who have been so understanding and patient throughout this past year. We have adapted and experienced many changes in our parish life, but we have remained resilient. Thank you for your moral support, your financial support and your many prayers for me and our parish leaders.
We are not out of the woods yet. We will continue to live under certain restrictions and limitations for a while yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. Please continue to observe all the precautions that have enabled us to get this far in fighting this pandemic. We have not yet won the battle but the momentum is shifting in our direction. Stay the course!
And so this Easter I invite you also to count your blessings. Take some time to reflect on the blessings you have received in the past year. And then give thanks to God who continues to bless us so generously.
May the risen Lord fill you with peace and joy this Easter.
A Reflection for the Easter Triduum 2021 produced by the Catholic Health Association
Paschal Triduum
Holy Thursday- April 1
7:00 pm – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (bilingual)
Followed by one hour of prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
Good Friday- April 2
12:00 pm – Stations of the Cross
5:00 pm – Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion (English)
7:00 pm - Liturgia de la Pasión del Señor (español)
Holy Saturday- April 3
8:00 pm – Easter Vigil (bilingual)
All services of the Paschal Triduum will be held outdoors on the covered court of the school.
Easter Sunday Mass Schedule
6:00 am – Sunrise Mass (in the church)
7:30 am, 9:00 am & 11:00 am – English Masses outdoors on the covered court-please bring a chair as we may run out of the chairs we provide. Thank You!
1:00 pm – Spanish Mass on the covered court
No Mass at 5:00 pm.
Easter Hallelujah
Cassandra Star & her big sister Callahan sing this beautiful & meaningful Easter version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. These Easter lyrics were written by Kelley Mooney, the piano track was arranged by Jeff Buckley of Karaoke Studios & the recording by Maverick Judson of MJ Interactive.
Children Write Meditations for Pope’s Way of the Cross
Normally on Good Friday the Pope leads the Stations of the Cross in a nighttime candlelit ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome. Last year and again this year, in order to avoid the usual crowds in this time of pandemic, the Stations will take place with the Pope alone in St. Peter’s Square.
Each year someone (usually a theologian or a prominent spiritual leader) is asked to compose the Stations. This year the Holy Father has asked that some children from Rome compose the Stations. The attached article from Cruxnow.com (a good Catholic news service) gives a sampling of what the children came up with.
"Catholic Trivia”... not because they are trivial but because these might be things that not everyone knows. Test your knowledge by reading the five questions, remember your answers (or jot them down), then click the link below to find the answers.
What was the Jewish feast which was being celebrated the week Christ was crucified?
What was the name of the high priest’s servant who had his ear cut off by a disciple of Jesus?
A man named Simon was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus. Where was he from?
In John 19 two men helped prepare the body of Christ for burial. One is said to have been a secret disciple and another secretly came to Jesus early in His ministry to ask question. What were the names of these men?
Who was the first person to see the risen Christ and became known as the Apostle to the Apostles?
If you have other members of your family or your friends who would like to be on our email list, just let me know or write to Mary McLain at mmclain@stpatrickcarlsbad.comWe will be pleased to add them.
We have opened a YouTube channel where we have daily and Sunday Masses as well as Fr. Ron's new Bible Study posted for the parish called St Patrick Church Carlsbad that you can subscribe to.
Peter preaches about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 118:1-2,16-17,22-23
Rejoice in this day of the Lord.
Second Reading
Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Colossians: Having been raised by Christ, be concerned with what is above.
1 Corinthians: Let us celebrate this feast with new yeast.
Gospel Reading
John 20:1-9
Mary of Magdala finds that the stone has been removed from Jesus' tomb.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today we begin the Easter Season, our 50-day meditation on the mystery of Christ's Resurrection. Our Gospel today tells us about the disciples' discovery of the empty tomb. It concludes by telling us that they did not yet understand that Jesus had risen from the dead. Thus, the details provided are not necessarily meant to offer proof of the Resurrection. The details invite us to reflect upon a most amazing gift, that is faith in Jesus and his Resurrection.
Each of the four Gospels tells us that Jesus' empty tomb was first discovered by women. This is notable because in first-century Jewish society women could not serve as legal witnesses. In the case of John's Gospel, the only woman attending the tomb is Mary of Magdala. Unlike the Synoptic accounts, John's Gospel does not describe an appearance of angels at the tomb. Instead, Mary is simply said to have observed that the stone that had sealed the tomb had been moved, and she runs to alert Simon Peter and the beloved disciple. Her statement to them is telling. She assumes that Jesus' body has been removed, perhaps stolen. She does not consider that Jesus has been raised from the dead.
Simon Peter and the beloved disciple race to the tomb, presumably to verify Mary's report. The beloved disciple arrives first but does not enter the tomb until after Simon Peter. This detail paints a vivid picture, as does the detail provided about the burial cloths. Some scholars believe that the presence of the burial cloths in the tomb offers evidence to the listener that Jesus' body had not been stolen (it is understood that grave robbers would have taken the burial cloths together with the body).
The Gospel passage concludes, however, that even having seen the empty tomb and the burial cloths, the disciples do not yet understand about the Resurrection. In the passage that follows, Mary of Magdala meets Jesus but mistakes him for the gardener. In the weeks ahead, the Gospel readings from our liturgy will show us how the disciples came to believe in Jesus' Resurrection through his appearances to them. Our Easter faith is based on their witness to both the empty tomb and their continuing relationship with Jesus—in his appearances and in his gift of the Holy Spirit.
Why not set aside some time during the Paschal Triduum and Easter season to reflect more deeply on the biblical story of the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord?
Fr. Ron has recorded some commentaries on the pertinent Scripture passages and put them on the parish YouTube channel. For quick reference, you can find the link on our parish website - https://www.stpatrickcarlsbad.com/84
Each of these recordings goes into depth on the passion narratives (3 presentations) and the appearances of the risen Jesus (8 presentations). You can view them at your leisure, either by yourself or with family or friends.
The Old Rugged Cross
This classic evangelical spiritual dates back to 1913. This rendition is sung by Alan Jackson. It is a reminder of the powerful symbolism of the cross of the Lord.
The Global Ode to Joy
Vaccines Are Morally Acceptable
As a follow up to Bishop McElroy’s letter urging people to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the Diocese has dedicated a special section of its website to address the questions Catholics may have about the moral acceptability of receiving the vaccines. It contains a wealth of information.
La Resurrección del Señor es el centro de nuestra fe. Es sabiendo y aceptando que la resurrección es para nosotros también, cuando nuestra misión en este mundo este cumplida. ¿Cuál es tu misión? ¿A dónde tienes que ir para cumplir tu misión? Tu misión es allí donde estas, allí donde vives, allí donde vas al mercado, es allí con esas personas que están a tu alrededor diariamente. Y tú misión es ser instrumento de amor a todos. Habrá momentos que no entendemos o no queremos hacer lo que se nos está pidiendo, pero mantener nuestra mirada en Dios y la misión, y tener en nuestro corazón que nuestra herencia es la Resurrección. Mantener nuestra mirada en Jesús y en la misión que se nos ha dado y nos daremos que la Resurrección esta más cerca de lo que pensamos. ¡Feliz Pascuas, el Señor ha Resucitado!
Por favor hagan clic en los videos indicados. Espero que les ayude en sus momentos de reflexión.
Successful Lenten Food Drive
Thanks to all of our parishioners who donated food and monetary gifts to the food drive which benefited the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank. With over 2,500 pounds of food and the money given, we were able to provide 8,092 meals for hungry people in North County.
Special thanks to Don Wasko, Steve Rodriguez and all of our Knights of Columbus who coordinated this parish outreach. They provided us with another way to take part in Lenten almsgiving.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
We will continue to offer General Absolution at our weekend Masses on the 2nd weekend of the month. The next opportunity will be next weekend, April 10-11. We will also continue for the time being to offer General Absolution at the Friday morning Masses each week.
In addition, we will offer individual confession and absolution on Wednesdays at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm beginning on April 14. This is a trial schedule and will be evaluated after some weeks.
Adoration on Tuesday Afternoons
Beginning on Tuesday, April 13, we will resume Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in our church from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. Adoration will be observed every week at this time. Everyone is welcome, masks are required and social distancing should be observed.
Easter- Online Giving Reminder
Please remember to log in to your Online Giving account to set up your
Easter Sunday gift and to make sure your payment method is up to date.
For help with forgotten passwords, please contact Online Giving technical support at 800.348.2886, ext. 2.
Click on the Online Giving icon below to create or access your account.
Our parish offices are now open, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 4:30pm
During this time of inactivity, we will use our parish email system to communicate with parishioners to offer spiritual reflections and make announcements.
In case of an emergency, you can always reach us by phone. We will be checking regularly for messages and respond as soon as possible. If need be, the answering service can get in touch with one of our priests quickly- 760-729-2866.
If you know someone who does not receive our emails, please forward this to them, or have them reply to this message.
To email a priest at St. Patrick Church click the link below:
