Now we enter Holy Week which is the most sacred time of the year, for it is now that we will commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth. The greatest focus of the week is the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the events that led up to it.
Historical documents tell us that as early as the fourth century the Church celebrated this “Great Week” with a feeling of profound sanctity. It begins with Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Especially important for Catholics is the Easter Triduum. This is the three days just before Easter. On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Lord's Last Supper, which He shared with His apostles on the night He was betrayed and arrested. This day is also called Maundy Thursday after the Latin word mandatum (mandate) because, after Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he gave them (and us) the mandate to love and serve one another. Also on this night, priests all over the world will renew their sacred vows. This is because, at the Last Supper, Jesus not only instituted the Mass (Eucharist) but also the ministerial priesthood.
On Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion and death of our Lord, the liturgical service includes the veneration of the Cross. Following readings from Scripture that recall the meaning of the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, we come forward in procession to show reverence for the Cross on which our Savior gave his life.
On Holy Saturday night we celebrate the Easter Vigil which always features the entry of new members into the Catholic Church. I am delighted that this year I will baptize 5 adults and 9 children. In addition, 9 people will be welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church. All of those adults who were newly baptized and as well as those welcomed into the Church will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation along with 21 others adults who have been prepared for this day. It will be an exciting and joyful occasion. (Come early to get a seat.)
On Easter Sunday we will celebrate together the central mystery of our faith: that our Savior who suffered and died for us has risen from the dead. We will be invited to renew the promises of our own Baptism and rejoice in being called to be God’s children. Our baptism not only celebrates our being welcomed into a life in Christ. It also unites us as sharers in his mission to share the Good News to every part of the world.
The full schedule for Holy Week is attached to this newsletter. I invite you and urge you to join in these beautiful liturgies. Take note that our Parish Penance Service is Wednesday April 5 at 7:00 pm. This is the last opportunity for confession before Easter.
Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at 12:00 noon.
March 31: Stations of the Cross for Youth (Bilingual)
All parishioners are encouraged to make time on Fridays to pray the Stations in community. The outdoor stations of the cross are also available any time. The church is open during the day for private praying of the Stations.
Were You There?
This instrumental version of the popular spiritual hymn can be used for personal prayer and meditation. The lyrics are on the screen if you want to sing along or just close your eyes and reflect
Good Friday Collection
Pope Francis has asked parishes to support the Pontifical Good Friday Collection, wh1ch helps Christians in the Holy Land, where they are now less than 2% of the population. Your support is essential to help the Church minister in parishes, provide Catholic schools, and offer religious education. The pandemic hit Christians in the Holy Land particularly hard. Most of them depend on pilgrimages for work. In these times of crisis, the Pontifical Good Friday Collection is necessary to meet the basic needs of the People of God still living in this Land and to maintain a Christian presence where the Church was born.
Fr. Bill Rowland, CJM, was the pastor of St. Patrick Parish for over 16 years. So many of us have grown in faith through his pastoral leadership. He has been a part of so many of our family events through the years.
Fr. Bill was ordained on April 11, 1970. Three years ago, we were preparing to celebrate his Golden Anniversary of Priesthood when the pandemic closed down all gatherings. At his request, we have postponed the celebration a couple times since then. Now is the time to celebrate and thank God for the dedicated service of this great priest.
St. Patrick Parish will celebrate this landmark on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at the 11:00 am Mass. Fr. Bill will preside and following this Mass of Thanksgiving, there will be food and drinks in the Parish Center. Past and present parishioners, friends and neighbors, everyone is invited to participate. No reservations are required.
Fr. Bill does not want any personal gifts. He has requested that any gifts be given to the Eudist Fathers Retirement Fund. If you would like to show your appreciation to Fr. Bill with a gift, your check can be made payable to Eudist Fathers and sent to PO Box 3619, Vista, CA 92085-3619 or you may drop it in the collection basket at church. You may donate online at www.eudistsusa.org/donatewhere you will find the button for the retirement fund.
Come and join us for this special celebration for Fr. Bill.
Showers of Blessings
In this Lenten time of reflection on how to reach out to the needy and make a difference, we have a suggestion for you. Showers of Blessings is in need of people willing to donate food once a month for our unhoused neighbors in Carlsbad. If you would like to help please call Carol Jerome at 760-845-2704.
Refugee Resettlement
The Refugee Resettlement Program is in need of an Airbnb or something similar for 1 to 2 weeks, while a Sudanese refugee family is processing into the area and securing housing. If a donation is possible or a reasonable reduction in price could be arranged that would be wonderful. Please call Chris at 760-533-7139 or Helen 760-518-3901 with any or all possibilities. Thank you!
I Will Rise
Chris Tomlin sings this song about the power of the Lord’s death and resurrection. Beautiful lyrics give us food for thought and meditation.
We are grateful for the generosity of all of our parishioners and visitors.
Online Giving Reminder
Please remember to log in to your Online Giving account to set up your Easter gift. You can also make sure your payment method is up to date and that your gifts are being processed.
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.
We appreciate your support!
Catholic Trivia
"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.
Into what city does Jesus enter on Palm Sunday?
How many of the gospels tell the story of Jesus entering this city?
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.com We will be pleased to add them.
Jesus enters Jerusalem as the crowd waves palm branches and shouts, "Hosanna!"
First Reading
Isaiah 50:4-7
The Lord’s Servant will stand firm, even when persecuted.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 22:8-9,17-20,23-24
A cry for help to the Lord in the face of evildoers
Second Reading
Philippians 2:6-11
Christ was obedient even to death, and God has exalted him.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 26:14—27:66
Jesus is crucified, and his body is placed in the tomb. (shorter form: Matthew 27:11-54)
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today we begin Holy Week, the days during which we journey with Jesus on his way of the cross and anticipate his Resurrection on Easter. Today’s liturgy begins with the procession with palms to remind us of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem.
The events of Jesus’ Passion are proclaimed in their entirety in today’s Liturgy of the Word. Those events will be proclaimed again when we celebrate the liturgies of the Triduum—Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion, and the Easter Vigil. In communities that celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation with catechumens, these liturgies take on special importance because they invite the catechumens and the community to enter together into the central mysteries of our faith. These days are indeed profound and holy.
In Cycle A, we read the Passion of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Matthew on Palm, or Passion, Sunday. (On Good Friday, we will read the Passion of Jesus from the Gospel of John). The story of Jesus’ Passion and death in Matthew’s Gospel focuses particularly on the obedience of Jesus to the will of his Father. As Jesus sends his disciples to prepare for Passover, he indicates that the events to come are the will of the Father (Matthew 26:18). In Jesus’ prayer in the garden, he prays three times to the Father to take away the cup of suffering, but each time, Jesus concludes by affirming his obedience to the Father’s will (Matthew 26:39-44). Even Matthew’s description of Jesus’ death shows Jesus’ obedience to the Father.
Another theme of Matthew’s Gospel is to show Jesus as the fulfillment of Scripture. Throughout the Passion narrative, Matthew cites and alludes to Scripture to show that the events of Jesus’ Passion and death are in accordance with all that was foretold. And if the events were foretold, then God is in control. In addition, Matthew is particularly concerned that the reader does not miss the fact that Jesus is the Suffering Servant of the Old Testament.
Jesus acts in obedience to the Father even in death, so that sins may be forgiven. Matthew makes this clear in the story of the Lord’s Supper. As Jesus blesses the chalice, he says: “. . . for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28)
While the Gospels of Matthew and Mark have many parallels in their narrative of the Passion, there are a few details worth noting that are unique to Matthew. Only Matthew indicates the price paid to Judas for betraying Jesus. The story of Judas’s death is also found only in Matthew, as is the detail that Pilate’s wife received a warning in a dream and that Pilate washed his hands of Jesus’ death. Finally, Matthew’s Gospel alone mentions the earthquakes and other phenomena that happened after Jesus’ death.
Matthew places the responsibility for Jesus’ death on the Sanhedrin, the chief priests and elders who were responsible for the Temple. However, the animosity that those Jewish leaders and the Jewish people demonstrate toward Jesus is not to be interpreted in ways that blame the Jewish people for Jesus’ death. Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, the narrative reflects the tension that probably existed between the early Christian community and their Jewish contemporaries. At the Second Vatican Council, the Council Fathers made clear that all sinners share responsibility for the suffering and death of Jesus and that it is wrong to place blame for Jesus’ Passion on the Jewish contemporaries of Jesus or on Jewish people today.
There are many vantage points from which to engage in Jesus’ Passion. In the characters of Matthew’s Gospel, we find reflections of ourselves and the many ways in which we sometimes respond to Jesus. Sometimes we are like Judas, who betrays Jesus and comes to regret it. We are sometimes like Peter, who denies him, or like the disciples, who fell asleep during Jesus’ darkest hour but then act rashly and violently at his arrest. Sometimes we are like Simon, who is pressed into service to help Jesus carry his cross. Sometimes we are like the leaders who fear Jesus or like Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands of the whole affair. Jesus dies so that our sins will be forgiven.
The events of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection are called the Paschal Mystery. No amount of study will exhaust or explain the depth of love that Jesus showed in offering this sacrifice for us. After we have examined and studied the stories we have received about these events, we are left with one final task—to meditate on these events and on the forgiveness that Jesus’ obedience won for us.
Divine Mercy Sunday
The Lord Jesus constantly preached a message of the merciful love of God. He freely offered forgiveness to those who suffer, those who sinned, those who experienced loneliness or rejection. His message was that God’s mercy is available to all who turn to him.
In our time, this message of Divine Mercy is especially needed. With so many wars, so much disease, too much violence, and widespread division, we need to know the merciful love of God that is more powerful than hatred and sin.
In 1931, Jesus appeared to Sr. Faustina in Poland and expressed his desire for a feast celebrating this mercy. The Feast of Mercy was to be on the Sunday after Easter, this year on April 16.
This promise of mercy has been affirmed by the Church, which has made Divine Mercy Sunday an occasion for receiving a plenary indulgence, “the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sin whose guilt has already been forgiven” (CCC, no. 1471). The plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful under the usual conditions (Confession, Eucharist, prayer for the intentions of the pope, and complete detachment from sin, even venial sin).
Click below to find out how to obtain the plenary indulgence.
It’s hard to believe that Easter will soon be here. Would you like to memorialize a departed loved one or honor a relative or friend by donating money toward the flowers that will adorn our church at Easter?
You will find an Easter Flower Offering envelope in your February-March packet of envelopes. There is space to list the names of those you want to remember and honor. Put your donation inside the envelope and deposit it in any collection basket of send it to the parish office. If you do not have the special envelope, just use an ordinary envelope and write the names on it.
All of these names will be included in a bulletin after Easter.
World Youth Day Fundraising
The young adults attending World Youth Day will be out on the patio Sunday fundraising. They are
asking for your contributions by taking an envelope off of their Giving Board and filling it with the appropriate dollar value. Envelopes can be returned to participants or dropped off at the parish office.
Purchase a St. Patrick Sweatshirt or hoodie!
Order NOW!
Deadline for orders is this Sunday, April 2.
We thank you in advance for your generosity..
The proceeds from the sale of these sweatshirts and hoodies will benefit the St. Patrick youth who will be attending World Youth Day.
Los jóvenes adultos que asistirán a la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud estarán hoy en el patio
recaudando fondos. Están pidiendo su contribución tomando un sobre de su tablero de donaciones y llenándolo con el valor en dólares apropiado. Los sobres pueden devolverse a los
participantes o dejarse en la oficina parroquial. Además, si desea comprar una sudadera de San Patricio, ¡estarán encantados de ayudarle con su pedido! Le agradecemos de antemano su
generosidad.
Un Saludo de parte del Diacono Miguel,
“Cristo, siendo Dios, no consideró que debía aferrarse a las prerrogativas de su condición divina, sino que, por el contrario, se anonadó a sí mismo, tomando la condición de siervo, y se hizo semejante a los hombres”. Hoy celebramos Domingo de Ramos. Nuestra costumbre es de ir a la Iglesia a recibir nuestras palmas que colgaremos en nuestro hogar o en nuestros carros. Hoy celebramos la entrada de Jesús a Jerusalén para que realice el Misterio Pascual. La mayoría de nosotros hemos visto la película, “La Pasión de Jesucristo”. Y las imagines violentas y sangrantes de cómo llego Jesús a su crucifixión están grabadas en nuestra mente eternamente. Seguido escuchamos que Jesucristo dio su vida voluntariamente para salvar a la humanidad entera. Y pensamos que Jesús tenía ciertos poderes para que no le doliera tanto. Pero esta idea es incorrecta. Jesús, es el Hijo de Dios, pero Jesús no quiso aferrarse a su condición divina, sino se anonadó, se vació y tomó la condición de un ser humano. Jesús fue igualito que nosotros en todo su aspecto, fuera del pecado. Jesús quiso enseñarnos que él sabe lo que sentimos cuando somos juzgados y criticados. Él sabe lo que sentimos cuando sentimos el abandono y rechazo. Él sabe lo que sentimos cuando nos entra temor o ansiedad. También, Jesús nos enseña cómo debemos mantener la mirada en Dios. Y no es siempre fácil. Dios nos da lo que necesitamos para ser fieles y vivir en paz. Los invito a que vivan este Domingo de Ramos, como si fuera la primera vez, estemos abiertos a escuchar los textos bíblicos, las oraciones y los cantos, abriendo nuestro corazón y esperar ser sorprendidos por Dios.
Our parish offices are open, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 4:30pm
In case of emergency, you can always reach a priest. Call the parish number 760-729-2866 and press number 6 which will connect you directly to one of our priests.
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