Message from Pastor
Blessings to you during this wonderful stretch of our liturgical year! During the month of April, as we journey through Lent, we have the privilege of accompanying those who are in their final stages of preparation to receive the sacraments of initiation during Holy Week. For all of us these weeks are packed with grace, reflection, and hopeful anticipation of celebrating the Risen Christ at Easter.
I’m thrilled to share that this year we’re welcoming eight new members fully into the Church four adults and four youth. They have been preparing through weekly catechism classes and they recently took part in the Rite of Election at our Cathedral, where the bishop personally encouraged them during this important final phase. Now, during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent, we celebrate The Scrutinies: a series of rites calling our whole community to pray for those preparing to be received into the Church.
This journey of preparation will culminate in the Easter Vigil Mass, which is the highlight of our liturgical year. It’s at this unique Mass that all three sacraments of initiation Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation are celebrated together. The Church does so to emphasize that these sacraments follow the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and to remind us that He is the source of all grace. Thanks to Him, we have these sacraments to guide and strengthen us on our way to the Father.
If you’ve never experienced the Easter Vigil Mass, I highly encourage you to join us this year at 8:00pm at St. Patrick’s on Saturday, April 19th! That sacred night we will gather outside around the Easter fire and then process into the darkened church, gradually illuminating it with the Pascal Candle, the light of Christ. After the deeply-moving Scriptures of salvation history are proclaimed, you’ll witness the beautiful moment when our catechumens and candidates receive all three sacraments of initiation a profound testimony of God’s love in action and a perfect way to mark Jesus’ victory over death.
During the Easter season we also have the joy of celebrating the following sacraments:
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Youth Confirmation Mass: Wednesday, April 30th at 7:00pm (St. Patrick’s)
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Adult Confirmation Mass: Sunday, May 4th at 10:30am (St. Patrick’s)
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Mass of First Communion: Saturday, May 10th at 11:00am (St. Patrick’s)
Each of these celebrations is open to everyone and I warmly invite you to attend. Our presence shows support to those who are receiving these sacraments for the first time and their enthusiasm inspires us to remember the blessing of belonging to the Catholic Church and the gift of the sacraments in our lives. Let’s continue to pray for these our brothers and sisters as they grow closer to Christ and prepare to share in the fullness of life He offers.
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