Pastor's Letter -- March 28, 2021

On this day the church recalls the entrance of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem to accomplish his Paschal Mystery. The memorial of this entrance of the Lord takes place at the beginning of all our Sunday Masses through the procession or the “solemn entrance” - this year we are doing the second option for the sake of better spacing of the congregation. The use of palm branches is another reminder of Christ’s entrance, which we hold to join in the crowds of that day. The liturgy reminds us today that it was for one primary purpose that Christ entered Jerusalem: to win our salvation by his Passion and Resurrection.

In light of the shootings in Atlanta that targeted AsianAmericans, it is worth reiterating the words of Bishop Oscar A. Solis of Salt Lake City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs:

“As bishops, we decry any kind of hatred and violence, particularly based on race, ethnicity, or sex. We pray for the families and friends of those who were lost, and for their communities, who may feel unsafe and vulnerable at this time. More broadly, we must always stress that every human being is a brother or sister in Christ, created in the image and likeness of a loving God. Particularly during this season of Lent, let us remember God’s love and mercy for each one of us and renew the call for conversion of heart, that we may be more united to God’s love and share it with all of our neighbors.”

Jesus died for everyone. He took upon His Cross and death without exceptions or biases. He accepts all who come to Him with contrite hearts and the willingness to submit to his gentle yoke with the obedience of faith. As his followers, we commit to live for what He died for. This last week of Lent is the holiest of all the weeks of the year for the universal Church. It is also very different from all other weeks, so please make note of the schedule which is not identical to other weeks.

The evening/afternoon liturgies for Holy Thursday and Good Friday and the Easter Vigil are the central events of Holy Week. I highly encourage you to attend these if you are doing other public activities. Remember, we will continue to practice 6-feet distancing and mandatory masking. Because of this, a Catholic church is probably the safest large indoorgathering you will be able to find in the area. The gymnasium will be used for overflow (with great audio and video), so we will not have to worry about over-crowding.

We are starting the Good Friday liturgy at a later time than in the past in hopes that this will allow more people to participate, and also to follow what is proscribed by the Church: “On the afternoon of this day, about three o’clock (unless a later hour is chosen for a pastoral reason), there takes place the celebration of the Lord’s Passion.”

See the special times for Confession, especially Tuesday evening. This will be when Confession lines may be shortest, as we will have multiple priests hearing Confessions simultaneously.

St. Thérèse, the little flower, pray for us as we enter into this holiest of weeks!