A funeral Mass for John Pahn was celebrated on April 5th here at St. Leo’s. John attended Mass regularly until he became ill and prayer was important to him. He was also described as thoughtful and generous. John enjoyed being around family, especially his nieces & nephews. He served in Vietnam after joining the Navy. God’s word reminded us: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” May John and his family know the comfort and peace of God.
Another reminder that the Athletic Department will be holding their annual Pancake Breakfast today (Sunday) in Lux Hall from 9am until 1pm. It’s always a great meal so I hope to see many of you there supporting our athletic program and those who volunteer many hours in it.
As we begin Holy Week today with our celebration of Passion (Palm) Sunday, a good way to prepare for the liturgi- cal experiences of the week is by celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. So confessions will be heard on Monday, April 15th at 6:30pm and on Wednesday at 11:00am.
On Holy Thursday we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7pm. Lent officially ends with the beginning of this Mass as the Church enters into the “Sacred Triduum” or the sacred three days which commemorate Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. It is at this Mass when feet are washed in imitation of Christ who said that we should do as he has done: to humbly serve each other as he came to serve us. It is on this day when we remember the institution of the Priesthood and the Eucharist. So after we have received Holy Communion, there will be a procession of the Eucharist to the side chapel which symbolizes how we are emptying the church, even of the Lord’s sacramental presence, in preparation for the liturgy of Good Friday. You are welcome to remain in the chapel area for private prayer. The Blessed Sacrament will be reposed (removed completely from the church) at 10:00pm.
The prayer of the Church continues with the Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at 3pm, the school children will perform their annual “Passion Play” at Noon and Stations of the Cross will be at 7pm. At the 3pm Service (which is not a Mass but a continuation of Holy Thursday’s liturgy), we will have a Liturgy of the Word with the proclamation of the Passion, the Adoration of the Holy Cross and Holy Communion. It is a most sacred day for us to reflect on the meaning of the Lord’s suffering and death.
The climax of the Sacred Triduum is the Easter Vigil which will be at 7:30pm on Holy Saturday. It begins with the blessing of fire and the lighting of the new Paschal Candle which is processed up the center aisle of the still darkened church.
And of course we have 3 Masses on Easter Day itself at 8am, 9:30am and 11:00am. The more we are present to these liturgical prayers, the more we will be touched by their mean- ing. We look forward to a week of prayer with you.