Mar 21, 2024

Greetings,

We have entered into Passiontide, and this weekend is Palm Sunday. The Easter festivities are only a week away. Please pay close attention to the liturgical calendar for St. Sebastian Parish as times and services vary from a typical week. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Saturday, March 23 will be the FINAL CONFESSIONS for the parish before Easter. Confessions will be heard from 9:30-10am or whenever the final confession is heard, whichever comes last, though I will be leaving the confessional at 10:30am for rehearsal.

Tuesday of Holy week there will be morning Mass and exposition. There will be Compline at 7:40pm. However, since this is the Presbyteral Day of Sanctification, your priests will be with bishop all day and so there will be NO CONFESSIONS and no benediction.

MAUNDY THURSDAY

• NO MORNING MASS
• Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7pm
• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 11pm

GOOD FRIDAY

• NO MORNING MASS
• NO CONFESSIONS
• Family Stations of the Cross at Noon
• Good Friday Service at 3pm

HOLY SATURDAY

• NO MORNING MASS NO CONFESSIONS
• Blessing of the Food at 1pm
• Easter Vigil 9pm

EASTER SUNDAY

• Mass 9am
• Mass 11am

IN OTHER NEWS:

BLESSING OF FOODS: This tradition, which originated in Slavic nations and spread throughout much of the Church is the practice of bringing a basket of foods with which the first Easter meals are celebrated and having them blessed. The baskets might be as simple as a meager few things that will be eaten for breakfast or full dinners of lamb, wine, candles and other decorations and children’s baskets. Our annual Easter Blessing of Foods will take place on Holy Saturday, March 30, promptly at 1pm. The service lasts about fiȅeen minutes.

TOMB DISPLAY: Once again, we have our tomb display in the Padre Pio chapel. Keep an eye on it as it begins empty, receives our Lord and then, at Easter, the stone is rolled away and the tomb is once again empty. There will again be the opportunity to leave your prayers in the stones of Our Lord’s tomb. Thank you to Terry Tolson for her creative work on this display.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck