WELCOME TO HOLY WEEK
My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, welcome to Holy Week. I hope you had a fantastic Lent this year. It is ironic that we had more rain this year during Lent than in previous years. It seems there was more purifying to do this year. It reminded us of Genesis, chapter 7. However, with the rain came fresh plants and leaves which reminds us of Easter. We are grateful to God for the rain and his grace.
This is not the end of our Lenten journey, rather we are entering the Holy of Holies. We begin this Holy Week journey with Palm Sunday celebrations. This celebration portrays the irony of life. At the beginning, the people cheered for Jesus. Not long after that, they said “crucify him.” This is the ups and downs of life.
The next day, Monday, March 25 we will celebrate Chrism Mass at the cathedral at 7 pm. Endeavor to take your son(s) and daughter(s) or grandchildren to this service. Let them see the beauty and significance of our Catholic liturgy. Let them see how the sacred oils which we use for the celebration of different Sacraments are blessed.
The Triduum begins with the Mass of Last Super on Holy Thursday. Bishop Brian Nunez, our new regional Bishop, will preside at our Holy Thursday celebration. It will be special. This year we will collect food for the poor in that Mass. We encourage you to bring canned food for the poor to our Holy Thursday Mass. We will bring it forward during the offertory. Don’t forget to spend some time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in Msgr. Crean Hall.
Enter Holy Week with great disposition. Don’t be in a hurry to leave. Rather, let every word of God, every gesture, and ritual sink into your live.
I hope this Holy Week Schedule will help you to obtain all the graces that attending these ceremonies will give.!
Fr. Mike Ume
Italian Pilgrimage, October 7 –18, 2024
Our parish Italian Pilgrimage is October 7 –18, 2024, it includes: air fare from Los Angeles, four nights in Rome, the highlight of our Roman visit will be attending the Papal Audience at St. Peter’s (subject to the Holy Father’s schedule), and receiving his Blessing. We visit Orvieto, spend two nights in Assisi, visit Siena, spend two nights in Florence, and two nights in Milan. The price is $4,742.00 per person in a double room, and includes airfare from Los Angeles. See attached PDF for details. If you are interested, please contact the parish office for complete information, and to be included on the list. Attachment: Pilgrimage to Italy Brochure 3-2024