Click the image for updates from Corpus Christi Catholic Community for this week.
Sacred Triduum Preview and Schedule
The Maundy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper (4/18, 7PM) begins the Paschal Triduum, which is properly understood and experienced as one event. The Maundy Thursday institution of the Holy Eucharist, which is the sacrament of love, and the Lord's offering of himself in love on the Cross, and the triumph of that love in the Resurrection are one thing: the Lord's Passover, and so also ours, from death to life. We encourage you and your family to attend as many of the liturgies as possible. As Fr Allen said last week, "bring the children to Jesus, and let them feel absolutely at home in the Church's worship. And please, invite your friends and family, and share the announcements of these liturgies widely."
Maundy Thursday Mass at 7.00PM*
Good Friday Liturgy at 3.00PM
Easter Eve Mass at 8.00PM
Easter Day Mass at 9.00AM* & 11.00AM
St Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, 89 Hasell Street
*Roman Missal
On Maundy Thursday (7PM) we celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper and our Lord's abiding Presence with us in the Holy Eucharist, a Mass which ends with the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, where we may take our place with the Apostles to watch and pray in the garden. The Altar is stripped, our Lord is betrayed and given into the hands of sinners.
This Mass will be celebrated from the Roman Missal. For reference at home as you prepare for Mass, in the Divine Worship Sunday Missal, the Propers and Lessons may be found on page 396, or you may read the Lessons online:
Exodus 12.1-8, 11-14
1 Corinthians 11.23-26
John 13.1-15
The Collect: O God, who in a wonderful Sacrament hast left unto us a memorial of thy Passion: grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of thy Body and Blood; that we may ever know within ourselves the fruit of thy redemption; who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. ℟ Amen.
On Good Friday (3PM) we offer the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion and venerate his Cross, and then receive the precious fruit of that Cross in the Holy Communion: our Lord's own Body broken for us.
In the Divine Worship Sunday Missal, the Propers and Lessons may be found on page 412, or you may read the Lessons online:
Isaiah 52.13-53.12
Hebrews 4.14-16; 5.7-9
John 18.1-19.42
The Collect: Almighty God: we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the Cross; who now liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. ℟ Amen.
On Easter Eve (8PM) we light the new fire in church yard and process together with the Light of Christ into the darkened church, and keep the Solemn Vigil of Easter, hearing God's promises of old, and seeing them fulfilled in the Lord's Resurrection, our sacramental life - which is our participation in Jesus' Death and Resurrection - renewed again.
In the Divine Worship Sunday Missal, the Propers and Lessons may be found on page 445, or you may read the Lessons online:
Genesis 1.1-2.2
Genesis 22.1-18
Exodus 14.15-15.1
Isaiah 54.5-14
Isaiah 55.1-11
Baruch 3.9-15, 32-4.4
Ezekiel 36.16-17a, 18-28
Romans 6.3-11
Luke 24.1-12
One of the Collects: O God who dost illumine this most holy night with the glory of the Resurrection of the Lord: stir up, we pray thee, in thy Church, the spirit of adoption which thou hast given; that we, being regenerate both in body and soul, may render unto thee a pure service; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. ℟ Amen.
* Only three of the seven Old Testament readings will be proclaimed at our Easter Vigil Mass for pastoral reasons.
image: Resurrection of Jesus, Raphael, 1502
On Easter Day, Masses will be celebrated at 9AM (Roman Missal) & 11AM (Divine Worship).
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
In the Divine Worship Sunday Missal, the Propers and Lessons may be found on page 488, or you may read the Lessons online:
Acts 10.34a, 37-43
Colossians 3.1-4
John 20.1-9
The Collect: Almighty God, who through thine Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life: we humbly beseech thee; that as by thy special grace thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. ℟ Amen.
Holy Week & the Notre Dame fire
HOLY WEEK & THE NOTRE DAME FIRE
M. Jean Duchesne
via Catholic News Agency
"Notre Dame on fire and perhaps unusable for months if not years is undoubtedly a trial. But faith does not allow to see this as a punishment or the confirmation of a decline and fall. There is some comfort to be found in the massive sense of affliction and solidarity of non-believers, since it proves that for them, however irreligious they are, the visible Church is not a mere remnant of the past, but a vital part of the scenery, without which they themselves miss something. Yet, in the end, this support does not make that much of a difference.
"What is decisive is the knowledge that Jesus Christ the Groom will never abandon his bride the Church – which does not mean that her faithfulness will never be tested. The Temple on Mount Zion was destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again. St. Peter’s in Rome was plundered several times. The crusaders lost Jerusalem. What ultimately matters is not the signifier (the cathedral), but the signified (God’s glory) which remains forever fertile and will forever inspire those who long for it." Read the entire article.
Corpus Christi Updates: Palm Sunday & Holy Week
Click the image for updates from Corpus Christi Catholic Community for this week.
Letter from Fr. Allen: Palm Sunday 2019
+JMJ+
Dear Friends,
This Sunday we begin Holy Week and together walk again in the steps of our Lord's blessed Passion and precious Death, and thereby prepare ourselves for the joy of his mighty Resurrection and glorious Ascension. This all begins with Palm Sunday, when we recall Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem with our own procession of palms. We will gather in the churchyard for the Liturgy of the Palms, and then process singing "All glory, laud, and honor" to Christ our King. Please be on time (the liturgy will begin promptly at 11AM) so that you may participate in the procession and enter fully into this Holy Week's devotions. From that triumph, of course things quickly change. We will see our King whom we have hymned crowned with thorns and enthroned on a cross as we hear St. Luke's Passion.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week, Holy Mass will be offered at 8AM.
Confessions are available on Monday and Wednesday mornings, 8.30 - 9.00AM and Wednesday evening from 5.00 till 6.00PM
On Maundy Thursday (7PM, Roman Missal) we celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper and our Lord's abiding Presence with us in the Holy Eucharist, a Mass which ends with the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, where we may take our place with the Apostles to watch and pray in the garden. The Altar is stripped, our Lord is betrayed and given into the hands of sinners.
On Good Friday (3PM, Divine Worship) we offer the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion and venerate his Cross, and then receive the precious fruit of that Cross in the Holy Communion: our Lord's own Body broken for us.
On Easter Eve (8.00PM, Divine Worship) we light the new fire in church yard and process together with the Light of Christ into the darkened church, and keep the Solemn Vigil of Easter, hearing God's promises of old, and seeing them fulfilled in the Lord's Resurrection, our sacramental life - which is our participation in Jesus' Death and Resurrection - renewed again. I urge all of you to participate in the Vigil with us, and not to be afraid to bring children. When St Therese of Lisieux was novice mistress in her convent, she comforted novices who had fallen asleep at their evening prayers by telling them that to fall asleep in prayer was to fall asleep in the Father's arms. So bring the children to Jesus, and let them feel absolutely at home in the Church's worship. And please, invite your friends and family, and share the announcements of these liturgies widely.
On Easter Day, Masses will be celebrated at 9AM (Roman Missal) & 11AM(Divine Worship) (I will be the celebrant for both of those Masses).
Wednesday School will be enjoying Spring Break in Holy Week and Easter Week.
God bless you,
Fr. Allen
What do we do with our Blessed Palms?
How to make a Palm Cross
Method 1
Method 2
What do we do with our Blessed Palms?
Blessed palms - like holy water, brown scapulars, devotional medals, and so on - are "sacramentals," and while they do not convey grace in the objective way the seven Sacraments do, but, "by the Church's prayer, prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it" CCC 1670). As such, they may not be disposed of like common trash, but should be disposed of in a dignified way, usually by being burned or buried. It is traditional - and indeed it is our tradition - to burn those blessed palms and use the ashes for Ash Wednesday. So hang on to your palms, place them over a door or in some devotional nook of your home as an aid to prayer, and then bring them to Mass next Septuagesima Sunday (2/09/2020, but we'll remind you!), and you'll receive them back to help you remember that "thou art dust, and unto shalt thou return."
Chrism Mass 2019
Chrism Mass of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. Central Time (7.30PM Eastern) at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, TX. Bishop Steven J. Lopes will be celebrant and the Priests of the Ordinariate will concelebrate. Msgr Carl Reid -- Canadian priest of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter who was recently chosen by Pope Francis to become Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross -- will offer the homily.
Click the image below for the video of the Chrism Mass:
Friday Penance
FRIDAY PENANCE
The next several Fridays all have different requirements for fasting and abstinence from meat.
Friday, 12 April. Fridays in Lent are obligatory days of abstinence from meat for Catholics age 14 and above.
Friday, 19 April. Good Friday is an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. For members of the Roman Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may also be taken, but not to equal a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Roman Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
Friday, 26 April. The Friday in the Octave of Easter is a Solemnity, so the obligation to abstain from meat or do some other penitential act is dispensed (CIC 1251).
In new essay, Benedict XVI addresses sex abuse scandal
In new essay, Benedict XVI addresses sex abuse scandal
Vatican City, Apr 10, 2019
In an essay published Thursday at CNA, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI offered his thoughts about the sex abuse crisis facing the Church. Benedict reviewed the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and examined its effects on priestly formation and life, before suggesting the Church's proper response.
“Today, the accusation against God is, above all, about characterizing His Church as entirely bad, and thus dissuading us from it. The idea of a better Church, created by ourselves, is in fact a proposal of the devil, with which he wants to lead us away from the living God, through a deceitful logic by which we are too easily duped,” Benedict wrote in “The Church and the Scandal of sexual abuse,” published April 11.
Read the whole article
Pope approves updated norms for former Anglicans/Episcopalians
9 April 2019
By Devin Watkins for Vatican News
Released on Tuesday, the updated Complementary Norms for the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus were approved by Pope Francis on March 8th and signed by Cardinal Luis Ladaria and Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, Prefect and Secretary of the CDF, respectively, on March 19, 2019.
Anglicanorum coetibus governs the institutions and Personal Ordinariates that minister to the lay faithful originally of the Anglican tradition, known as Episcopalians in the United States.
The updated Complementary Norms integrate the experience of the past 10 years and seek to make their application more in tune with the spirit of the Apostolic Constitution. [...]
The new Norms introduce several modifications to those promulgated in November 2009.
[Read the whole article]