Today, with Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we embark on the HOLIEST of weeks, the first and most important in our liturgical year. Each day provides a renewed opportunity to celebrate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion: This year we walk with the Lord during His final days, proclaiming the Passion according to Luke. Each of the Passion narratives has a different feel to it, as the evangelist emphasizes some subtle themes.  (Read more…)

Traditional Blessing of Easter Food on

Holy Saturday, April 19th at 11:00 AM

The Tradition!  … what’s it all about?

When many of our Eastern European Ancestors came to this country a century ago, they brought with them some beautiful traditions which added a particular beauty to the Easter Holydays.  Among the most popular is the Traditional Blessing of the Foods that would be eaten on Easter morning.  After a strict Lenten fast and abstinence, specially prepared foods were made in advance for the blessing.  (Read more…)

During the weeks of Lent, the Scripture readings and Mass prayers at our weekday Masses invite us to seriously respond to the call to conversion of heart that we heard on Ash Wednesday and to continue in our efforts to enter into the season as best we can. We are called to turn away from our sinfulness and to turn towards God. The traditional Lenten penances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are held up before us as excellent ways of responding to this challenge to faithfully live the Lenten season. (Read more…)

During the Season of Lent we have the tradition of Walking with Jesus on the way to Calvary. It is a beautiful way to walk with Jesus and to pray in the company of fellow parishioners.

Since Lent is a penitential season of preparation for Easter, the Stations of the Cross, have become a popular devotion in parishes.

The Stations originated in medieval Europe when wars prevented Christian pilgrims from visiting the Holy Land. In the 12th century, St Francis of Assisi devised the list of stations and started the tradition of reciting it as a type of devotional service. (Read more…)

Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Lent. Lent is the time, approximating forty days, of reflection and penance leading up to Easter. Pope Francis stated, “Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.” He said that Lent is meant to wake up Christians and to help them see that God can give them strength to change their lives and their surroundings.

One of our leading Catholic scholars has described Lent as the desert time in the Church year. (Read more…)

On Ash Wednesday we started the Season of Lent with the imposition of ashes on our heads. It is meant to remind us of our identity and relationship with God. First, it means we belong to God. We are his children. Second, as his children, we have the responsibility to make Jesus’ presence felt and experienced in this world. Third, given the identity and relationship that we have with God, as His children, we are constantly called to holiness of life. (Read more…)