Dear Friends,

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Today, we once again welcome Jesus into our lives as we relive the pain and suffering of Our Lord’s death and celebrate the incredible joy of His Resurrection. These forthcoming holiest of days allow us to share in His suffering, journeying alongside Him through His Passion, the Cross, but also to share in His Rising and new life! The liturgies invite us to immerse ourselves in the events that took place and we have the opportunity to lay down our lives freely by actively participating in them.

We begin today with Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, where the crowds greet Him by waving palms and saying “Hosanna in the Highest!” This joy quickly turns to sorrow with the suffering and death of Christ as we listen and participate in the Passion reading during the second Gospel today.

We then enter into this week continuing with our Lenten observances of prayer, fasting and almsgiving and pause to hopefully reflect more and prepare our hearts for the upcoming Triduum. The Easter Triduum is the shortest, yet holiest season of the Church year. Lent is over. We begin this sacred time with the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, continuing with the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday,  culminating with the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening. 

You’ll notice the Mass does not end on Holy Thursday – it is the start of one continuous liturgy celebrated over the three days. There is no opening hymn or prayer as we begin the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday, nor does the presider end the liturgy with the Sign of the Cross. The majority of Holy Saturday is a day of preparation and fasting as we wait for the joyful Resurrection of Christ from the tomb at the Easter Vigil after sundown. The Triduum begins sundown Thursday evening and concludes at sundown Easter Sunday. If you’ve never participated in any of these liturgies, I invite and encourage you to join us this year. I promise, you will see our faith and love for our God in a much more meaningful and beautiful way.

This week we will also be a witness and continue the journey with the twelve Elect who said “yes” to the Catholic faith and Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. These men and women have been in the R.C.I.A. process for months, some even longer than a year, but they all have one thing in common: the love for our Lord and the willingness to follow Him.

As a community of faith, it is a blessing for each of us, to be part of their faith journey especially as they approach the Easter Sacraments this Saturday evening. This is also a wonderful way for each of us, as baptized Christians, to renew our own baptismal promises and serve as a model to the 12 Elect that their journey has been worth their effort, and that this is only the beginning!

The gift of, or that feeling of belonging is something we cannot teach. It is learned by doing. St. Francis of Assisi stated “Do what is yours to do.” May we continue in the ways of St. Francis and enter into this Holy Week with a deepened desire to journey in faith through the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ through these sacred liturgies.

Peace of Christ,
Deacon Ray Ferreris

Dear Parishioners,

Saints of God, the Lord be with you!

As we come quickly to the end of Lent, it seems to me that Jesus in today’s Gospel according to John (12:20-33) is giving reassurance to His disciples that what is about to happen, while horrible in their eyes, will in truth be his moment of glory. Jesus understands that his death will be the source of true and lasting life for all who put their faith in Him. He then challenges them to follow in His example of laying down their lives, not necessarily by dying, but by living a life of service, “whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.” Yet there is more. This service that we render to others because we are followers of Jesus will give to us the honor of God the Father, “The Father will honor whoever serves me.” Think about that for a moment—God the Father will honor us for imitating His Son by serving one another!

The disciplines of Lent have invited us to serve our sisters and brothers. Through prayer we may have spent a bit more time praying for the needs of others rather than the wants of ourselves. By fasting we may have been able to donate a bit more food to the food pantry, or the St. Vincent de Paul Society. If we fasted from social media, or words of judgement, we may have had our eyes open to the needs of those around us and offered words of encouragement. We may have been a bit more generous in our almsgiving to our parish, or charities, or perhaps even to our homeless brothers and sisters outside our church door.

I have often heard from visitors how beautiful our church is. I always respond that even more beautiful are the parishioners not only because you put up with my nonsense, but because of the generosity of your hearts and hands. Think of the many liturgical ministries you are a part of (it takes a village of good people to put on good liturgy!). Think of the catechists, who with our parents, hand on the teachings and the practice of the faith. Think of the number of men and women who stand with our catechumens and those seeking full communion in the Catholic Church. Then think of the numbers of those men and women who are drawn to this parish to make this life changing decision, trusting you all with their lives.

Today’s Gospel tells us the Jesus knew His hour of glory had come when ‘some Greeks would like to see Jesus.’  Because of all those who come through our church doors, and are welcomed and find a home here, Christ continues to be glorified through YOU, the good people of Sacred Heart!

– Fr. Steve

Dear Parishioners,

This week I share with you a brief reflection by sacramental theologian Fr. Paul Turner on perhaps the origin of Eucharistic Ministers:

“Give them some food yourselves.” (Mk 6:37a) Jesus said. It was an extraordinary command, an impossible command. His Disciples had followed him to a deserted place, but a vast crowd still managed to find him. The crowd was hungry for God. The heart of Jesus was move with pity. But his disciples were moved with despair.

It was getting late. The disciples were probably getting hungry. They only had a snack-five loaves and two fish, not nearly enough to share with a throng. They probably didn’t have enough energy either. So that they came up with a practical suggestion and presented it to Jesus. “Dismiss them,” they said, “so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” (Mk 6:36)

It wasn’t a bad proposal. It expressed their care and concern. I made sense to the disciples under the circumstances. But Jesus-not always known for practicality-had another idea.

“Give them some food yourselves.” (Mk 6:37a)

The disciples were not just short on food. They were short on cash. “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” (Mk 6:37b) they asked. They weren’t envisioning a gourmet picnic in the desert. The size of the crowd was just enormous.

Jesus stuck to his plan. He took the little food they had, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples-not to the people. The disciples had to give them the food themselves.

And, miraculously, there was enough. (Mk 6:34-44)

This story foreshadows another miracle, the Gift of the Eucharist. Just as Jesus took, blessed, broke, and gave bread in a “deserted place,” (Mk 6:31), so he too, blessed, broke, and gave bread at the Last Supper, so the Church entrusts the Body and Blood of Christ to ministers who then give them to the faithful.

In the Church today, a Eucharistic Minister is a parishioner, technically selected by the Pastor and mandated by the Bishop, who serves, distributes, and administers the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ during Eucharist of the Mass or church service. They are referred to more accurately as “Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion” (the “ordinary” minister being the priest celebrant).

We call upon Eucharistic Ministers not only to minister the Body and Blood of Christ, but to have and maintain a strong faith, and an inclusiveness of others as the foundation for their ministry.  The ministers accomplish this by strengthening their faith from within and sharing it with the faithful at communion time.

Eucharistic Ministers are also asked to bring Holy Communion to people within the parish community who are sick and/or homebound. The experience in bringing the Body of Christ to others who cannot attend Mass due to illness or other limitations, is truly a gift from God.

Beginning with Holy Thursday this year and continuing for Sunday Mass, the friars will be bringing back the Precious Blood. This reintroduction will of course necessitate not only additional EM’s at these liturgies, but also additional training for those who are currently EM’s, and new persons who feel called to this ministry.

I will be reaching out via FlockNote to our “veteran” EM’s who would like to assist me in reviewing current practices and assist with ongoing training for all EM’s, both seasoned and new. Thank you all very much for your participation in this ministry!

Peace and All Good,
Fr. Zack Elliott, OFM