Easter is only two weeks away and next Sunday we begin Holy Week on Palm Sunday, a day on which we bless the Palms and proclaim the Passion of the Lord.
On Palm Sunday (March 29) we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. At St. Anthony, we will have the blessing of palms in the gym before Mass, and at Our Lady of the Hills, palms will be blessed in the gathering space before Mass. I hope that you will be able to participate in the Holy Week services which prepare us to celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death. The Holy Week schedule is: Holy Thursday (April 2): Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 PM at St. Anthony, Good Friday (April 3): at St. Anthony, Stations of the Cross at Noon and the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3:00 PM, and Stations of the Cross at Our Lady of the Hills at 7:00 PM. The Easter Vigil will take place at St. Anthony on Saturday (April 4) at 8:30 PM. Masses on Easter Sunday are at the regularly scheduled times
We are making plans for Divine Mercy Sunday which is the Second Sunday of Easter (April12). We will have a Holy Hour, the Hour of Mercy, from 3-4 PM in St. Anthony Church on that day. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed, and Confessions will be heard during the Holy Hour. Devotion to the Divine Mercy can transform our lives by drawing us ever closer to Jesus. With the help of God’s grace, we can place our confidence in Jesus and show more patience, compassion and mercy to everyone we meet.