Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,
This weekend begins our journey through the holiest week of the year with the celebration of the Passion of the Lord on Palm Sunday. Holy Week offers us many opportunities to experience Jesus’ journey from the Last Supper, to his Cross, and to his Resurrection. I encourage you to take some time this week to enter into these solemn days of prayer and fasting with a sense of reverence and reflection upon what our Savior Jesus Christ accomplished for us by his Passion. I invite you and encourage you to join us as we celebrate these liturgies together as one Pastorate Community. They are very powerful experiences of the Lord’s overwhelming love for us… a love that led him to freely take up His Cross. Here are the Holy Week and Triduum schedules for the Pastorate:
Holy Thursday (@ OLC), April 17th – 7:00pm Mass followed by Adoration until 9:00pm
Good Friday, April 18th – Passion of the Lord – 3:00pm at SJF, 7:00pm at OLC
(Communion will be distributed at these services.)
Good Friday, Stations of the Cross – 12:00pm at SJF, 3:00pm at OLC (youth led)
(Communion is NOT distributed at these services.)
Blessing of the Easter Foods, April 19th – 9:00am at SJF, 12:00pm at OLC
Pastorate Easter Vigil (@ SJF), April 19th – 8:00pm at SJF
(There will be no Confessions and no 4:00pm nor 5:00pm Masses on April 19th)
Easter Sunday, April 20th
- SJF: 8:00am, 10am, 12:00pm (Note time change).
- OLC: 8:00am, 9:30am, 11am (Note time changes).
Fr. Steve and Fr. John will be at the Triduum liturgies as well as the Easter Vigil. Fr. John will celebrate Masses on Easter Sunday at SJF. Fr. Steve will be celebrating Easter Sunday Masses at OLC. The 10:00am Mass at SJF and the 11:00am Mass at OLC will offer homilies geared toward the children of the pastorate.
In addition to the events listed above, the Archdiocesan Chrism Mass will take place on Monday, April 14th at 7:00pm at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. At this Mass, the Archbishop will bless the holy oils to be used for Anointing of the Sick and the catechumens, as well as consecrate the Sacred Chrism that will be used for Baptisms, Confirmations, and Holy Orders during the coming year. The priests of the Archdiocese will also renew the promises we made at our ordinations. This celebration is open to the public, and all are invited to attend. As a priest, I know I am always thankful to see current (and former) parishioners in attendance. Please consider joining us.
Fr. John and I will be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday, April 15th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at St Jane Frances. Tenebrae will be celebrated at St Jane Frances at 8:00pm that evening.
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!
God Bless,
Fr. Steve
