April 10, 2022 – Holy Week

Greetings,

This is HOLY WEEK!  This is the highest, holiest, and most solemn celebration of the entire Church year.  It is our religious “Super Bowl” if you will.  The Sacred “Triduum” (The Liturgy including Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil), is my favorite moment of the year.  Because it is a time filled and rich with symbols, and tangible experiences that draw us into this climactic work of Christ and the Mystery of God: The washing of the feet, the procession with the Eucharist, the stripping of the altar, the solemn intercessions, the veneration of the cross; and then my favorite moment: the Liturgy of light at Easter Vigil; the tangible experience of Christ’s light breaking into darkness, when the Paschal Candle enters the totally dark church, and we all draw our light from Christ’s Light.

There is something very powerful and meaningful for us to gather as Church, as the physically gathered Mystical Body of Christ to celebrate and be drawn into the climax of the liturgical year, in the profound experience of the Paschal Mystery.

Thus, I strongly encourage you to attend and prayerfully enter into this holiest of and to attend and fully enter into the Church celebrations: Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and, of course, Easter.

I especially want to strongly encourage and invite you to come to Easter Vigil on Saturday night.  As it is only in Iowa Falls, I want to invite members of the linkage to come to our Linkage Easter Vigil at St. Mark’s.

While it is a service longer, I think there is something so moving about the darkness of the Church, the candles, the extended liturgy of the Word, the singing of the Alleluias, that is beautiful and draws us ever more into the mystery.

It’s a great experience to invite your non-Catholic family and friends as well!

PLUS, there will be cheesecake and other food and drink available following the Easter Vigil Service!

Peace,

-Fr. Kevin