Dear Parishioners:
Palm/Passion Sunday signals the “Holiest Week” of the year for all Christians in the world. Holy Week is the heart of our liturgical life, gathering us, year after year, to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Clearly, as we continue to fight Covid-19 in our local communities and our world, we will not be able to celebrate Holy Week in its fullness this year.
GATHERINGS ARE NOT ALLOWED
Since gatherings of any size are banned, according to the “Stay Healthy, Stay Home” order from Governor Inslee, we cannot begin to replicate our usual parish celebrations of Holy Week, nor should we attempt to do that. All we can do is celebrate the liturgies as simply and prayerfully as we can.
PALM SUNDAY
Because we cannot be confident that we can safely distribute the blessed palms, there is to be no distribution of blessed palms. Palms will be blessed and when restrictions on gathering have been lifted, parishioners can pick up palm at Church.
TRIDUUM:
The concluding of Lenten Season on Wednesday, April 8, will lead us to the shortest and yet, the most important of the “longest-day” of the Liturgical Day, the TRIDUUM (Latin for three days – Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. It is a time of prayer, special fasting and expectation. The Triduum is “all one piece”, one single celebration of the dying and rising of Christ (referred to as the PASCHAL MYSTERY).
==> Holy Thursday – April 9 at 5:00 PM: The focus on this day is about Jesus institutes the Eucharist. The ritual of “Foot Washing” will be omitted this year and there will be NO Adoration at the end of the Mass.
==> Good Friday – April 10 at 5:00 PM: The “Commemoration of Jesus died on the Cross Service” and there will be NO “venerate the Cross”.
There will be opportunities for 3 different “Prayer Experiences” earlier in the early afternoon: Liturgy of the Hours will be at Noon, Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be at 1 PM, Meditation of the Holy Rosary will be at 2 PM and Stations of the Cross will be at 3 PM.
==> Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil) – April 11 at 8:30PM???: The lighting of the Easter Candle as “Christ, the Light of the world” and follow by the Exultet.
After the homily, the Renewal of Baptismal Promises. The Prayer of the Faithful follows the Renewal. Then, the Liturgy of the Eucharist proceeds as usual.
==>Easter Sunday – April 12 at 11:00 AM – A live streaming Mass will be from St. Gabriel Church.
- Receiving Holy Communion at Easter is a privilege and obligation treasured by countless Catholics. The Archbishop invites all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Seattle to make their “Easter Communion” as soon as we are free to gather together again.
Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults deferred
In the Archdiocese of Seattle, the sacraments of initiation will not be celebrated at the Easter Vigil this year. Baptisms and Reception into Full Communion will be deferred to a later date.
Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Phuong Hoang