Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Thomas the Apostle,
I write to you today with an invitation to join us in prayer during the most sacred days of the Church.
This year, during the Triduum, we are especially graced to combine our Triduum services with Calvert House, the Catholic chaplaincy at the University of Chicago. The students will be coming to St. Thomas the Apostle with their chaplain, Fr. Andrew Wawrzyn, to combine our prayer for what I expect will be some powerful services where we encounter and walk with the Lord through his passion, death, and resurrection.
On Palm Sunday, we begin the services of this Holy Week exclaiming, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Palms will be blessed and distributed at all of our Masses. I encourage you to join us at the 10:00 AM Mass on Palm Sunday where we will begin outside (weather permitting) to do the full procession as we imitate the Lord as He enters into the Holy City.
On Holy Thursday, Mass will be at 7:00 PM as we celebrate and remember the Institution of the Eucharist, the washing of the feet, and processing the Eucharist to its place of repose. Fr. Andrew will be the celebrant and homilist.
On Good Friday, the day we commemorate the Lord’s death, we hear preaching from Sr. Laurie Brink, OP who will break open the Word of God after hearing the powerful account of Jesus’s crucifixion. I will be the main presider at this liturgy. The liturgy will take place at 7:00 PM with stations of the cross at 3:00 PM in Church.
On Holy Saturday, we wait in prayerful vigil for the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This service will take place at 8:00 PM. At this service, we welcome those who are to be baptized in the faith, those who are already baptized to be received in the Catholic Church, and those who need to complete their sacraments of initiation to be initiated as full members of the Church. This is the highest day in the life of the Church for two reasons: first, because Christ rose from the dead and second, this is the time when we welcome new members into the family of God. Those who will be welcomed are students, family members, siblings, and people striving for holiness.
Easter Sunday Masses will be at our normal time of 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Fr. Andrew will preside at the 8:00 AM Mass and I will preside at the 10:00 AM Mass. Both Masses we welcome so many who share in the joy of Easter.
After both Masses, the children of the parish are invited to join in an Easter Egg Hunt on the front lawn of the rectory.
I hope that you can join us for these days of prayer. I promise they will be powerful moments where we encounter Jesus as we walk with him from the beginning of his entry to Jerusalem to his rising from the tomb as He said He would.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Trail
Read it in our Parish bulletin online at https://stapostleparish.org/parish-life/current-bulletin/