Category Archives: Lent and Holy Week

posted 4/8/20 Today is Spy Wednesday, the day on which the Church gives us the gospel reading that describes the conspiracy between Judas and the chief priests to have the Lord Jesus arrested and condemned to death.  “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” Judas said to the chief priests.  The gospel tellsContinue reading “Spy Wednesday”

posted 4/7/20 I was talking with one of our religious education teachers yesterday, a man very committed to that ministry, and during our conversation he told me about the last class he had before everything was suspended.  By then there was already a feeling of unease about the growing threat of the Coronavirus and speculation on what measuresContinue reading “Making Our Way Home”

posted 4/6/20 Yesterday the Archdiocese of Turin announced that the mysterious Shroud of Turin will be displayed for veneration on Holy Saturday.  This will be just the 20th time in the known history of the shroud that it will be on display for public viewing.  The Shroud of Turin is a rectangular piece of woven linen measuring 14ft.5in.Continue reading “The Shroud”

posted 4/4/20 One of my enduring memories of Palm Sunday growing up is my father’s expressions of exasperation at the amount of palm my sisters and I would bring home from church.  At the time I didn’t understand it.  Why wouldn’t you want to get a big handful (or two) of palm?  But looking back, I kind of get it because by the endContinue reading “Palm Sunday”

posted 4/3/20 Today we find ourselves in the Friday of what’s called “Passiontide,” which refers to the final two weeks of Lent.  Passiontide begins in dramatic fashion, with the veiling of images in our churches on the 5th Sunday of Lent.  If you visit St. Cecilia Church, or watched the video of the parish Mass in St. Gabriel’s last weekend, youContinue reading “Friday of Sorrows”

posted 3/24/20 Tomorrow, 3/25, is the Feast of the Annunciation on which we celebrate the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to the Blessed Virgin Mary that God had chosen her to be the Mother of the Savior.  It’s a special day for the people of our parish for a couple of reasons – first: St. Gabriel is one of ourContinue reading “The Annunciation”