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  This year we will renew the practice of crowning Our Lady, and I have asked the various societies of young ladies (i.e the Little Flowers, Rosa Mystica, and the Sodality) to assist with this pious devotion.   Henceforth, on the First Sunday of May, these societies will join a solemn procession before the High Mass. Their members will assemble in the courtyard. The Little Flowers will lead the procession, strewing rose petals on the ground. They will be followed by Rosa Mystica. Finally, a member of Rosa Mystica (selected by lot, in advance) will carry the crown, flanked by the members of the Sodality. We are hoping to have the Sodality members dressed in white or light-colored dresses, wearing the Miraculous Medal and a blue sash. Following the societies, the Altar Guild and clergy will process into the church as usual. During the procession, the Ave Maris Stella will be sung by the choir and the faithful in the church.   Arriving at the altar rail, the crown-bearer and members of the Sodality will move to the Gospel side before Our Lady, there kneeling. The faithful will likewise kneel in their pews. The celebrant, after reverencing the altar, will

  I want to take this opportunity to express the deepest sentiments of regard and gratitude for all those who support the mission of the parish with the generous gift or their time, resources, and expertise. My priestly assistants, fellow-workers in the vineyard, my staff – who assist in so many (and often hidden) ways – and our many, many volunteers including: the members of the Altar Guild, the choir, the Altar Linen & Flowers Society, the Safety Team, the ushers, the Knights Penitent, and many others who generally prefer to remain anonymous. May Our Lord bless you all, and all our parishioners, with new graces to grant holy joy and peace during this Eastertide season.

As we enter into Holy Week, I want to encourage everyone to attend sacred ceremonies, as they can. The practice of an annual spiritual retreat is impossible for many with the exigencies of modern life, but Holy Week can really be set aside to serve this purpose. I would prevail upon those who are able (I am aware that gas is very expensive and the demands of work and family life are many) to attend what ceremonies they can attend, including: Where there is a legitimate impediment to assisting at the church itself, Holy Week may still be sanctified by spiritual reading, prayer, and a spirit of recollection. As I stated in the bulletin, it is a great act of charity to try to make it for confession before the Sacred Triduum. It is not uncommon for penitents that have been away from Our Lord for many years to gather their courage to confess during these most holy of days. The lines during the Triduum are usually very long, however, and with solemn ceremonies, the priests are not at liberty to continue hearing confessions during the sacred liturgy. I tried to hear confessions where time was at all permitting yesterday,

Confessions during Holy Week   I highly encourage all who wish to confess during Holy Week to do so early in the week, if at all possible. Expect very long lines during the Sacred Triduum. First Friday & First Saturdayin Holy Week   Holy Week represents a difficult or even insurmountable challenge to satisfying the requirements of the First Friday and First Saturday devotions. On Good Friday, we enter into the disposition of loss of Our Lady at the foot of the Cross and, therefore, we do not receive Holy Communion. It is a singular day for the sacred liturgy. On the Vigil of Easter, only one Mass is said and – as it is quite long and begins at a later hour – it may not be possible for all of the faithful to assist.   Specific provision for First Saturday was made by Our Lord, in a conversation with Sr. Lucia on May 29, 1930. He instructed her, “The practice of this devotion will be equally acceptable on the Sunday following the first Saturday when My priests, for a just cause, allow it to souls.” In light of this, I am permitting all the faithful attached to St.

Passiontide Veils   On behalf of the whole parish, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all of the women who worked many hours to sew the new veils, to Mike Cao – who volunteered his design and workshop teams for the pulley system, and to Tom Scarry, who built much of the other hardware and contributed in many other ways. Book Sale & New Nursing Room   This Sunday (and next), we will be selling used books from the “Amazon” room, behind the classroom office. We have closed the Amazon storefront and will no longer be receiving used books. In place of the book storage, we will be installing a comfortable area for mothers to nurse their infant children in privacy. A concept is available below. We have already secured a contractor and a detailed plan for the work. Holy Week   The schedule is posted here.

Retirement of Tish Gallagher   Tish has announced her retirement from her position at the parish. On behalf of the community, I would like to extend our warm gratitude and deepest respect for her many, many years of tireless service to the parish. She has been an integral part of our community since its inception, has founded a successful parish bookstore that has benefited innumerable souls, and has been of invaluable assistance to the priests in pursuing the pastoral and evangelical mission of the parish. Many parish activities relied heavily on her organization and work for many years. I am personally indebted to her for her steadfast support during my tenure as pastor; and most especially during the very trying years of COVID.   We have comissioned a small gift for Tish in honor of her contributions to the parish, which will be presented to her once it is complete. She remains active on Signal if you should like to reach out to her. Her final day will be the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19. Parish Mission   Fr. Daniel Heenan, FSSP, the pastor of our parish in Guadalajara, will hold a parish mission this Monday, March 16 to