Holy Week

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

With the start of Holy week, we witness the intense love that Jesus has for all of us. During his passion, Jesus stilled healed, comforted, forgave and instilled hope in others. During his passion, Jesus gave life to others and as Christians we are called to the Cross as well to give life to others. Holy week is a time in which we are called to reach out to others with the love of Jesus. The choice to follow Christ is essential for looking beyond ourselves so we can concentrate on the needs of others.

The Paschal Triduum starts this week and we are called to empty ourselves and become more like Jesus in his selfless and self –giving way.  ‘Triduum’ comes from two Latin words (tres and dies) which mean ‘a space of three days.’ The Easter Triduum begins at sundown on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lords supper and concludes at sundown on Easter Sunday; its high point Triduum is the celebration of the Easter Vigil.

On Holy Thursday we commemorate the institution by Jesus of the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and of the Priesthood in our liturgy we will also celebrated and remember the great humility of Jesus in washing the feet of his disciples. On this day, we are called to recognize that the Eucharist celebrates and strengthens our unity in the Body of Christ and helps us shape our lives after Christ’s, challenging us to lead lives characterized by compassion and forgiveness.

On Good Friday, we celebrate and remember the passion and death of Jesus and show our love by our veneration of the cross of that crucified Lord and our own determination to follow in his footsteps.

In the Easter Vigil ceremonies, we celebrate the light of Christ rising in glory and dispelling the darkness of our hearts and minds. Commemorating the moments when Jesus conquered death, left the tomb and sent his disciples to continue his mission. The person of STHY continues its mission of Jesus Christ by welcoming our new members to the Church through baptism and the profession of faith. This is a great witness to the life of the Church. We all show our solidarity by renewing our own baptismal promises as well.

On Tuesday March 22^nd the Chrism Mass will be celebrated at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Downtown. The Chrism Mass is one of the most solemn and significant liturgies of the church. In the Mass, the Archbishop (Cardinal DiNardo) blesses three oils — the oil of catechumens (oleum catechumenorum or oleum sanctorum), the oil of the infirm (oleum infirmorum) and holy chrism (sacrum chrisma) — which will be used in the administration of the sacraments throughout the archdiocese for the year. At the end of Mass, the oils are distributed to all parishes. Also during the ceremony all the priests of the Archdiocese are asked to renew their priestly vows and commitment to priesthood. The Chrism Mass demonstrates the unity of Holy Orders. This action shows the unity that exists between the Bishop and the clergy under his authority.

On Good Friday, March 25^th, there will be a special live Stations of the Cross at 5:00 pm. Our own young people from the current 2016 confirmation class will be performing the Stations of the Cross. Please use this time to contemplate what Jesus accomplished on the cross for us, and to pray for and support the young people in our parish.

Furthermore, On Good Friday, the parishes of the Archdiocese of Galveston- Houston will join with those across the world in support of the annual Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land. This pontifical collection requested by Pope Francis offers a direct link for parishioners to be witnesses of peace and to help protect the holy places, while also supporting Christians in the Holy Land.

The Holy Land Franciscans have been charged with preserving Christian places, providing pastoral care and serving the needy in the Holy Land since 1209. The Franciscans tasks include maintaining and caring for the shrines and chapels, operating schools, caring for the poor by providing housing and health care, pastoral ministry, providing spiritual direction for pilgrims, and keeping Christianity alive. Thank you for your generosity and support for the Holy Land Good Friday collection.

The Holy Week schedule is as follows: Holy Thursday 7:00 pm, Good Friday Services 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm; Easter Vigil, Saturday Evening 8:30 pm. Easter Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 Noon with one overflow Mass in Guyot Hall at 8:00 am.

          Next, I want to thank you all for a great kick off for our capital campaign last weekend. I want to thank especially all the volunteers who have been working on this campaign over the last seven months.  Now the work begins on renewing our parish. We should able to start giving our results of our campaign pledge drive in a few short weeks. We will keep you posted. If you have not done so by now, please send your pledges in for our Building Faith Family and Future capital campaign. Our challenge is great, but so too is our faith – a faith that has carried our church for a half a century. Just as those saints of the past took leaps of faith, preparing the way for future generations, so too will we take a leap of faith, imagining and creating a vital St. Hyacinth for the next fifty years and beyond. Together we will continue Building faith Family and the future.

Finally, the parish offices will be closed Thursday March 24^th  and Friday March 25^th  in observance of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Have a blessed Holy Week.

God Bless,

Fr. Reginald Samuels