In just a
few days, with the Celebration of
Palm Sunday, we will join Christians
all over the world and begin the
"Great Week"--that
week that goes from Palm Sunday of
the Passion of the Lord to Holy
Saturday’s Easter Vigil. We
are invited to walk with our Lord
through those final days that
culminated in His death and
resurrection. In
anticipation of this blessed time, I
bring several things to your
attention.
1. At a time in our lives in
which we are so limited in our
movement and activities,
I especially encourage you to take
the opportunity to participate in
this year's Holy Week Liturgies from
St. Agnes through the Catholic Faith
Network.
Please know that we will also be
making a liturgy aid available on
our website
(stagnescathedral.org)
for these various liturgies.
2. While
palm branches will be used at the
televised Palm Sunday Mass, we are
unable, out of health concerns, to
make these available at this time. In
light of this, you may wish to
display on your front door or on
your dinner table this Sunday a
piece of a branch that can serve as
a visible sign of Palm Sunday and
Jesus’ entrance as a King into
Jerusalem.
3. Starting this
Sunday
Evening, April 5,
at 8:30 PM, Night Prayer from the
Liturgy of the Hours will be prayed
online. You
are able to join others in this
prayer
--to join
by computer with speakers
to join
by
telephone, call 1 929 205 6099
and enter the
Meeting ID: 686 946 039.
In addition to this opportunity for
prayer,
we
are continuing until this Wednesday
praying the rosary via a conference
call. This
takes place at
9 AM
and the phone number for this call
is
(979) 990-5000 followed by the
access code of 751583#.
4. Because the Cathedral will be
in use at certain times this coming
week (April 5 – 12) for the Holy
Week Liturgies,
we will
be adjusting the hours in which it
will be open for private prayer.
The times that the Cathedral will be
open this week are:
Sunday- Tuesday as normal:
9:30am-5:00pm
Wednesday: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Thursday: 10:30am-5:00pm
Friday: 10:30am-1:30pm
Saturday: 10:30am- 5:00pm
5. In looking ahead to Easter
Sunday, and our inability to come
physically together to celebrate
God’s triumph over sin and death, I
especially invite you to join with
other parishioners and friends in
displaying on the front window or
door of your home a symbol of the
Victorious Lamb of God.
It would be wonderful to see this
lamb displayed in as many windows as
possible.
6. And
finally, please also know that over
the past month,
Bishop
Barres issued a very fine Pastoral
Letter entitled:
"The Great Week--A Pilgrimage with
the Lord in Holy Week"
(please see: http://www.thegreatweek.com).
I heartily recommend this resource
to you. It is well written and
deepens one's understanding and
ability to participate in the Holy
Week Liturgies. It is also a
reminder to us that Holy Week is a
time "that the Lord Himself has
invited [us] to make this pilgrimage
with Him. And there are special
graces He has in store for [us] that
He can only impart..." May these
graces be showered upon our
families, our parish, our diocese,
our country and our world!
With prayers,
Rev. Msgr. William E. Koenig
Rector
Saint Agnes Cathedral