The month of April begins with beauty of Holy Week. On the Catholic calendar it is the most important week of the year. Beginning with Palm (Passion) Sunday liturgy we enter into the solemn procession of prayer as we walk with the Lord through the Passion, Death and Resurrection in a unique series of liturgies. The three days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, known as the Sacred Triduum, will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Parish with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper beginning at 7 p.m. The church will remain open for quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at the end of the liturgy until 10 p.m. On Good Friday, the only day when there is no Catholic Mass in the world, we gather for the Service of the Lord’s Passion. This ancient ritual includes the proclamation of the Lord’s Passion from the gospel of St. John and includes veneration of the cross and Holy Communion. At 6:30 p.m. we will pray the Stations of the Cross. If the weather permits, we will be outdoors in the Meditation Garden between the church and Fr. Ted Hall.
On Holy Saturday, we begin with the tradition of the Blessing of Easter Foods at 10 a.m. This is a tradition practiced for centuries in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland. Families gather for prayer and bring baskets of the food they will share in the Easter Dinner. Foods from the fasting of Lent are often accompanied by candles for the table, lambs carved from butter, and a variety of other ethnic foods. No matter your background, you are welcome to join us for this multi-generational service. This will be followed by an Easter Egg Hunt for our youngsters, hosted by members of our Knights of Columbus Council at 11 a.m. on the lawns near Fr. Ted Hall.
The Great Vigil of Easter will begin at 8 p.m. Please note there is no 4 p.m. Mass on Holy Saturday, or Confessions. This year at the Great Vigil we have a number of people joining the Catholic Faith through Baptism as well as Confirmation and First Holy Communion. This beautiful liturgy begins in darkness as the new Easter Candle is blessed outside the church and then the light is brought in and shared by all the faithful. Thus begins our 50-day celebration of the Easter Season. Easter Sunday Morning will begin with our “Frist Sunday Rosary” at 8 a.m. and Masses at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Our weekly Holy Hour will go back to Monday Evenings from 6-7 p.m. until Daylight Savings Time ends.
An important reminder for families with loved ones in St Joseph Cemetery on Hill Street. The Knights of Columbus annual Clean Up will take place on Saturday, April 11. All Christmas/winter items will be removed at that time.
We will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, April 12th with a Holy Hour beginning at 3 p.m. in the church.
Sacred Heart Parish is located at 446 Mountain Road.
For a complete list of Masses and activities at Sacred Heart please follow us on Facebook and visit our website at http://www.sacredheartct.com
On behalf of our staff and entire parish family, we pray you have a Blessed Holy Week and Easter season!