Year of Prayer: Holy Week - Good Friday
As we continue our Year of Prayer at St. Josaphat, the month of April is dedicated to praying our way through Holy Week. These are the most sacred days of th
e entire liturgical year. The end of Holy Week is the Easter Triduum and is composed of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday.)
Our focus this week will be Good Friday, the day we remember our Lord's Passion and death on the cross. This year Good Friday is
April 19th
. We will be having a Stations of the Cross service at 3:00 pm and the celebration of the Lord's Passion at 7:30 pm.
During the Stations of the Cross at 3:00 pm, we will prayerfully make our way around the church stopping to pray at each of the stations. The custom of praying the Stations of the Cross was initiated in churches throughout Europe around the 13th century. Similar to our stations around the interior of St. Josaphat Church, churches created their own stations on the walls of churches or in the stained glass windows. They became a teaching tool to illustrate our Lord's Passion.
At the evening service of the Lord's Passion at 7:30 pm, we will proclaim the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of John. We will then have an opportunity to venerate the cross.
The veneration of the cross began in Jerusalem, where a fragment of wood believed to be the Lord's cross has been venerated every year on Good Friday since the fourth century.
To venerate, we will
approach the crucifix one by one (similar to the communion line), and offer a gesture of respect to all that it represents. This gesture usually includes kneeling or bowing before the cross and then touching or kissing it.
We venerate the cross because our Lord's cross was the instrument of our salvation. It was on the cross that Jesus willingly sacrificed himself for us. Therefore, by reverencing his cross we are, in effect, showing revere
nce for Christ.
While Lent officially ends on Wednesday of Holy Week, Good Friday is also a day of prayer, fasting and abstinence. Be sure to make time for prayer that day, especially sometime from Noon to 3:00 pm as that is the time traditionally believed to be when the Lord endured the crucifixion. If you can't make one of our services, praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary would be a good way of entering into prayer on this day.
Please also respect the tradition of abstaining from meat and fasting in between meals. These minor penances are meant to remind us of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. However, one more enjoyable tradition of Good Friday is the custom of eating hot cross buns.
This tradition is believed to have been started by a Monk in the 12th century who gave out buns to the poor with a cross marked on them to remind them of the upcoming holy days. Many local bakeries carry on the tradition of making hot cross buns throughout Lent and especially during Holy Week. So be sure to enjoy this old tradition!
God Bless,
Fr. Francis
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Important Upcoming Dates!
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April 5 (& every Friday in Lent) 7 pm - Stations of the Cross
April 6, 9am - Women's Group
April 6, 5pm - Spring Sports Blessing
April 7, 7pm - Youth Group (at St. Teresa)
April 9, 10a - Tots Playgroup
April 9, 7pm - PTO Meeting
April 10, 7pm - Lenten Reconciliation (at St. Vincent De Paul)
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April Theme:
Holy Week as Prayer
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Friday, Apr 5th at 7pm
and every Friday throughout Lent, join us in the church for
Stations of the Cross.
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S
aturday Apr 6th at 5pm
Please join us this Saturday for the spring sports blessing Mass. All parish and school athletes in grade school, high school, and college that participate in spring sports are encouraged to attend and to wear their their jersey over church clothes.
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Peace Circle
at
St. Agatha
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Tuesday, Apr 9th at 6:30pm
St. Agatha, our sharing parish in North Lawndale, hosts monthly peace circles on racism on the second Tuesday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 pm for dinner, hospitality and a brief presentation. Participants then break into small talking/peace circles for discussion.
Contact Kim Nugent
[email protected]
for more information.
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Wednesday, Apr 10th at 7pm
St. Vincent De Paul Church
1010 W Webster Ave.
We will have a Lenten Reconciliation Service for all of the parishes in our Grouping.
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Religious Education Registration for 2019/20 is OPEN!
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Registration for 2019-20 Religious Education is now open. Register your child(ren) age PK4-8th Grade online here.
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Save the Date for
our Golf Outing
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Save the Date for the Parish Golf Outing on Friday, May 17th at Harborside Golf Course.
Details coming soon!
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If you are interested in helping decorate church for Holy Week and/or Easter, contact Jennifer Miller at [email protected]. The more the merrier!
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Liturgical Ministers Wanted!
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Have you ever thought about serving as an Usher, Lector or Eucharistic Minister? It's easy and we'll show you how - just contact us and we'll have you started in no time! We especially need your help at our Sunday noon Masses (but we'll certainly accommodate your serving preferences!).
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Have you seen the fresh spring goodies at
Shop now through April 12th and get something for yourself while giving a little something to the school. 100% of proceeds go directly to the Staff Bonus Fund.
It's a win-win!
Recycle your floral vases - bring them to
Ashland Addison Florist Co.
for a donation to St. Josaphat!
Shop smile.amazon.com and select St. Josaphat Parish as your charitable organization, and St. Josaphat gets
5% on eligible items!
Thank you for your support!
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