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THE WEEKLY MISSIVE, PART I
MARCH 27, 2024
(Published early in anticipation of the Paschal Triduum.
Part II will be published on Easter Sunday, March 31.)
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Three Sacred Days, Set Apart
Dear Friends,
During the Paschal Triduum, we will celebrate 6 extraordinary services. These services promise to praise our God, to inspire us in our discipleship, and to bind us more closely to one another. Please join us for as many as you can!
In both scripture and liturgy, Catholics speak of 3 days at the center of the Paschal mystery: Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days, and the brief season that we celebrate this weekend is called the Triduum, which literally means "3 days." However, if one does the math, the counting seems off. Jesus was in the tomb less than 40 hours, and the Triduum covers 4 calendar days.
For important liturgical events, Catholics use the Jewish concept of the day running from sunset to sunset. As we'll hear multiple times from Genesis on Saturday night, "evening came and morning followed." Using this Jewish sense of time, let us count the days:
- Jesus was in the tomb for parts of 3 different days: a few hours of the day that ended at sunset on Good Friday, the whole next day, and until dawn on the day after that.
- The Triduum runs the course of 3 full days, from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Sunday.
No matter how we count these next several days, the fact remains: we will celebrate 6 extraordinary services in the span of less than 72 hours. Please join us! If you can't make it in to 5 Park Street, please join us online for the 5 of the 6 services that will be livestreamed.
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March 28: Holy Thursday
March 29: Good Friday
March 30: Holy Saturday
March 31: Easter Sunday
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Receiving the Precious Blood
- The Three Days
- Two Other News Items
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March 28: Holy Thursday
9:00 am - 1:00 pm: Immigrants' Day at the State House
Meet up with members of our Immigration Advocacy Group (IAG) at 9 am to head to the State House as a group. There, we'll ask our elected representatives to support 5 legislative priorities that benefit our immigrant neighbors. Email IAG in advance to let them know that you're coming.
12:05 pm: No daily Mass
Traditionally, the only Mass celebrated during the daylight hours of Holy Thursday in each diocese of the world is the Chrism Mass at the cathedral. The Archdiocese of Boston celebrated the Chrism Mass on Tuesday, so that parish staffs and volunteers could spend today preparing for the Triduum.
Sunset: Lent ends; Paschal Triduum begins
At sunset, two observations begin simultaneously:
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The Paschal Triduum is a 72-hour celebration, starting with the Mass of the Lord's Supper and ending with evening prayer on Easter Sunday,
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The most solemn liturgy of the year, spread over 3 services in a 53-hour period. These services each incorporate unique and ancient rites that are observed at no other liturgy during the year.
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7:00 pm: Mass of the Lord's Supper
(live streamed)
This is the first of three services within the most solemn liturgy of the year. This service has no formal ending.
We present the sacred oils blessed at the Chrism Mass and sing the Gloria for the first time since Lent began. After the readings and homily, everyone is given the opportunity to have their feet washed and then in turn wash someone else's feet. After communion, we process extra Eucharist downstairs to a special altar of repose. All are welcome to stay in quiet adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for as long as they like.
10:00 pm Night Prayer at the Altar of Repose
We end the evening with simple, lay-led night prayer.
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No Mass, no confessions today
Mass is not celebrated anywhere in the world today. We apologize that our priests cannot hear confessions between Good Friday and Easter Monday, as the Paulist Center architecture does not provide a space that simultaneously addresses both privacy and safety concerns while other activities are happening. You can schedule an appointment with either Fr. Rick or Fr. Rich (choose one, not both) after Mon, Apr 1.
12:05 pm: Ecumenical "Seven Last Words of Christ" Service
(live streamed)
This is a beloved Paulist Center tradition going back to the 1970s. Preachers from a variety of Christian traditions will each reflect on one of the seven utterances ("words") that the gospels record Jesus saying during his crucifixion. Click here for the order of service, which lists this year's preachers.
After the service, we would like to maintain as calm and as prayerful an atmosphere in the chapel as possible. We ask those wishing to have conversations with the preachers or with each other to please exit to the sidewalk or the auditorium.
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3:00 pm: Commemoration of the Lord's Passion
(live streamed)
This is the second of three services within the most solemn liturgy of the year. This service has neither a formal beginning nor a formal ending.
Mass is not celebrated anywhere in the Roman Catholic world today. The ministers enter in silence. After an extensive Liturgy of the Word, including a set of universal prayers prayed all over the world, people have the opportunity to come forward and venerate the cross in a way that feels appropriate to them, such as bowing to it or kissing it. Lastly, the Eucharist consecrated on the previous evening is used in a simple communion rite. The assembly departs in silence.
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Daylight hours: an in-between time
Like the disciples nearly 2,000 years ago, we occupy a strange spiritual space on Holy Saturday. The old way has passed, but the new path has not yet been revealed.
During the day, those preparing to receive their sacraments gather for rehearsal and prayer. They share how they have grown this Lent, and we anoint our elect with the sacred oil of the catechumens.
Looking for something to pray with today? We recommend "Holy Darkness" by Dan Schutte, one of the few liturgical songs to quote the Book of Job.
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8:00 pm: Vigil of the Lord's Resurrection
(live streamed)
This is the third of three services within the most solemn liturgy of the year. This service has no formal beginning.
We gather in darkness with excited anticipation. We light a new fire and bless the new Paschal candle. After the lighting of tapers and the singing of the Exsultet, we proclaim 7 readings in the darkness, chronicling salvation history. After the 7th reading, Easter arrives! We turn on lights, proclaim the epistle, sing "Alleluia!" for the first time in 6 weeks, and proclaim Mark's account of the women finding the empty tomb. After the homily, we baptize our elect. We renew our baptismal promises, and our 2 candidates and 1 elect receive their confirmation. Mass now continues in the typical way, but highlighted by our 3 confirmandi receiving their First Holy Communion.
11:15 pm (estimated): Reception in the Auditorium
The party isn't over quite yet! After Mass concludes, we head downstairs for a light reception to officially welcome the 3 newly-initiated Catholics into our community. Thanks to Mary, Nancy G., Daria, Margaret, and Maureen for organizing this!
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March 31: Easter Sunday
The most solemn liturgy of the year may be over, but the Paschal Triduum continues!
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10:00 am Mass of the Lord's Resurrection
(live streamed)
12:00 pm Mass of the Lord's Resurrection
(not live streamed)
As the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer proclaims, we are "overcome with Paschal joy" at Christ's resurrection! The Mass on Easter Sunday is celebrated similarly to a typical Sunday Mass, but with more people and with the inclusion of the renewal of baptismal promises & the sprinkling rite.
Please note: for the sake of our immunocompromised members and visitors, we continue to require all people (except the smallest of children) to wear masks in the balcony. We anticipate that the 10 am Mass will likely be the best-attended Mass at the Paulist Center in over 4 years. It will be easier to maintain social distancing in the balcony at the 12 pm Mass than at the 10 am Mass.
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Restoring the Opportunity to Receive the Precious Blood | | |
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Starting on Holy Thurs, Mar 28, everyone will have the opportunity, if they feel comfortable doing so, to partake of the Precious Blood during the communion rite at Mass. This decision was reached by the Worship Committee in consultation with our lector teams and resources from the CDC. Please be sure to check out the insert from the Mar 16-17 bulletin, and don't hesitate to contact the Worship Committee with your questions or concerns. | |
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If you can't be with us in-person for our Holy Week celebrations, please join us for the live streams of 5 of them.
The three services of the Paschal Liturgy:
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Two other services live streamed during the Paschal Triduum: | |
Remember: all of our live streams are available in real time on our YouTube channel & available there afterwards as recordings. | |
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From last weekend's bulletin:
- Instructions on how to make a donation towards our Easter flowers. We hope to have sufficient funds to decorate the chapel all the way through Pentecost (May 19).
- The office will be closed on Easter Monday, Apr 1. There will be no confessions or Mass that day.
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"Behold, behold
the wood of the cross
on which is hung our salvation.
O come, let us adore!"
- Dan Schutte's "Behold the Wood"
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Alvaro, Barbara, Dorothy, Gus, Norm, Patty, Rich, Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, & Timmy | |
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