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Holy Week & Easter Schedule
March 16 PALM SUNDAY
10:00AM Blessing of the Palms Reading of the Passion
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March 20 MAUNDY THURSDAY
10:00AM Holy Eucharist 6:30 PM Agape Meal 7:30 PM Holy Eucharist with Washing of Feet Stripping of the Altar Vigil in Chapel
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March 21 GOOD FRIDAY
11:00 AM Meditations in the Chapel 12:00 N Good Friday Liturgy 7:00 PM Good Friday Liturgy Seven Last Words Veneration of the Cross
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March 22 EASTER EVE
7:00PM The Great Vigil of Easter
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March 23 EASTER SUNDAY
10:00 AM Holy Eucharist Baptism POTLUCK Easter Egg Hunt |
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March 13, 2008
Dear Ascension Family,
It’s Holy Week? Already? Oh, no!
Allegedly, some of you are quite surprised that Lent is almost over. It’s either that you haven’t been to church since Christmas or it’s because you’re still waiting for April.
If you’re one of those “surprised” church members, then this Easter Message might have really been a surprise. Indeed this year brings us the earliest date of Easter in most of our memories. The last time we had March 23rd as the date of the Sunday of the Resurrection of our Lord was 1913 and it’s understandable that there are more than a few folks in the parish for which this early Lent and Easter sounds incredibly unreal. The Book of Common Prayer mentions that the earliest date Easter can be is March 22nd and that hasn’t happened since 1818. The next time will be in 2285 and they’ll hopefully have their own surprises!
We began Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday and I recall having invited you then to observe a holy Lent, both in your personal faith journey and as members of the Church of the Ascension family. How has that journey been? Where did that discernment lead you? Was that journey encouraging or was it a case of “having been pushed into the pool”?
As we begin the observance of Holy Week, I again invite you to re-visit that journey you have begun; drawing help and support from Christ’s own Passion Story. His pain and agony will remind us how ours are but a miniscule compared to his. The Good Friday event will jolt us amidst our complacency thereby dwarfing our suffering in our daily lives.
Someone has said: “For every Good Friday, there is an Easter!” As we gather as a community of faith at the Great Vigil of Easter and or at the Sunday of the Resurrection, we join in our singing of the great Alleluia of Easter, knowing that death has been defeated; that Christ the Lord is risen and He is risen, indeed.
We will then be resting our journeying feet, for now at least, from such rigors, confident that our Good Friday has been supplanted with Easter. While it might be such a relief, we should remember that our faith journey does not stop with that much needed respite. We will continue on until ….
Have a Blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter and I hope and pray to see y’all at our services next week. God bless.
In His Service,
Fr. Bayani + Rector, Church of the Ascension
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“He receives all and gives his all.”
The Rev. Bayani D. Rico
Episcopal Church of the Ascension
1 (707) 644-5505 |
