Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks,
Happy Easter!
Christ is risen…
This is the primordial feast of the Church.  Everything we are, celebrate, and profess comes from this feast of the suffering, death and resurrection of Our Lord.  By faith, we know that we are eagerly striving for that day when we too will share in his life giving resurrection and his triumph over death.
A convert to our faith said this to me in in conversation a few years back, as we were discussing grace and mercy.  He had taught Sunday School, and given children these definitions of grace and mercy:
“Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve.  Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.”
I like those definitions because they are so easily remembered, but also packed with meaning.  Easter is such a great feast of mercy, because the very death that our sins deserve, is taken on by Jesus and vanquished by his love. To know his mercy, is to be rooted in truth and love.
I think the 2nd most beautiful sight in the world is a soul set free in the confessional.  What a privilege and joy to share in Jesus’ showering us in his mercy.  I think the most beautiful sight in the world is the Eucharistic Host that is Jesus.
I wish you a blessed day with your family!  Eat lots of delicious foods and celebrate in style!
pax et bonum,
fr mosimann

All of our Easter Sunday Masses will be celebrated at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, 2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA, 22401.  The Expo Center is located right behind Wegman’s and has enough parking and seats for everyone.  Easter Masses are at 8am, 10:15am, and 12:30pm Bilingual. 

Holy Week Confession Schedule:

Monday: 12:30pm and 6:30pm

Tuesday: 12:30pm and 6:30pm

Wednesday: 12:30pm and 6:30pm to 8:30pm

NO CONFESSIONS SATURDAY APRIL 20!

Holy Week Liturgy Schedule

Monday: 6:30am, 9am, 12pm Mass

Tuesday: 6:30am, 9am, 12pm Mass

Wednesday: 6:30am, 9am, 12pm Mass

Holy Thursday: 8am Office of Reading and Morning Prayer, 7:30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Adoration in PLC until Midnight, 11:45pm Night Prayer in the PLC

Good Friday: 8am Office of Reading and Morning Prayer, 12pm The Tre Ore (The Seven Last Words of Christ), 3pm The Passion and Veneration of the Holy Cross, 7pm Stations of the Cross, 7:30pm Via Crucis (Spanish Stations of the Cross), 10pm Night Prayer in the Church

Holy Saturday: 8am Office of Reading and Morning Prayer, 11am Blessing of Easter Food, 8:30pm The Easter Vigil (in the church)

Easter Sunday:  All of our Easter Sunday Masses will be celebrated at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, 2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA, 22401.  The Expo Center is located right behind Wegman’s and has enough parking and seats for everyone.  Easter Masses are at 8am, 10:15am, and 12:30pm Bilingual. 

 

 

Parish Night Out is almost sold out—don’t miss your chance! Easter Sunday is the last day to buy tickets! Join us for a great night of fun and catching up with parish family and friends. Includes dinner and dancing to the music of The Andrew Thielen Big Band, at the Jepson Alumni Center at UMW.  Tickets are $75 per person. Friday, April 26, Cash bar 6-11pm, Dinner 7-8pm, dancing until 11:30pm. Not only a great value for the money with the great food and orchestra—the night includes drawings for great door prizes throughout the evening—wine and champagne packages, movie tickets, restaurant gift certificates, Theater passes, and more… Please join us! For info or tickets, please call Marty at 540-373-0259 to reserve your table!

Dear Folks,
Palm Sunday begins the great celebrations of our faith.  Let his merciful enduring love be the lens through which you see everything celebrated this week. Jesus loves you so much that he did all this so that you might know His mercy.
Consider Adam’s reaction to the original sin, and how it is reflected in our own reactions. When God comes looking for us like Adam, we can either resent or repent. Do we blame the Lord, or accept his mercy. I made an observation that when the movie “The Passion of the Christ” came out folks reacted with either: “look what they say I did to Him” (resent) or “look what I did to him” (repent)! I think even a third option is better:  “look what he did for me!” Keep your eyes on Him, and know that He gave his life freely for you.
And speaking of the seat of Mercy…. confessions: available at 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week.  Your parish priests will be serving up big helpings of mercy.  Those who are really observant may note that the 12:30 pm confessions don’t appear in the calendar we have been publishing all lent. Yep, they are your bonus for reading this column!  Lines always get longer all week, so have mercy on your parish priests and get there Monday!
Also Italy, you see the small ad here on this page for the parish trip to Italy this October 8th to 18th!  It will be a trip to some of the more hidden spots in Italy, focusing especially on Catholic Saints of Central Italy:  St. Padre Pio, St. Philomena, Blessed Margaret of Castello, St. Maria Goretti, St. Benedict, Blessed Bartolo Longo, the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, the monastery at Nursia, the Amalfi Coast, and Rome too!
pax,
fr m