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Author: St Mary Fred

From Our Pastor

From Our Pastor

Dear Folks,

A Blessed Palm Sunday to you!

Please note carefully that almost all of our Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday celebrations will be at the Expo Center. The new official name is the Fredericksburg Convention Center, but it is the same place we have been for many Easters.

Why are we doing almost all of the Triduum there, and wouldn’t it be better to be in the church? Absolutely! Yes, I would prefer to be in the church too, but we just will not fit in that space for the big celebrations. I am proud of the work that staff does to prepare the Expo Center, and while it is a still a convention center, it is beautifully set up so that we can reverently worship the Lord.

Also, Bishop Burbidge will be joining us this Easter and will be the celebrant of the 10:15 am Mass! I know he is excited to come and celebrate this Holy Mass with our parish family!

Finally, a thought about preparing for Easter. Do you remember how when, after sinning, Adam hid from God?

“When they heard the sound of the LORD God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:18.

Sadly, when God comes looking for us we sometimes attempt to hide because we are worried that we aren’t good enough, or we are imposters. Faced with having to look the Lord in the eyes, we can either resent or repent. Jesus came to walk among us and invite us to really see him. Please don’t look away or hide!

We do have a sacrament where you can look the Lord in the face and give an account of your sins. Confessions: available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, at 11:30 am and 6:30 pm each day. Warning, because of procrastination, lines will be much longer on Wednesday… they always are. So have mercy on your parish priests and come ASAP!

pax et bonum,

Father John Mosimann

March 24, 2024
Lent and Holy Week Schedule

Lent and Holy Week Schedule

Additional Lent Confessions

Friday March 22: 11:30-12 and 6:30pm-7pm

Saturday March 23: 8am-9am and 3:30pm-4:30pm

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Saturday March 23: Mass with Palms at 5pm and 7pm

Sunday March 24: Mass with Palms at 7am, 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm Spanish, 5pm, 7pm

Mass with Palms at Holy Cross Academy: 8:30am and 10:30am

Monday of Holy Week

Confessions 11:30am-12 and 6:30pm-7:30pm

Tuesday of Holy Week

Confessions ONLY at  6:30pm-7:30pm

Wednesday of Holy Week

Confessions 11:30am-12 and 6:30pm-7:30pm

Holy Thursday

Morning Prayer and Office of Reading in the Church 8am

7:30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

9pm-11:45pm Adoration in the PLC

11:45pm Night Prayer in the Church

Good Friday

12-2:30pm The Tre Ore AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

3pm The Passion and Veneration of the Holy Cross AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

6:30pm Stations of the Cross AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

7:15pm Stations of the Cross in Spanish AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

8pm Night Prayer in the Church

Holy Saturday

No Confessions on Holy Saturday

8am Morning Prayer and Office of Reading AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

11am Blessing of Easter Food in the Church

8:30pm The Easter Vigil AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

Easter Sunday

8am Mass AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

10:15am Mass celebrated by Most Rev. Michael Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

12:30pm Bilingual Mass AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER

 

Nationwide Invitation to Prayer for the End of Abortion and Protection of Women and Pre-Born Children

Nationwide Invitation to Prayer for the End of Abortion and Protection of Women and Pre-Born Children

On behalf of Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio President, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge Chairman, USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, USCCB shares the following announcement of a Nationwide Invitation to Prayer for the End of Abortion and Protection of Women and Pre-Born Children.

On March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that has the potential to make a major impact in the widespread accessibility of chemical abortion (abortion pills). Chemical abortions are now the most common form of abortion in the United States.

The case is in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) promoting the availability of chemical abortion while ignoring risks to women and violating federal law. In short, the FDA has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry and turned neighborhood pharmacies into chemical abortion providers.

While the Supreme Court case is not about ending chemical abortion, it can restore limitations that the FDA has overridden. When a Supreme Court decision is released, probably in June, we can expect a public and political reaction similar to the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

The USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of prayer for the end of abortion and the protection of women and preborn children, beginning on March 25, the eve of the oral arguments, and the anniversary of St. John Paul II’s landmark, pro-life encyclical, The Gospel of Life (Evangelium vitae). In particular, we will invoke the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life with this prayer (en español):

Dearest St. Joseph, at the word of an angel, you lovingly took Mary into your home. As God’s humble servant, you guided the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem, welcomed Jesus as your own son in the shelter of a manger, and fled far from your homeland for the safety of both Mother and Child. We praise God that as their faithful protector, you never hesitated to sacrifice for those entrusted to you. May your example inspire us also to welcome, cherish, and safeguard God’s most precious gift of life. Help us to faithfully commit ourselves to the service and defense of human life -especially where it is vulnerable or threatened. Obtain for us the grace to do the will of God in all things. Amen.

We ask Catholics to offer this prayer daily, from March 25 through June, when a decision is expected. Online and print versions of the prayer can be found at www.respectlife.org/prayer-to-st-joseph. Additional background information and other resources can be found online at: www.usccb.org/prolife/nationwide-invitation-prayer

Thank you for responding to this invitation to prayer for an end to all abortions and for the protection of women and preborn children. St. Joseph, Defender of Life, pray for us!