When you have lost someone very dear to you, the most difficult obstacle to cross is getting through the holidays. Surviving the days where everyone around you is celebrating and spreading good cheer, while your mind is filled with memories and your heart is heavy with loneliness. It’s difficult just making it through what used to be the happiest days that were once shared with a soul mate, and today carries only emptiness. The greatest challenge is to remain in the company of others who love you, when you really want to be alone with your sadness.

A Grief Education/Support program, sponsored by the Ministry of Consolation of St Edward parish, has been organized for all who are grieving the death of a loved one. This program will be held on MONDAYS: 19 April,   3 May and 10 May 6:30 PM

Topics to Include:
• STAGES OF GRIEF
• SURVIVING STRESS AND LONELINESS
• FEELINGS. EMOTIONS– DENIAL, BARGAINING, GUILT, ANGER, DEPRESSION
• SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS OF GRIEF AND HEALING and THE VALUE OF MEMORIES

After a major loss, it is not uncommon to question our faith. We may ask why this has occurred, we may feel angry at God, or we may feel nothing at all toward God. Such feelings are normal. True faith, as R.S. Sullender reminds us, is not a matter of feeling, but of the courage to go on believing and hoping.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

For everything there is a season,and a time for every matter under heaven. . . .a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance. . . .

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is secure parking available. For more information or to RSVP please contact Sister Therese Ann Rich at 330.743.2308, 330.501.3038 or by email — tarich@theursulines.org

For most of us,  Holy Week unfolds like many other weeks: work, school, preparing meals, doing laundry. Palm Sunday begins an unusual week – a week – concentrated in a few days on the ultimate meaning of our lives. We are invited this week to reflect on these questions: Why are we here? What have we been called to do? What are we willing to die for?

We have journeyed from Ash Wednesday to this day. This week, we will experience the last hours of the life of Jesus. We must slow down and make choices so that this week does not go by without our taking time to enter into its meaning.

In our Gospel today, even in the midst of great suffering, Jesus extends his compassion to others, so total, that he  willingly empties himself to the point of death. As we enter this week, let us pray that our self-emptying for the good of others will be so total.

We celebrate in the liturgies of this week what we live every day – all the dying to self that characterizes our faithful discipleship. The triumph of this week is in doing our tasks with joy, being kind to those around us [even those cranky folks], meeting setbacks as paths to learning. Then, with Jesus, we can commend ourselves into God’s hands.

Lent ends at sunset on Holy Thursday, and the Triduum begins. These are the three holiest days in the Church calendar.

The first day, Holy Thursday, begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, during which we remember the Last Supper – when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instituted the Eucharist. The first day of the Triduum extends through the night and includes the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.

The second day of the Triduum begins at sunset on Good Friday and lasts until sunset on Holy Saturday. There are no ceremonies in church. Our minds are on Jesus, who rests in the tomb.

The third day of the Triduum begins at sunset on Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil. The ceremonies of the Easter Vigil include the blessing of fire, of water, the Baptism and Confirmation of new members of the Church, and the first Mass of Easter. The day ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.

Easter is not just one day, but 50 days of joy. The Church wears white because of the celebration and sings Alleluia over and over. The season includes the great feast of the Ascension, when Jesus returned to the Father, and concludes with Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came to the Church just as Jesus promised.

Here are some activities for you and your children thanks to our friends at Pflaum Publications.

What Easter Means Grades K_1

Baptism Crossword Grades 2_3

Feast of Jesus Crossword Grades 4_6

The Easter Season Grades 7_8

Holy Week begins with the sixth Sunday in Lent known as Palm Sunday. This Sunday observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the crowds who were in Jerusalem for Passover waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king. The Gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, enacting the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, and in so doing emphasized the humility that was to characterize the Kingdom he proclaimed. The irony of his acceptance as the new Davidic King (Mark 11:10) by the crowds who would only five days later cry for his execution should be a sobering reminder of the human tendency to want God on our own terms.

This Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday to commemorate the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus’ final agonizing journey to the cross.

There are a variety of events that are clustered on Holy Thursday – this last day before Jesus was arrested that are commemorated in various ways in services of worship. These include the last meal together, which was probably a Passover meal, the institution of Eucharist or Communion, the betrayal by Judas (because of the exchange with Jesus at the meal), and Jesus praying in Gethsemane while the disciples fell asleep. Most liturgies, however, focus on the meal and communion as a way to commemorate this day.

Friday of Holy Week has been traditionally been called Good Friday. On this day, the church commemorates Jesus’ arrest (since by Jewish customs of counting days from sundown to sundown it was already Friday), his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial. Since services on this day are to observe Jesus’ death, and since Eucharist is a celebration, there is traditionally no Communion observed on Good Friday.

From the earliest days of the church, the Easter Vigil was primarily a means of preparing new converts for baptism into the Christian Faith, which was normally done on Easter Sunday as the focal point of the entire year. This preparation traditionally arises from a set of Scripture readings from the Old Testament that recounts the unfolding of God’s creation of a people in the Exodus, and a promise of restoration from Zephaniah (see Readings for the Easter Vigil). Following the lead of the Gospels themselves, this provides a crucial link between the revelation of God in Christ and the creation of the church with God’s past revelation of himself and the creation of his people Israel. This important emphasis on the continuity of the church with the Old Testament’s witness to God also helps define the nature of the church and its mission in the world, thoroughly grounding it in the ongoing work of God in history.

Click here to access our Holy Week Liturgical Ministers Schedule Holy Week Liturgical Ministers Schedule

Who is the most honorable person you know? Why is this person so honorable?

What makes a person honorable? Great deeds and great commitments? Wisdom and humility? Trustworthiness and compassion? A great reputation? There are these and many other ways to define an honorable person. Striving for the right. The right way to act. The right way to live. This person is the opposite of the sinner.

What turns a sinner into an individual of honor? Presented with a sinner, Jesus turned the question of condemnation back on the honorable leaders of his community. And he gave the possibility of change to the sinner with a simple twist in his point of view.

In our Gospel today, the Pharisees challenged Jesus with a moral dilemma. The Jewish leaders pitted the fulfillment of God’s Law (tradition) against compassion (present need). If Jesus chose fulfillment of the Law, he would be seen as cold-hearted in the eyes of those he ministered to: the sinners. But, if he chose compassion, he would be seen as one who disrespected the Law and was “soft on” immorality; the general populace would renounce him and the leaders would have sufficient grounds to prosecute him. This was a tight “open and shut” case for the Pharisees and a losing situation for Jesus.

But Jesus chose an unexpected middle route; he acted apathetic by doodling on the ground and turned the question back on them. By giving the sinless permission to carry out the Law, Jesus caught the Pharisees at their own game. To throw a stone at this point would be the sin of pride. The persecutors would have the audacity to act in God’s place; this would be blasphemous in the eyes of the people, since no one was without sin. No wonder the elders left first in shame.

Possibly the greatest irony of the story could be found in the adulterous woman. The woman, caught in the act, stood before Jesus un-judged; that would be the way Jesus would leave the woman. Without judgment, the charge of sin could not be leveled against her, she was truly “sinless” in the eyes of the Lord. Jesus simply told her not to sin again.

Our encounter with Jesus brings hope.  In the invitation to repent, Jesus offers us new life. Jesus offers us new choices and opportunities to change. The work of Lent is to hear Jesus and respond by making choices that will lead us to new life.

Most of us do not have to look very far to find “non-practicing Catholics” in our circle of family and friends. Many of us are concerned about these loved ones however we don’t know how to help them. Obviously, most of them are searching, but how can we help them find their way home?

As baptized, practicing Catholics we have a precious gift of faith and love from the Lord that needs to be shared with our non-practicing brothers and sisters.

First, we need to pray for them. Secondly, we need to extend a personal invitation to them to come home to the Catholic Church. Most non-practicing Catholics are waiting for an invitation to return. Many mistakenly think they are excommunicated and are not welcome to return for a variety of reasons.

Many non-practicing Catholics carry a tremendous amount of guilt and misinformation about the Church so they are afraid of approaching the Church for fear of being rejected. You can make a tremendous difference in someone’s life simply by reaching out to them and telling them that we miss them and would like for them to come back home to our Church family.

Fr Shori began his presentation last evening with this selection from Everyone’s Way of the Cross

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Christ:

Can you be brave enough my other self to wipe my bloody face?

Where is my face you ask?

At home whenever eyes are filled with tears
At work when tensions rise
On playgrounds, in slums, at the courthouse, the hospitals, the jails

Wherever suffering exists there is my face
I look for you to wipe away my blood, my tears

All:
Lord, live in us, act in us, love in us so that we may reveal your glorious face

Fr Shori’s presentation focused on why people of faith need to be concerned about acting to transform the world

• Our faith calls us to it. The Gospel and church teaching place our service of the poor and vulnerable and our work for justice at the center of Christian witness.

• Our nation needs it. Too many Americans, especially children, are growing up poor in the richest nation on earth. The blessings and burdens of American life are not being shared fairly.

• Our world requires it. More than 30,000 children die every day from hunger, deprivation, and their consequences. Disease and debt, corruption and conflict are threatening the lives and dignity of millions in our increasingly globalized world.

• Our salvation demands it. In Jesus’ description of the Last Judgment, Matthew 25:31ff the critical question is ‘What did you do for the least of these?’ Jesus identified himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, and the stranger, insisting that when we serve them we serve him.

• Our actions can make a difference.

The questions for us today:
• What are you doing personally and what do you see others around you doing to serve the poor and vulnerable?

• What is our church doing to serve the poor and vulnerable?

Here is a hand-out that can help you in your prayer and action in serving our neighbors- Transforming the World Action Plan

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years as a teacher, it’s that the struggle to maintain a balance between the secular and religious aspects of a holiday is not an easy one. It’s not easy because secular celebrations almost always seem more appealing than their religious counterparts.

Easter is no different. As Catholics, Easter is the most important liturgical celebration throughout the year. It is a day that signifies our belief in Christ’s death and resurrection. But to most kids, it is the day that the Easter Bunny brings them a big basket full of candy and treats.

I guarantee that if you ask my three-year-old grandniece, on any given day to choose between going to Mass on Easter Sunday and celebrating Christ’s resurrection or meeting the Easter bunny and taking part in an Easter egg hunt, the bunny would win hands down.

Here is one activity you and your children can do together that might be the start of your Holy Week celebration.

One of the many symbols of Easter that you may find in books about this holiday is the hot cross bun, a tasty bakery treat often served during the Easter season.

There are a number of stories about this treat’s origin, including one in which a 12th-century English monk placed the sign of the cross on the buns in honor of Good Friday, and another which says the cross actually represents the horns of a sacred ox. Regardless of their origin, however, over the years these treats have become associated with Christianity’s celebration of Lent and Easter.

To learn how to make hot cross buns, visit the Web site of the popular public-television series Breaking Bread With Father Dominic at www.breaking-bread.com/episode106.htm. The site offers recipes for both the oven and bread machine.

Here are a couple of puzzles for you and your child:

Holy Thursday Crossword Puzzle grades 1 and 2

Holy Thursday Crossword Puzzle Answers

Holy Thursday Word Search

Easter Word Search

Here is a Passion Booklet from Loyola Press for you and your family. You will also need

• Construction paper (8 ½ x 11) for booklet (2 sheets per child)
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Glue
• Crayons or markers
• Gospel stories of the passion and Resurrection or children’s Bibles with the stories marked

As a teen-ager, I was chomping at the bit to leave home and get on my own, thinking this is the way I can do what I want. I thought I was quite capable of ordering my own life!  My father, the practical one,  encouraged me to get a job. He set up four envelopes – church, bills, savings account and personal use. Each time I cashed my check, I had to place a percentage [mutually agreed upon] in each of the first three envelopes. Soon I realized it wasn’t as easy as it looked! By the time I filled the first three envelopes, I realized how expensive living was ! So in reading our Gospel this Sunday, I can identify with the son who is chomping at the bit to leave home.

The Gospel begins with the Pharisees and Scribes complaining that Jesus welcomes sinners – how little do they understand God! So Jesus tells a parable.  When the son comes to his senses and returns home, he experiences a merciful father who clothes him in dignity and honors him with a feast.

This parable reminds us of the mercy of God. This parable reminds us that God longs to embrace and celebrate with us. Coming to understand mercy and forgiveness from God’s perspective changes our attitudes about ourselves and others.

Sinners, though we are, our Father longs to embrace and celebrate with us. Let us recall God’s graciousness and rejoice. Receiving God’s forgiveness and mercy and offering the same to one another is our journey from ” Ashes to Easter.”

On March 12th, 2010 the St. Edward Parish Youth Ministry group presented the Living Stations of the Cross.

Through the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit the Youth Ministry group enacted a moving and spiritual portrayal of the 14 Stations of the Cross to an audience of approximately 50 lenten pilgrims at St. Edward Parish.

The “cast” comprised of 11 youth:

• Jesus – Ryan Cox
• Pilate – Anthony Thomas
• Chief Priest / Judas – Joe Hosa
• Roman Guards – Noah Patoray & Greg Ferechak
• Mary -Valerie Thomas
• Simon of Cyrene – Anthony Thomas
• Veronica – Hanna Rhiel
• Weeping Women of Jerusalem – Logan Hunkus, Amanda Leone, Halee Sepulveda, Anna Marie Thomas
• Joseph of Arimathea – Joe Hosa

Pictures of the Cast:

View Photos on Picasaweb:

Living Stations 2010