Saturday, April 30, 2011

Baptism in Prison

On Easter Archbishop Lucas said Mass at the Omaha Correctional Center. During Mass, two prison inmates were baptized, confirmed and made their first holy communion.

“There was joy in their faces," said Deacon Tim McNeil. It was especially poignant, he added, because prison can be “dreary and without hope.”

You can see the article from the Omaha World Herald here.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Easter Vigil

The Easter Vigil begins in the courtyard.

There the Easter candle which will be used throughout
the Easter season, baptisms, and funerals is blessed and lit.

 
That light is brought into the church as
the service continues in candlelight.

 
The lights come on as we celebrate that Christ has risen.

Within this celebration of His rising, new members are
baptized, confirmed and received into the Church.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Spring Tea

Each Kindergarten student invited one special guest to the Spring Tea yesterday. As they arrived, it seemed people needed to get their crowns just right.

 
The students entertained their guests with some singing and a poem.



Students picked out some cookies and served their guest.

 
It was fun!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Happy Administrative Professionals Day

 Today we celebrate Judy Lauber, our Parish Office Manager...

 ... Judie O'Connor, the Office Manager for Religious Formation, ...

... Chris Essink our Bulletin Editor and oversees the
registration and administration of our Athletics programs ...

... and Sonja Puszewski the School secretary.

Thank you for everything you
do all year long!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Good Friday

On Good Friday a cross is brought
forward after the Homily and Intercessions.

Then the cross is reverenced by everyone in the assembly.

 
 Good Friday is the one day a year when Mass cannot be celebrated.

Instead of Mass, there is a Communion Service using the
Eucharist that was consecrated on Holy Thursday.
Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil
are seen (liturgically) as one event. Thus the
Good Friday service begins and ends in silence.

Holy Thursday

During the Holy Thursday Mass
there is the washing of the feet.

 
 
At the end of Mass, instead of the typical dismissal, there is a Eucharistic Procession. Everyone is invited to join in the procession as the Eucharist is brought from the church ...

 
 
... to a place where everyone is invited to spend some prayer time with Jesus, just as the disciples did in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Holy Saturday

On the first Holy Saturday, while everyone else had abandoned Christ, Mary continued to believe, demonstrating her deep faith by never doubting her Son’s promise of resurrection. Sts. Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure, all said it is proper to dedicate Saturdays to Mary remembering this time of Christ’s rest in the grave.

In the Pontifical document, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, Saturday is designated as a memorial of the Blessed Virgin as “a remembrance of the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, strengthened by faith and hope, on that great Saturday on which Our Lord lay in the tomb, was the only one of the disciples to hold vigil in expectation of the Lord’s resurrection; it is a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ; it is a sign that the ‘Virgin Mary is continuously present and operative in the life of the Church.’”


The pictures above were taken in St. Cecilia Cathedral. They have a replica of the Pieta on loan from the Vatican on display there now. Unlike the original, you can walk around it and even touch. Stop by and visit.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Good Friday

The 8th Grade Class led Living Stations of
the Cross for the rest of the school.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Today:
Stations of the Cross at Noon
The Lord's Passion will be
celebrated at 3 & 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Behaving Like Disciples

 On Tuesday 2nd graders dressed the way disciples did in Jesus's Day.

 They traveled to other classes and the office gathering clues...

 ... which they worked to put together.

Then they also re-lived the Passion of Christ.

 
There was a special emphasis on the Last Supper as
these students prepare for their First Communion
shortly after Easter.

Tonight at 7:00 the parish celebrates Holy Thursday.
Join us!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The New Roman Missal

Two weeks from today members of our Liturgy Committee are hosting a gathering to help us understand the forthcoming changes in the Roman Missal. Everyone is welcome.