Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: April 16, 2017
The shortest liturgical season of all is the Sacred Triduum – that last word means “three days,” and that’s how long it lasts! The celebration beings with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. The Commemoration of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday extends it. And when Holy Saturday ends at sunset, the Great Vigil of Easter joyously concludes its “grand silence.” It may look like three liturgies, but these and the other daily prayers of the Church, known as the Liturgy of the Hours, are in reality only one single, massive act of worship offered by the Church to God. I hope this year you share in it again, for it is powerfully full of grace!
Is it too early to say “thank you”? In order to have this issue of The Carpenter printed and available for you by Easter, I have to write this over a week ahead-of-time. That’s why my more formal thanks have to wait … but to everyone who works so hard to make our Holy Week and Easter celebrations so wonderful, already please know of the gratitude welling up in my heart for quite some time now! We couldn’t do it without you!
As I mentioned here last week, our annual Evening at the Cathedral will be Saturday, April 29. It features a special vigil Mass followed by wine, dinner, music and many, many smiles! Did you get your invitation in the mail this week? I hope so: we mailed out a thousand of ‘em!
At The Cathedral Evening we’ll name Ms. Charlotte Anthony, Mr. and Mrs. Tino & Tere Dalmau, Mr. Boyd Newman, and Mr. Charles Salemi as “St. Joseph’s Apprentices.” They have been most generous with their time and talents to help build up our Parish Family in love. And this year’s Cathedral Community Award will honor the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady. Their health care and educational apostolates help make our entire region a better place to be, and as Baton Rouge’s “mother church” we care about that wider human family as well.
Please help honor all of these wonderful people on April 29: make your reservation and buy a ticket for the meal that Juban’s will be catering in our Parish Hall! For more information, just call or email the Parish Office.
Sincerely in the Risen Lord,
Fr. Paul
