Holy Week and Easter Services
For details of the service times at St Wilfrid's and St Joseph's for Holy Week and Easter, please click here.
Fr Richard is copying here (with permission!) Canon Alan Sheridan's explanation of the Easter Triduum from the St George's Parish Website:
Maundy Thursday
This celebration commemorates the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood and the call to service of all Christians. All of the Triduum Services contain all of the others in embryo as it were. We cannot celebrate the Last Supper without thinking about Good Friday, we cannot think of Eucharist without thinking about the Lord’s body, blood, soul and divinity – glorified and resurrected as well as crucified. The Period of Watching the Blessed Sacrament after the Mass represents the Agony in the Garden – Can you not watch with me one hour?
Good Friday
Is NEVER a Mass. Mass is a celebration – we commemorate today the Lord’s dying and mourn Him. The Passion is read; we adore a symbol of the True Cross – the crucifix reminds us of the higher reality; we receive Communion consecrated at Mass the previous evening. One of the keynotes of the Service is silence – we enter in silence and we leave in silence. But we cannot ignore the fact that we know He will rise again – our mourning is tempered by our knowledge of our salvation.
Holy Saturday
This is a day of mourning. The Lord lies silent in the tomb.
EASTER
The Easter Vigil belongs properly to Easter Sunday, not Holy Saturday – it is supposed to begin after dark. It is a celebration of victory – light over darkness, new life over death. The Vigil is the most important service of the Church’s year. Some people are put off because they fear the length of the Vigil. It involves 4 separate elements: The Service of Light – blessing of fire and proclamation of Christ as our light, the lighting of the Easter Candle and proclamation of the Exultet; the liturgy of the Word – the most important proclamation of the Word – we re-live Salvation history from Creation to Resurrection; the blessing of the Baptismal Waters – and we have adults to be baptised and received into full communion. Please come along and support your new brothers and sisters. Finally there is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. It is a most moving and exciting service.
Solemnity of St Joseph
Tuesday, 19 March is the Solemnity of St Joseph and the Patronal Feast of St Joseph’s Church. There will be a Mass at 9:15am at St Joseph's followed by coffee and pastries in the Hall.
Musical Rosary Correction
Correction to the previous post about the Musical Rosary. This is not until Wednesday, 22 May!
Ash Wednesday and Lent
Ash Wednesday is on 6 March. There will be Mass with the Blessing and Distribution of Ashes at St Joseph’s at 9.15am and at St Wilfrid’s at 12.10pm and 6pm in the Extraordinary Form. There will be Stations of the Cross on all Fridays in Lent in place of Exposition at 11.30am
Help the York Oratorians whenever you shop online
Many online retailers pass on a small percentage of online spending to charities. We have signed up for this and now whenever you shop online your spending can help support St Wilfrid's and St Joseph's and the education of our young priests in training. Just get the Easyfundraising App from Google or the App Store, register and search for York Oratory in the list of charities supported. Thank you in advance for taking the time to do this.....
Canonisation of Blessed John Henry Newman
We are delighted to announce that Pope Francis today signed the decree approving the miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, the founder of the English Oratory. This opens the way to his canonisation later in the year. Below is a press release from the Birmingham Oratory giving details of the miracle.
Bishop Robert appointed as new Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
The Fathers and Brothers of the York Oratory in Formation are delighted that our own Bishop Robert has been appointed as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle by Pope Francis. It will be a great pleasure to have him as a near neighbour in Newcastle and look forward to welcoming him here whenever his duties allow. Meanwhile he is assured of all our prayers. Here is the report from the Catholic Herald.