Liturgical

We invite you to journey with us through Lent and Holy Week, and celebrate with us on Easter at St. Francis in East Meadow.

Lenten Holy Mass and Stations of the Cross every Sunday

After each 9 a.m. Holy Mass during Lent we will observe Stations of the Cross followed by Breakfast in the Parish Hall.

Palm Sunday

Procession & Holy Mass on Sunday, April 13th at 9 am

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of “Holy Week.” On this day we com­ memorate the last triumph of Our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. On this day we celebrate the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem; when the multitudes, going before and following after Him, cut off branches from the trees and strewed them in His way, shouting, “Hosanna, to the Son of David. Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.” This Palm Sunday triumph of our Lord only led to His death. But we know that this death was not a failure. It was through His passion and death that He conquered the world and entered into His Kingdom. So the faithful join in this triumphant celebration in an act of homage and gratitude to Christ our King!

Paschal Triduum

• Maundy Thursday Holy Mass on Thursday, April 17th at 7 pm
• Good Friday Mass of the Presactified on Friday, April 18th at 7 pm
• Blessing of the Baskets, Saturday, April 19th at 1 pm. All are welcome! Bring your eggs, cooked foods, uncooked foods, baskets or not, covered with a white linen cloth (or not)… Fr. Andrew will bless your Easter foods in a short, cheerful service.

For Christians the Paschal Triduum (“Three Days”) is the focal point of the entire year. During these days, covering the period from the evening of Holy Thursday through the evening of Easter Sunday, we celebrate our faith in the paschal mystery of Christ with the greatest fervor and intensity. In the liturgy we commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Christ as the means of our salvation. Through our baptism, we share in the death of Christ and so hope to share in his resurrection. The liturgy of the Paschal Triduum then invites us to reflect on where we are in our own Paschal journey in Christ.

Maundy Thursday – The name Maundy comes from the Latin word which means ‘command.’ It refers to the new command Jesus gave his disciples on the Thursday be­ fore he was crucified. On that night, long ago, he served the “Last Supper” of bread and wine, washed his disciples’ feet and said, “A new command I give you; Love one another.” —John 13:13. Church bells fall silent on this day and are not heard again until Easter morn­ ing. Instead of tinkling altar bells, wooden clappers are used during divine services. The altar will be stripped at the end of the service to symbolize Christ being stripped of his power. The holy sacrifice is interrupted and will not be offered again until Holy Saturday.

Good Friday – Good Friday used to called God’s Friday because it was the day Jesus was crucified. This is the most solemn day of the year, as we recall the suffer­ ings and death of Jesus. We take this time to journey the ‘Stations of the Cross,’ Christ’s road to Calvary. The Bible says that when Jesus hung on the cross, the sky became dark from noon until 3:00 p.m.. During those hours, traditionally, the faithful may meditate on the sufferings of Our Lord on the cross and remember the words He spoke on the Cross…Take time to remember, read the Passion, read a psalm, meditate, say a prayer. We share now in sorrow, grief and pain.

Holy Saturday – Holy Saturday is liturgically a day of deepest mourning, a day which the Church spends at our Lord’s sepulchre, meditating on his sacred Passion and death. There is no mass and the altar is bare. As we end the Lenten penitential period in pious preparation for a festive Paschal season. We have the Blessing of our Easter Foods on Saturday, April 23rd at 1:00 p.m., a token of gratitude to God for all his gifts of both nature and grace. A reminder that the Lord is part of our daily life and is always among us! Please bring a family member or a friend; help make this old but significant tradition new again!

Solemnity of the Resurrection – Easter

Procession & Resurrection Holy Mass on Sunday, April 20th at 9 am followed by our famous Easter Breakfast.

Come, you are invited, family and friends of St. Francis Parish, to attend our traditional “Easter Celebration Breakfast” held in the Parish Hall, after Easter Sunday Mass. Come, let us REJOICE together!