Lent

Lent, Holy Week, and Easter 2015 Schedule

Community Events, Parish Life, PNCC /
  • Stations of the Cross – Sundays During Lent following Holy Mass
  • Passion Sunday, March 22nd – Passion Sunday Holy Mass at 9am
  • Palm Sunday, March 29th – Palm Sunday Holy Mass & Distribution of Palms at 9am
  • Maundy Thursday, April 2nd – Maundy Thursday Holy Mass at 7pm
  • Good Friday, April 3rd – Good Friday Liturgy at 7pm
  • Holy Saturday, April 4th – Blessing of the Easter Baskets & Foods at 1pm
  • Solemnity of the Resurrection, Easter Sunday, April 5th – Easter Sunday Holy Mass at 9am

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Lent, Holy Week, and Easter in East Meadow

Community Events, Liturgical, Parish Life, PNCC /

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!

lent & easter 2014

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Reflection for Ash Wednesday – Lent 2013

From the Pastor, PNCC /

My brothers and sisters in Christ, today we enter a new liturgical Season. Together, we have gathered here on this evening to celebrate “Ash Wednesday,” the first of forty days of the Lenten Season that precedes Easter.

At the beginning of Lent, on Ash Wednesday, ashes are blessed during Holy Mass, after the homily. The blessed ashes are then “imposed” on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality. The liturgical Rite of Ash Wednesday gives two formulae for the imposition of Ashes:

One is: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”.

It is a reminder of the fragility of human life. It reminds us that we entered life without things and that we will leave life without things. So, we are challenged to reflect on what our life means, and what it means to be truly human.

The other formula is “Repent and believe the Gospel”.

It is about a change in life, a turning round. Repentance is also about returning to what is essential in human life. The first reading calls us to: “Come back to [God] with all your heart.” The Prophet Joel urges us to return to the Father “with your whole heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning… For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” To practice sincere repentance, the Lord God tells us to change our hearts. We are called to examine our most inner self, our hearts, souls, our whole life and turn away from our sins and to walk in God`s righteous ways.

During today’s Second Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, we heard St. Paul appealing to us on behalf of Jesus to be reconciled to God. God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us on the cross. He who was without sin took our place and was treated as a sinner, so we might become righteous in the eyes of God. Now is the time for us to show our appreciation to the Lord God by walking in His righteousness so we may inherit the salvation that we have asked of Him and which He is granting to us through His infinite love and mercy.

How do we walk in righteousness?

Jesus answered that question during today’s Reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus warns us against hypocrisy, those who are pious so they may be seen by others. They have received their rewards through those who admired and praised them for it. For them, there is no reward from God the Father in Heaven.

During the Lenten Season, our piety must manifest private time between the Lord God and ourselves. Lenten season is a time to reflect on our lives and on the faith into which we were baptized. We must walk with Christ in our lives every minute of the day, from the time we rise in the morning until the time we go to bed at night.

Be reconciled to God!

These are the guidelines that the Church has received from God so the faithful may experience true repentance in order to receive Divine mercy and forgiveness. As we enter the Lenten Season, let us remember these words every day! Practice them! And I assure you that God shall reward us!

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Lenten Services in East Meadow

Liturgical, Parish Life /

Ash Wednesday ‑ Mass and Blessing and Distribution of ashes will be held on Wednesday, March 9th at 7 p.m..

Stations of the Cross ‑ will be held each Sunday following Mass, during the season of Lent. Come join us, as we follow in prayer and devotion, the suffering, death, and burial of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Renew and enlarge your sense of all our Lord has done for us…

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Advance Schedule for Lent, Passiontide, and Holy Week

Community Events, Liturgical, Parish Life, PNCC /

Sunday, March 14 — Solemnity of the Institution of the P.N.C.C., Holy Mass at 9am.
Sunday, March 21 — Passion Sunday (the beginning of Passiontide), Holy Mass at 9am.
Sunday, March 21 — St. Joseph and St. Patrick Dinner at 3pm.
Sunday, March 28 — Palm Sunday, Holy Mass and Liturgy and distribution of Palms at 9am.

The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday. It celebrates Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. Great crowds of people lined the streets waving palm branches to welcome him. The people were very excited. They spread branches on the road – and even laid down cloths. They shouted ‘Hosanna!’ which means ‘Save us now!’

Thursday, April 1 — Maundy Thursday, Holy Mass at 7pm.
Friday, April 2 — Good Friday Liturgy at 7pm.
Saturday, April 3 — Holy Saturday Liturgy including blessing of Easter food, blessing of new fire and holy water at 1pm.

The blessing of the Easter food or the “ÅšwiÄ™conka” is a tradition dear to the heart of every Pole. Being deeply religious, he is grateful to God for all His gifts of both nature and grace, and, as a token of this gratitude, has the food of his table sanctified with the hope that spring, the season of the Resurrection, will also be blessed by God’s goodness and mercy. The usual fare on the Easter table includes ham and kielbasa, cakes of all kinds – particularly babka; eggs- some shelled or some decorated. There is usually a Paschal Lamb or “Baranek” made of butter, some cheese, horseradish, salt, vinegar and oil.

The food is brought to the church and blessed by the parish priest on Holy Saturday. The food can also be blessed in the home. After the blessing the food is usually set aside until Easter morning when the head of the house shares the blessed egg, symbol of life, with family and friends. Having exchanged wishes, all continue to enjoy a hearty meal.

This centuries old custom is indeed richly symbolic and beautiful. It is one in which the whole family can participate and help prepare.

May this tradition endure for many generations to come. All of you can enjoy this beautiful Polish custom by participating at the blessing of the Easter food “Swieconka” at St. Francis Polish National Catholic Church. This is an excellent way to teach the younger members family about this treasured Polish tradition — a tradition you can make your own.

Sunday, April 4 –- Solemnity of the Resurrection (Easter Sunday), Procession of the Resurrection and High Holy Mass at 8.30am.

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Lent at St. Francis Parish

Liturgical, Parish Life, PNCC /

Ash Wednesday, February 17 – Holy Mass and distribution of ashes at 7pm

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the penitential season of Lent, in which ashes are placed on the head or forehead of the faithful.

Ash Wednesday is unknown in the Eastern Church, and developed only in the West. Orthodox Churches begin Lent on a Monday, known as “Clean Monday.” Ash Wednesday as an official fast day dates to at least the 8th century, since it appears in the Gregorian Sacramentary from that period. Originally, Lent began on a Sunday. However, in order to bring the number of days of Lent to 40 (the days Jesus fasted in the wilderness), the beginning of Lent was eventually transferred to a Wednesday.

Originally, Ash Wednesday was the day when public penitents in Rome began their penance. Recall that in the early Church, penance was often public and protracted. It was only later that private confession and penance began, for pastoral reasons. When public penance gradually fell into disuse by the 8th century, Ash Wednesday became a day of penitence and fasting for all members of the Church. Today, Ash Wednesday is a universal Fast day in the Catholic Church. Many Western Protestant churches also observe Ash Wednesday, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and United Methodists.

Stations of the Cross – every Sunday during Lent after Holy Mass

Stations of the Cross (Way of the Cross, Via Crucis, Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows) refers to the illustration of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion.

The tradition as a chapel devotion began with St. Francis of Assisi and extended throughout the Catholic Church in the medieval period. It is less often observed in the Anglican and Lutheran churches. It may be done at any time, but is most commonly done during the Season of Lent, especially on Good Friday and on Friday evenings during Lent.

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The Lenten Season, Holy Week, and Easter at St. Francis Parish

Community Events, Liturgical, Parish Life, PNCC /
  • February 25 – Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Great Lent – Holy Mass and Distribution of Ashes at 7pm.
  • Stations of the Cross every Sunday during the Lent after 9am Holy Mass.
  • March 08 – Solemnity of the Institution of the PNCC
  • March 15 – St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph’s Day Fundraiser Dinner at 3pm in the St. Francis Church Hall (downstairs) featuring: Home-made Irish, Italian, and Polish favorites! Plus lots of raffles and great company!
  • March 29 – Passion Sunday
  • April 5 – Palm Sunday – Blessing and distribution of Palms.
  • April 7 – Holy Tuesday – Clergy Conference and Chrism Holy Mass at St. Stanislaus Cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
  • April 9 – Holy Thursday: Institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood — Holy Mass at 7pm. We commemorate the Last Supper where Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood. At the conclusion of Holy Mass the Holy Eucharist is removed to the Altar of Repose, symbolizing Christ’s night in prison before His trial and crucifixion.
  • April 10 – Good Friday Liturgy of the Presanctified and the Opening of the Tomb at 7pm.
  • April 11 – Holy Saturday – Easter Basket Blessings at 1pm.
  • April 12 – Solemnity of the Resurrection – Easter Sunday – Holy Mass and procession at 8am.

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Reflection for Ash Wednesday -2009

From the Pastor /

Jest drabina do nieba,
Przy drabinie stoi krzyż

Here is the ladder to heaven
And beside the ladder stands the cross

These words are translated from a very old Polish Lenten hymn.

Jesus came to call us to heaven. This is a wonderful invitation but the party is not free. There is work to be done.
We are called to repent and to do even more. We are called to be reborn, or as Bishop Hodur said, to be regenerated.

From the bottom of the ladder it looks like a long way to the top. Even worse, we must pass by this cross. Before we begin our climb we have to look up and see the body of Jesus, bloody, beaten, and dying on this cross.

If our faith is weak, if we are not committed to Christ, we walk away from the ladder. We take the easy road – the way of the world. For those of us here tonight we are well on our way. We are climbing. Some may be on the lower rungs, some higher up. We are making the climb.

Today’s readings remind us that our God is a God of forgiveness. He is a God that cares more about the loyalty of the heart than about outward appearances. Our God gives us the grace and strength to make the climb as long as our hearts are loyal to Him.

Do we slip a few rungs?
Do we sometimes hold on by only our fingers?
Do we make mistakes? Yes!
Does that doom our climb and cast us into hell? No! Because our God is a God of forgiveness.

I started by saying that the invitation to the party is not free. The offer is free, but we have to respond to the offer.

We respond by our work and our dedication.
We respond by our love.
We respond by the loyalty in our hearts.

I will mark you with ashes. Picture this mark in your minds and remember it is always there. You are Christians. Use this Lenten season to gain control. Ask for God’s grace to control your desires. Fast, abstain from meat as the church asks you to. It is not simple piety. It is the first step to saying that with God’s grace we have mastery over the world. We can control evil’s influence over us.

When the road to spiritual death seems most open and easy, when the road to sin looks like fun, picture the sign on your heads and hang onto that ladder.

Amen.

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