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Tag: Saint Patrick Bingo and Bake Sale

Around the Parish – April 2, 2023

Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday, because we hear an account of the passion of Jesus Christ during the liturgy. Most churches also share this reading in common. Many Catholic parishes use multiple lectors to proclaim the Gospel, while it is not uncommon for a similar reading or even a performance in many mainstream Protestant churches.

The commonality found in the worship on this particular Sunday seems to highlight the fundamental truth in the observance: Jesus Christ died for everyone. He did not die on a cross for just Catholics, or just Orthodox, or just Protestants. Whether one acknowledges it or not, he was crucified for all those who are born of man. Today, we rejoice not just for what he has done for us but also for what he has done for all of creation.

On Holy Saturday, church regulation does not permit any Masses to be celebrated before sunset. This is the case so that the church is dark for the lighting of the Easter Fire and Paschal Candle. Consequently, we cannot have the 5:00 pm mass that day. The Easter Vigil will begin at 8:30 pm. This is the earliest time permitted by the diocese.

On Holy Thursday, morning Masses are not permitted. Our Mass will be at 7:00 pm. It will be followed by Adoration until 11:30 pm. The Passion of Our Lord and Holy Communion service will be at 12:15 pm on Good Friday.

On Holy Saturday, we will be decorating the church at 9:00 am. A word of gratitude and appreciation goes out to all those who donated for the Easter Lilies. Those names will be in next weekend’s bulletin. The blessing of Easter foods will take place on Holy Saturday at 12:00 pm in church.

In May, our Sunday Mass schedule is set to return to 8 am and 10:30 am. Before we make that decision, we want to make sure that is the best time for summer. In the bulletin for the next few weeks, a form will be available to select your favored option for the Summer Sunday Schedule. We ask that you only return one form per family. You can place the form in the collection basket or mail it to the parish office.

For the months of May—August, our Mass schedule is set to change from 11 am to 10:30 am. We are asking all parishioners to circle their preferred option below and return to the parish office via the collection or mailing in your response.

Option 1: 8:00 am & 11:00 am

Option 2: 8:00 am & 10:30 am

Option 3: 8:00 am & 10:00 am

Here’s a thought for your week: Get into the habit of asking yourself, “does this support the kind of life God wants me to create?”   

 Pax et Bonum, Fr. Andy


The IHM 300 Club will be a special 6 month raffle, and more information about this can be found in today’s bulletin, as well as on our website. Tickets will begin being sold this weekend, April 1 & 2 after all the masses. Tickets can also always be purchased through the parish office after next weekend.

Around the Parish – March 26, 2023

The last two weeks in the season of Lent are called Passiontide which begins on the Fifth Sunday of Lent. This is when the Church shifts her focus from Christ in the desert (the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent) to Christ during His Passion.

During this period of Passiontide, the crucifix and other statues and images around the church have been veiled with a purple cloth.

In the Roman Missal we find the instruction, “In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from [the fifth] Sunday [of Lent] may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.”

Why do we veil images? The practice of veiling images alerts us that something is different, it can be startling at first, but the last two weeks of Lent are a time of immediate preparation for the celebration of the Sacred Triduum. The veils are hard to miss and they serve as a reminder to get ready!

The veiled images build within us a longing for Easter Sunday. The veils seem out of place, and even counterintuitive. It can seem strange that the crucifix is covered up during Passiontide. Through this absence of images, our senses are heightened and we become more aware of what is missing. Similarly, the suppression of the Alleluia during Lent effectively demonstrates that we are in exile from our true Home, where the angels sing Alleluia without ceasing.

When images are unveiled before the Easter Vigil, we are reminded that we, in a sense, live in a veiled world. It is through our own death that we are able to see our true home, and the veil is lifted. Christ lifts the veil through His Resurrection.


In last weekend’s bulletin, as well as this weekend’s bulletin, there is a full page advertisement about IHM’s newest fundraiser. The IHM 300 Club will be a special 6 month raffle, and more information about this can be found in today’s bulletin, as well as on our website. Tickets will begin being sold next weekend, April 1 & 2 after all the masses. Tickets can also always be purchased through the parish office after next weekend.


We have the totals from our Saint Patrick Day Bingo and Bake Sale! Big drum roll please! The total is $2,744. Last year, we made just $466 on bingo alone. This year, the Bingo brought in $2020 alone. A massive thank you to the Knights of Columbus for sponsoring the Bingo, to the anonymous donor for the kitchen costs, and for all the amazing baked goods! Another wonderful event for our parish family!

Here’s a thought for your week: We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that God has waiting for us.

Pax et Bonum, Fr. Andy