WELCOME
Our warmest welcome to Fr John Clark (Comboni Missions) – Verona Fathers who will join us for our Holy Week and Easter liturgies. Again we look forward to sharing in Father John’s ministry, his concern for our people, and the warmth of his friendship.
HOLY WEEK 2021
Tuesday 30th, Wednesday 31st March – Masses at 8am and 10am – Stations of the Cross at 6.35pm followed by 7pm Mass.
These Services do not need to be booked – but there is a cap of 50 only attending.
Holy Thursday – No morning Masses. Morning Prayer of the Church at 10am. Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 7pm.
No night Prayer/no altar of repose this year.
Good Friday – No morning Masses. Morning Prayer of the Church at 10am. Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3pm, Stations of the Cross – 7pm.
Holy Saturday – No morning Masses. Easter Vigil Mass at 9pm. Please note that there is no 7pm Vigil.
We ask you please to pre-book attendance at Easter Tridium Services – Mass of Lord’s Supper, Solemn Celebration of Lord’s Passion, Easter Vigil (and Stations of the Cross – Friday 7pm) – as there is a limit of 50 persons for worship.
Masses on Easter Sunday (April 4th) will be at 8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 3pm and 5pm and can be booked on Wednesday 31st March from 6.30pm to 8pm – on Thursday 1st April and Friday 2nd April from 12 noon to 4pm on mobile number 07894999046.
PASSION (Palm Sunday)
The final act in the drama of Jesus has come. The Son of Man must suffer many things. In his account of the Passion, Mark stresses the crude trial and shocking details of Jesus’ suffering. He has Jesus die in total isolation – deserted by his disciples, taunted by his enemies, derided by those who hung with him, and, worst of all, abandoned by God.
The rending of the curtain of the temple signifies that the privilege of Israel has ended – henceforth access to the divine presence is open to all. The reply to the question which has dominated Mark’s Gospel (Who, then, is this?) is found in the words of the centurion: ‘Truly, this man was the Son of God’.
CELEBRATING THE THREE DAYS
Singing the Church’s Greatest Song – The Tridium in the life of the Parish.
From the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday until the Evening Prayer of Easter Sunday the Church is engaged in singing the most beautiful and most powerful song which she knows. Her song is the Tridium of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection.
She can sing it and must sing it since the Risen Lord himself calls her to sing it and makes it possible through the living presence of his Spirit.
Like any song it can be performed in a variety of ways and the Church down through the years has celebrated this song with a multitude of different tones and backing.
When she first began to sing this song to the world, she did so only on one night and in the words of the night long service of readings. Easter night encapsulated at that stage all the aspects of passion, death and resurrection. In the earliest days of her life, then, the Church was content to sum up the message of the Paschal Mystery on the one night. It soon became the one night in the year when she would bathe, anoint, embrace, pray with and rejoice in sharing eucharist with her newest members.
Along with Sunday which was the weekly celebration of the Paschal Mystery, this was the only feast which the Church celebrated in the entire year.
As time went on/forward, she began to find different ways of singing the song. She developed the days before the Easter Vigil into a time that was equally part of the great reality which is Tridium but she saw a need to begin to take more time to allow the different times of her song to be heard and appreciated.
So the Friday, from being an ‘a liturgical day, became devoted to highlighting the aspect of the cross, through the reading of the Passion. But it was a glorious cross which the Church was able to speak of, a cross which is a sign of victory and triumph, not of shame. From a liturgy that was only a celebration of the Word, it gradually became a time to venerate the Cross.
It was a day on which the festive paschal fast began, a fast which would be broken only at the end of the night-long vigil on Sunday morning, a fast which allowed Christians to recognise and experience the Eucharist as the greatest nourishment which anyone could receive.
The tone of the song altered still further when the first day of the Tridium was fixed as Holy Thursday. From being the day when sinners were reconciled with the Church at a morning Mass and included once again among those voices would be singing of the Lord’s victory in their lives, this day came to a close with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Although the tone was slightly different, the central message of the Song could still be heard during this liturgy also. Tridium meant and means that three equals one. These three days could never be split up and celebrated independently of each other. Holy Thursday is Easter: Good Friday is Easter: The Easter Vigil is Easter.
Unfortunately, the course of history meant that the development of the Tridium was not always authentic to its traditions and to its true meaning. The disappearance of adult catechumens led to the Vigil losing much of its significance and eventually even its place in the timetable of events of these days. The high priest of the Church’s year ended up by being celebrated in almost deserted Churches on Holy Saturday morning. Lent was still the liturgical season in force when the clergy emerged from carrying out their duties that day.
Good Friday saw the replacement of the liturgy of the Lord’s Passion by Stations of the Cross and Holy Thursday saw the triumph of Folklore and the unimportant over the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. It was almost as though the Church had forgotten how to sing her song.
The reforms of the 1950s and the Second Vatican Council along with the restoration of the catechumenate have once again allowed the melody to be played loud and clear. However, there are still so many opportunities to be taken, so many dimensions to be opened up, so many aspects of these three days which can be brought to life so that the Church’s most beautiful song can be sung with all its vigour, beauty and meaning.
LENTEN ALMS – SICK AND RETIRED PRIESTS
We have sent on £700 as part of our parish contribution (Lenten Alms) towards our Archdiocesan sick and retired priests.
SCIAF
We have sent £1,000 onto SCIAF as our parish contribution to this year’s Lenten appeal which focuses on the ongoing crisis in South Sudan and its children living with physical and material disability who are locked out of an education and trapped in a cycle of poverty. Small WEE BOX, BIG CHANGE Lenten boxes are available and can be returned to the Church house by the end of April – money raised by SCIAF’s Lenten appeal will be doubled by the UK government.
24 HOUR LENTEN FAST FOR SCIAF
You can take part on a date of your choosing. Find out more at www.sciaf.org.uk/24hourfast
SCIAF’s work is saving and transforming lives, however, this is only possible because of the generosity and prayers of our parishes throughout Scotland.
Together, we will help children with disabilities in South Sudan to access the education and support they need to build a bright future.
Thank you again for your ongoing support year on year. You are helping to improve the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
The deadline for sending donations to SCIAF in order for them to be doubled by the UK aid match is 11 May 2021.
If you would like a WEE BOX, BIG CHANGE pack – please contact the Church house.
During this prolonged lockdown, we can still support SCIAF and share their Lenten message. Everything you need can be found at www.sciaf.org.uk/weebox
PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE WHO DIED RECENTLY
Theresa Cranwell
Janet Gallagher
Simon Murray
Garry O’Connor
Eunice (Brown) Airns
– May they Rest in Peace –
PLEASE PRAY FOR WHOSE ANNIVERSARIES OCCUR ABOUT NOW
Rev Fr Jimmy Martin
Josephine Breckon
Vivienne Breckon
Bill Breckon
Elizabeth Mary Blake
Myra De Groot
Philip & John Brogan
Rose Ann & Neil McSheffrey (Sr),
Neil McSheffrey (Jr)