Holy Week & Triduum

Dear Parishioners,

We have now entered Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday. On Monday, the priests serving in the Archdiocese of Portland will gather for the annual Chrism Mass at 7 PM at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. There we will renew our promises that we made on the day of ordination. Also, the Archbishop will bless the Holy Oils (Oil of the Sick, Oil of Catechumens, and the Sacred Chrism) which will be brought back to the parishes. 

Triduum

We then get ready for the Triduum (pronounced, “trid-oo-oom” which encompasses Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. Both Holy Thursday and Good Friday services begin at 7 PM. The Easter Vigil will begin at 8:30 PM.

Holy Thursday

On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Lord’s Supper. At this Mass, the Gloria is sung for the first time in since just before Ash Wednesday. During that Gloria, an Altar Server will wring the hand bells all throughout. In past years, the bells actually came loose and fell off, leaving the server a bit confused. We’ve since then glue them in place with Loctite! After the homily,  the symbolic “washing of the feet” takes place. Pre-selected representative members of the church will come forward to have their feet washed by the priest. Then Mass continues. A collection is taken up and then brought forward, along with the Holy Oils that were blessed at the Chrism Mass.  The Mass ends with a procession of the Eucharist to an altar of repose where the faithful are encouraged to remain in a vigil of adoration.  

Good Friday

On Good Friday, we will host an Ecumenical Stations of the Cross including members of several churches in the Grants Pass area.  This will take place at Noon.  

Later in the evening (7 PM) of Good Friday, the liturgy of the Triduum continues with the priest, deacon, and servers entering the church silently. The priest then prostrates himself upon reaching the front of the sanctuary. All are encouraged to kneel. After the prostration is concluded, the Liturgy of the Word commences, climaxing with a dramatic reading of the Gospel’s Passion Narrative. Following is the Solemn Intercessions which are explicit prescribed so that all Catholic Churches are praying the same thing that day. A collection for the Holy Land is taken up. Then the Rite of the Adoration of the Holy Cross takes place. A single cross is brought into the church so that the faithful may come forward to venerate the cross. Families and groups are encouraged to come forward together to offer their veneration. This is not a Mass, but Holy Communion that was consecrated on Holy Thursday is given to the faithful. Afterwards, the Altar is cleared and the priest, deacon, and servers depart in silence.

Holy Saturday

On Holy Saturday, the community will gather around a fire in the courtyard of the church.  From this fire, the Paschal Candle will be blessed and lit. A procession will form into the church, lead by the deacon carrying the Paschal Candle. The Exultet will be chanted followed by an extensive series of Scriptures proclaimed. After the last Old Testament reading, hand bells are run all during the singing of the Gloria. Let’s pray that the bells can hold on through it all! After the Liturgy of the Word, those who are to be baptized will process to the baptismal font. There, the baptismal font will be blessed and our Elect will be baptized. After the newly baptized have changed into dry clothes, they will join the Candidates to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The Liturgy of the Eucharist will take place where our new Catholics will receive their First Holy Communion.  

I hope that you will make an effort to participate in these amazing celebrations of Christ Paschal Mystery. They carry the power to deepen our faith and fill us with joy as we walk along the path with Jesus from his passion to his resurrection. 

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Holy Week

Dear Parishioners,

Some very special and holy days will soon be upon us. Here’s a short summary of these amazing days.

Chrism Mass
To start off these events, the Church will celebrate, here in the Archdiocese of Portland, the Chrism Mass. This Mass will assemble nearly all of the priests serving our archdiocese at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, the mother church, the place where the “cathedra,” the chair of the bishop is located, the sign of the authority of Archbishop Sample. At that Mass we priests will renew our promises and join with the archbishop in prayer for the blessing of the Holy Oils (Oil of the Sick, Oil of the Catechumens, and the Oil of Chrism). From that Mass we will return to our respective parishes where these oils will be presented before the community on Holy Thursday.

Palm Sunday
This coming weekend, we celebrate of The Passion of the Lord, also known as Palm Sunday. In this Mass, we begin, in earnest, “Holy Week.” We will be given blessed palms which will be used as signs of remembrance of the the triumphant entry of Christ to Jerusalem. We will listen attentively to the Gospel’s account of the Passion of our Lord in a interactive way, as is our custom. I recommend everyone to wear read that day.

Holy Thursday

Later in that week, on Thursday the 29th, we begin the Triduum, the three holy days that start with Holy Thursday. At that Mass, we hear about the Last Supper and how Jesus washed the feet of his Apostles. After the homily, the priest will wash the feet of people from our community who represent our different ministries. The Eucharist will be received as per usual at Mass, but the conclusion of the Mass will differ. Instead of just ending the Mass, we will offer a period of time (until 10 PM) for people to stay and be present to Christ in the Eucharist on the altar.

Good Friday
On Good Friday, March 30th, all are invited to go to the First Christian Church (305 SW H St.) for an ecumenical Good Friday Service. I have been asked to preach. Later in the evening (7 PM), St. Anne will offer our Good Friday Service where the presider will enter in silence and prostrate himself at the altar. Then we will listen to an extended and interactive narrative of the Passion of the Lord. There will be special intercessions followed by the popular Veneration of the Cross. Lastly, Holy Communion will be offered, and all will leave in a solemn silence.

Easter Saturday and Sunday
On Saturday evening, all are invited for the pinnacle of the Church’s celebrations: The Easter Vigil of Holy Saturday. This Mass will begin outside with the lighting of the Easter Fire, blessing of the new Paschal Candle, and procession into our gathering space (this year our Parish Center). The deacon will proclaim the “Exsultet.” Then the community feasts on a large portion of the Scriptures reflecting on the history of salvation. After this, the Elect come forward to be baptized. Then they join the Candidates to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This celebration culminates in the reception of their First Holy Communion. The next day, on Sunday, St. Anne will hold all the Easter Masses in the Gym across the street at Lincoln Elementary School. The celebration of Christ’s glorious Resurrection is the reason for our hope. It is the goal for which we long. It is the reason for the season  and the days that follow.  

I hope that you will be able to find time to be part of every moment of these holiest of days ahead.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Holy Week

Dear Parishioners,

We have begun Holy Week, the week that begins on Palm Sunday and concludes on Easter Vigil. It is the highlight of the entire Church year.  On Monday, all the priests serving in the Archdiocese of Portland gather at the Cathedral on Monday at 7 PM for the Chrism Mass.  At that Mass, we rededicate ourselves in ministry and the Holy Oils (Oil of the Sick, Oil of the Catechumens, and Oil of Chrism) are blessed and given to us to bring back to our parishes. We return to our parishes and then prepare for the Triduum, the holy three days from Thursday to Saturday. 

On Holy Thursday Mass (7 PM), we will celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood.  Historically, twelve people would come forward to have their feet washed as a commemoration of the events of the Last Supper.  Pope Francis officially changed that ritual which spoke of selecting "men who have been chosen” to “those chosen from the among the People of God.” This means the ritual includes men, women, children, and any of those representing the variety and unity of the People of God. Pope Francis chose to make these changes “so that it might express more fully the meaning of Jesus’ gesture in the Cenacle, His giving of Himself unto the end for the salvation of the world, His limitless charity”. At the Preparation of the Gifts, we formally receive the Holy Oils at our church.  Mass continues with solemnity. The conclusion of the Mass calls for a formal procession with the ciborium with all the consecrated hosts to a place of repose and adoration.  We will be processing to the Parish Center.

On Good Friday, there is no Mass, but services commemorating the Lord’s Blessed Passion.  At noon, all are invited to an ecumenical gathering of the faithful at Calvary Lutheran Church where various ministers from some of the Christian communities will lead us in worship and commemoration.  Later at 7 PM, we will offer our Good Friday Service where we listen to an extended proclamation of the Passion of our Lord, offer a solemn veneration of the Cross, and offer communion from the previous day’s Mass. At this service, the entrance and recessional are done in silence, for it is a sort of an "in-between” service bridging us from Thursday to Saturday.

On Holy Saturday, there are no other activities other than the Easter Vigil which will begin at 8:30 PM at St. Anne.  At the Mass, we begin with the blessing of the Easter Fire from which we light our new Paschal Candle.  After processing in the church with lighted candles, we listen to an extended portion of the Scriptures giving us an overview of salvation history.  Then we move to the rites of initiation where we will baptize (some by immersion) the Elect and receive into full communion those who have been journeying as Candidates.  Then all will be confirmed and receive their First Holy Communion.  The Mass ends with a reception in the Hall.

I want to strongly urge you all to make every effort to be present to the events of the Triduum.  It is by these Mysteries that the gates of Heaven were made open to us by the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Holy Week

Dear Parishioners, 

As I write this post, I am in the Portland area for the Chrism Mass where all the priests of the Archdiocese gather around our Archbishop at Mass, renew our promises of our ordinations, and assist the bishop in the blessing of the Holy Oils (Oil for the Sick, Oil of the Catechumens, and Sacred Chrism).  This is generally the first of a series of important liturgical events which make up "Holy Week."  This year, however, due to a scheduling conflict at the Cathedral, the Chrsim Mass is much earlier. Holy Week proper begins with each Palm Sunday and concludes on the Saturday of the Easter Vigil.

At Palm Sunday, the Church gathers at Mass to reflect on the Scriptures which tell of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, his passion, and death.  At our 7 PM and 11 AM Masses, we will begin in the Parish Center and eventually process into the church with our palms waving high.

The following Thursday is called, Holy Thursday.  It begins what is also called "the Triduum" or three days. On this evening Mass (7 PM), we recall the events of the Last Supper which includes a symbolic washing of feet.  This ritual is intended to remind us of our call to serve our brothers and sisters as Jesus did. During the Preparation of the Gifts we will formally receive the Holy Oils which were blessed at the Cathedral.  We commemorate the institution of the Eucharist where we conclude Mass with a solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament to an altar of repose (located in our Parsh Center) where adoration will take place until 10 PM.   The main altar in the church is stripped and the Eucharist does not return to the Tabernacle until Easter Vigil.  

On Friday, we will participate in an ecumenical Good Friday service at St. Luke's Episcopal Church here in Grants Pass.  In the evening (7 PM) we will continue our solemn memorial of Christ's Passion on Good Friday with a silent entrance into the Church, solemn proclamation of the Scriptures with a more elaborate reading of the Gospel, followed by the Veneration of the Cross. Communion will be offered in a simple way followed by a silent and solemn procession out of the church.  This is not a Mass, but technically a liturgy of the Word with Communion.  The entrance and recession are both striking, for they indicate that they are not beginning nor ending something.  This is true, as Good Friday is more of an "in-between" service with Holy Satruday being the conclusion.

On Holy Saturday, we will all gather outside on the East side of the church at 8:30 PM for the blessing of the fire and Paschal Candle.  We will all enter the church while lighting our own smaller candles.  The Exaultet will be proclaimed, a large selection of Scriptures will be proclaimed detailing Salvation History, and then we bring the Elect to the large Baptismal Fount in order for them to receive their first Sacrament, that is Baptism.  Immersion baptism is the norm, but we will see a variety of forms being offered that night depending on the person.  Then we will receive the Candidates into full communion and then offer both the newly baptized (Neophytes) and Candidates the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The Liturgy of the Eucharist is then offered where our new Catholics become even more in union with Christ through his most Holy Body and Blood.  That concludes Holy Week.

I hope that you will arrange your week around these important moments of the Church.  If you have not ever been to the Triduum, I cannot encourage you strong enough.  It truly sets up Easter in such a context that, I believe, we can more fully enter into the mysteries of our Lord.  

May God Bless you during this Holy Week, 

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor

Prayers & Passion

Dear Parishioners,

Just over a week ago, I had to put down my dog, Gracie. She was 17 years old and definitely showing signs that the end was near. For the last 11 years, she was my companion in my priestly journey. She was the quintessential “parish dog.” She loved everyone, young and old. She especially loved all you who snuck her treats when I wasn’t watching! Thank you all for your kindness to me. I must admit that her passing was much more emotional than I expected. I want to especially thank Dr. Jean Manhart who served as my Veterinarian, and who gave Gracie and me the best of care and guidance. Many of you who are or have been pet owners shared your suffering with me in the days that followed. Again, thank you.

At risk of sounding trite, the days ahead are new territory for me, as I’ve not really known what priestly ministry is like without Gracie. I’ve suffered the loss of my dad, brother, and many friends, each a unique loss with unique pain. I know the pain I experienced losing Gracie is nothing compared to the pain that so many of you who have lost your spouse or close friend have experienced. It is through my own pain that I have a greater appreciation of how difficult it must be for you.

One thing I can say with conviction is that we must not run from our own crosses of suffering and death. We must go headlong into these difficult places with Jesus by our side. For it is by living through and not avoiding our own suffering that we can be raised to new life in Jesus. This is the fabric of being a Christian. I believe it with my whole heart and have my own personal history which testifies that it is true.

In the coming weeks, we will celebrate the Passion of the Lord on Palm Sunday. Just a few short days after that, we begin the holy three days of the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday’s Easter Vigil). These liturgies emphasize the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Please make every effort to come and reflect on the last days of Christ’s life. Please embrace your suffering in your own life, and know that Jesus walked that path before you. Join your suffering to his. Do not avoid that which will ultimately make you whole again. May these final weeks of Lent bring you an openness to the grace that God wants you to have.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor