Holy Apostles Catholic Church

Dear Parishioners of Holy Apostles,

Last week, in the midst of the growing Coronavirus pandemic, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, gave a special address and blessing to the City of Rome and the World from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. As I watched it on TV, it was a strange and striking image because when the Pope goes to the square, he is usually surrounded by thousands of people. On this occasion, he stood alone in the vast, empty space. It occurred to me that the stark emptiness was my human perspective, but in the eyes of God, the Holy Father was surrounded by millions of people around the world who were united with him at that moment in prayer and spirit, asking God to bless us with strength, healing, patience and hope.

As we prepare for Easter and celebrate Holy Week this year the pews of our church may be empty, but we have the opportunity to unite in spirit and prayer to find strength and hope in the events of our salvation. On Palm Sunday we recall that Jesus was welcomed by crowds of cheering people on the road to Jerusalem. On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper with his disciples where he gives us an example of humble service and assures us of his abiding presence forever in the Eucharist. But on Good Friday Jesus is very much alone as he hangs on the cross, rejected by his people and abandoned by his friends. All of this leads us to the greatest sign of hope ever given as good triumphs over evil and death gives way to life in the Resurrection.

Please join us in prayer this week. As we recall that Jesus suffered and died so that we could share in this life forever, we pray especially for those who are suffering from the coronavirus and those who have died. We pray for the many dedicated men and women who care for the sick and who are working to find a cure, we pray for our parish, our families and for all who fear for their health and their livelihood. We pray that God will give us all strength and patience in this challenging time.

In order to help many of our parishioners to be a part of our Holy Week and Easter prayer, we will be livestreaming the following services on the parish Facebook page:

Sunday, April 5 at 9:30 AM - Palm Sunday Mass

Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 PM - The Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Friday, April 10 at 3:00 PM - Service of the Passion of the Lord

Sunday, April 12 at 9:30 AM - Easter Mass

In addition, on our parish website (www.holyapostles.com) we will provide links to the Stations of the Cross led by Deacon Greg Albanese in our church and a recording of the Passion as performed by our parish high school teens last year. These will be available for you to watch at your convenience.

As we prepare for this holiest time of the year, please be assured that Msgr. Kenney and I keep you in our prayers. Though we would like to be able to greet and welcome you personally, we extend our greetings and hope and pray that we will be reunited as a parish community soon.

To families involved in Religious Education:   ALL Religious Education classes are CANCELLED for the remainder of this school year. 

First Communion Parents:  When this crisis has passed, we will reach out to you to schedule at least one more instructional class and announce a new First Communion date.

Grade 8 Parents of Students entering Confirmation:  In place of a traditional Orientation Meeting, we will post the CONFIRMATION REGISTRATION packet on our website and send it through email to all registered Grade 8 families.  Please read carefully and mail in your registration form and fee. 
We are currently planning to have Conf. 1 classes, June 22-26^th, 9:00 am-12 noon here in the Parish Center.   However, should this crisis continue and it is not safe to come here for classes at the end of June, you will notified of an alternative plan.

Please keep praying for our continued safety and please to do not hesitate to email Mr. Santilli ~[email protected], with any questions or concerns you may have.