DIOCESE OF TOLEDO CELEBRATES EASTER SEASON

March 13, 2008 – Toledo, OH – Parishes around the Diocese of Toledo will begin the Easter season with the observance of Holy Week starting Sunday, March 16th. The following events scheduled March 16 – March 23 will be celebrated at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral located at 2535 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo, the mother church of the Diocese of Toledo.

Bishop Leonard P. Blair will be the main celebrant at the services indicated *

HOLY WEEK

 Saturday, March 15 at 4:30pm                      Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
 Sunday, March 16 at 9:00am                        The Procession of Palms commemorates Christ’s

*Sunday, March 16 at 11:00am                      triumphant entry into Jerusalem, with the blessing

                                                                              of palms and the solemn reading of the Lord’s Passion.

 Sunday, March 16 at 2:00pm                        Communal Penance Service

*Tuesday, March 18 at 11:00am                    Chrism Mass

A special Mass for the consecration of the holy oils used in the administration of the Sacraments; the local ordinary (that is, the bishop of the diocese) concelebrates this Mass together with priests from throughout the diocese.                                                                  

 Wednesday, March 19 at 7am                      Mass

 Wednesday, March 19 at 12-1:00pm           Confessions

*Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30pm                Tenebrae Service

                                                                              Tenebrae, Latin for “Darkness” is the communal recitation of the                                                                               Divine Office (the Breviary), an ancient service that has been                                                                                       known since the ninth century. Candlelight is extinguished until                                                                               only one candle remains burning; the one candle traditionally                                                                                    seen as representing Christ. 

THE SACRED TRIDUUM

HOLY THURSDAY

*Thursday, March 20 at 7:30pm                     Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

The Mass includes two unusual features that endow it with an especially distinctive character. The Maddatum, or the washing of the feet in imitation of our Lord’s action at the Last Supper; and the solemn Eucharistic procession to the repository (place prepared for reservation of the holy Eucharist)

GOOD FRIDAY

Good Friday is a day of extreme suffering and the mysterious confrontation of God’s infinite love with mankind’s sin; it recalls the dramatic Passion of Christ, which already began the evening before with his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and it concludes with his death on the cross.

Friday, March 21 at 12 noon                           Stations of the Cross

The Way of the Cross is one of the most well known of all devotional exercises; throughout the year many of the faithful engage in this practice, in which a series of fourteen episodes associated with Christ’s carrying of the cross to Golgotha are commemorated with prayer and meditation.

*Friday, March 21 at 1:30pm                          Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion

From the earliest ages, the church on Good Friday has omitted the celebration of Mass, as a sign of mourning. A special liturgy is held instead—the Liturgy of the Passion—consisting of three basic elements: 1) Liturgy of the Word, ending with general intercessions; 2) the ceremony of the Veneration of the Cross; 3) a service reception of the holy Eucharist as previously consecrated at the evening Mass on Holy Thursday.

Friday, March 21 from 3:00-6:00pm              Parish Fish Fry

                                                                            Sponsored by Rosary Cathedral Parish and the Knights of                                                                                         Columbus in the Msgr. Bernard E Smith Auditorium. Prices are                                                                                 Adults: $7.50 and Children: $3.50.

CARRY-OUT SERVICE AVAILABLE. 

HOLY SATURDAY

Saturday, March 22 at 9:00am                       Morning Prayer and Blessing of Easter Foods 

                                                                             Those planning to attend are invited to bring a small portion or                                                                                  item from their Easter meal for blessing.              

*Saturday, March 22 at 8:30pm                     Solemn Easter Vigil

From the earliest days of the Church’s history, the Easter Vigil has been considered the single most important liturgical celebration of the year. The paschal liturgy consists of four basic elements: 1) the service of Light; 2) the Liturgy of the Word; 3) the Liturgy of Baptism; 4) the Liturgy of the Eucharist

It is also at this vigil that candidates and catechumens are received into full communion of the Church.

EASTER SUNDAY 

Sunday, March 23 at 9:00am                         Easter Mass

While it can be said that the Mass at Easter Vigil is the first and foremost liturgical celebration of the resurrection, nonetheless, the Celebration of Mass on the morning of Easter Sunday still remains an exalted place in the paschal season.

*Sunday, March 23 at 11:00am                           Easter Mass 

Sunday, March 23 at 1:00-3:00pm                     The Deacon Bill Keran Easter Dinner

This event is FREE and open to the public. Dinner will be served from 1:00pm to 3:00p, in the Msgr. Bernard E. Smith Auditorium at Rosary Cathedral Parish. Persons wishing to assist with the preparation of the meal, or are willing to serve it, please contact the parish office.

New and expanded secure parking facilities are now available at Rosary Cathedral. For more information, please contact the Cathedral office at 419-244-9575.                                              

The Diocese of Toledo, established April 15, 1910 encompasses 8222 square miles in a mixture of urban and rural areas that spans 19 counties across Northwest Ohio, serving 306,532 Catholics. The diocese includes Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties.

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