The Promise of Easter

Dear Family,

The first thing to recognize about the Triduum is that it is “The Three Days”. It is a unified observance that extends over three days, and it forms its own unique and central part of the liturgical year. For many people today, these three days are still as part of Lent; for others, they stand as three separate and somewhat independent days celebrating different events in the life of Christ. But Lent ends on Thursday afternoon, and the Triduum is best seen as one integral observance that includes a variety of liturgical moments.
The Triduum is more than its liturgies, too. Keeping these three days, means exactly that – three full days live as one central moment in the life of every Christian and of the Christian community as a whole.
The liturgy of the Triduum begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and concludes with the last Mass on Easter Sunday. Between these two gatherings for prayer and worship, the Christian church is called to enter into a period of prayer, fasting and vigiling, which reaches a climax at the Easter Vigil. The principal liturgies even suggest the unity of the Triduum by the way they end and begin. On Thursday, there is no dismissal or conclusion; on Friday we gather and leave with no introductory or concluding rites; and at the Vigil we gather around the fire and begin without the usual introductory rites. We begin on Thursday and don’t conclude until after the Vigil, with Easter Sunday as a kind of extension of the celebration of the Vigil.
Understanding the Triduum as one three-day-long liturgy can help us find the right approach to each of the various ritual moments within it. The Evening Mass on Holy Thursday is a liturgy of entrance into the Triduum, not primarily a celebration of the institution of the Eucharist or of the ordained priesthood. Good Friday’s main liturgy commemorates the death of the Lord, but as a part of the whole paschal mystery (note that we call it “Good Friday”), which is celebrated in its fullness at the Easter Vigil, when our newest members enter into the death and resurrection of the Lord through the waters of baptism. Easter Sunday is a day of reveling in the mystery we celebrate at the Vigil, a day for the glow of the feast to be enjoyed and savored.
These days are the hinge of the year, the central moment around which all else revolves. The Triduum gives meaning to Lent, which precedes it, and to the Fifty Days of Easter that follow. As the Lent-Easter cycle is the core of the year, so the Triduum is the core of Lent-Easter. These days are central because they draw us into the heart of our identity as church. The paschal mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrections is the core of our faith and our participation in that mystery through the celebration of baptism defines what it meant to be Christian and what it means for the community to be church.
Peace and All Goodness,
Father Roger

Life in the Spirit Seminar

The St. Maurice Prayer Group is sponsoring a Life in the Spirit Seminar. There will be a series of talks and discussions over seven weeks. We invite you to join us every Tuesday at 7:00 pm in the Chapel.

April 10- God’s Love
April 17- Salvation
April 24- New Life
May 1- Receiving God’s Gift
May 8- Praying for Baptism in the Holy Spirit
May 15- Growth
May 22- Transformation in Christ

It is important that you make the effort to attend all seven talks. For more information call:

Anna 954-967-9533 or Jack 954-467-8228

Holly Week Mass Schedule

PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION
March 31st
4:30 p.m. English
6:30 p.m. Spanish
April 1st
8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

HOLY THURSDAY
April 5th
The Lord’s Supper
7:00 p.m.

GOOD FRIDAY
THE PASSION AND DEATH OF THE LORD
April 6th
3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

HOLY SATURDAY, EASTER VIGIL
April 7th
7:30 p.m.

EASTER SUNDAY
April 8th
8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. English
12:30 p.m. Spanish

Scrutiny

Tell people they will face a scrutiny before they can join your community, and they will probably say, “thanks, but no thanks”. Boldly our church expects not one but three Scrutinies of catechumens before their baptism at Easter.

Scrutinies are rites of self-searching and repentance. When people from another spiritual background seek baptism in the Catholic Church, they do so by stages. First we accept them into the order catechumens. Then as they complete their catechetical formation we enroll them among the “elect”, or those chosen for baptism. This rite of election generally coincides with the beginning of Lent. Three times during Lent the church prays the Scrutinies to encourage a spirit of repentance among those who seek a worthy celebration of baptism.

Although Scrutinies have returned fairly recently to Catholic parishes, they originated early in church history. St. Ambrose and St. Augustine celebrated them in the fourth and fifth centuries to mark the spiritual progress of the catechumens. The moral preparation of catechumens included prayers of exorcism, to drive out the spirit of evil which kept them from embracing Christ as their light. In the Scrutinies the church discerned if those exorcisms had achieved their effect. Catechumens entered the church, stood barefoot on goatskin and renounced evil influences all night. Those unworthy of Baptism had to wait another year for Easter to roll around again.

Today’s Scrutinies seem less intense. They still include an exorcism, in which the priest or deacon prays that the spirit of evil may be replaced by the spirit of good. Their purpose is not so much to examine the candidates’ mental readiness, but their spiritual readiness. Scrutinies offer the catechumens the support they need to approach the waters of baptism worthily.

For those who are already baptized, the Scrutinies invite us to embrace the same spirit of self-searching and repentance. At Easter we renew our baptismal promises as we see the catechumens baptized. So during Lent we renew our repentance as we see the catechumens scrutinized. The Scrutinies remind us of the seriousness of our Christian life and inspire us to turn from evil and pursue good. They enliven our recommitment to Christ at Easter.

Father Roger

Viva Italia Fundraiser

St. Maurice Pre-School Fundraiser for new Playground equipment!
Spaghetti Dinner-Dance
March 24 at 6:00 pm
Ticket on sale now for $15.00
Come to the office or call
954-961-5585 and ask for Mary Anne
VIENI A MANGIA, BERE E DANZA!

STATION OF THE CROSS

The 14 Stations of the Cross adorn the walls of almost every Catholic Church and Chapel. Many parishes commemorate the Fridays of Lent with a prayerful remembrance of the passion of Christ by walking the stations with him. Throughout our history, Christians have longed to literally walk in the footsteps of Christ. The shrines of the holy places in and around Jerusalem have drawn pilgrims inspired by the life and death of their Master.

However, not everyone is able to travel to the Holy Land. So, ever since the Middle Ages, churches and chapels began erecting images devoted to an aspect of the passion. By the 15th century, the Franciscans had developed a devotion they called “stations.” The word means a place where people stand still or gather together. So even though it implies something “stationary” the service obviously must include the movement of pilgrims following the footsteps of Christ. It took a while to fix the number and the names of the stations, but in 1731 Pope Clement XII established the 14 we know today.

We still find some variations on the number. Many places add a 15th station, for example, the resurrection of Jesus. Discontent with leaving Christ in the tomb when our faith expresses so much more, worshipers have found consolation in completing the story of the cross.

Over the years our church has authorized various versions of the stations for different occasions. For example, Pope John Paul II altered the traditional stations for his Good Friday service in Rome. He eliminated some stations which derived from tradition, and substituted them with events from the Gospels. Here are the stations he has used:
1-Jesus in the Garden of Olives.
2-Jesus betrayed by Judas.
3-Jesus condemned to death by the Sanhedrin.
4-Jesus denied by Peter.
5-Jesus judged by Pilate
6-Jesus flogged and crowned with thorns.
7-Jesus carries his cross.
8-Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene.
9-Jesus encounters women of Jerusalem.
10-Jesus is crucified.
11-Jesus promises the kingdom to the good thief.
12-Jesus on the cross.
13-The mother of Jesus and his disciple at the cross.
14-Jesus is placed in the tomb.
The stations inspire us all to follow Christ through suffering to peace. We celebrate the Stations of the Cross each Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. Come and remember the passion of our Lord.

Eight Annual Family Soup and Stations

EIGHTH ANNUAL
FAMILY SOUP AND STATIONS
As our Lenten tradition continues we will be offering Stations of the Cross followed by our Family Soup Hour. Every Friday thru March 30th. The Moving Stations will begin in the Chapel at 5:30 pm and move throughout the Church grounds followed by our Family Soup Hour at 6:30 pm with delicious homemade soups, bread and beverage. If you would like to make your favorite soup for our parish family, please call Ray Archbold at 954-894-8863 to schedule your Friday Soup Day. ALL ARE WELCOME. Thank you and God Bless You.

Youth Group: Flea Market March 17th

YOUTH GROUP
FLEA MARKET
Saturday March 17th at 8am
Sell your treasure’s
Keep the money you make
Vendor spaces $15 each 2 for $25
additional spaces $10
Rent tables for $10
Reserve your space on the deck
after mass or in the Office
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRUPO DE JOVENES
VENTA DE GARAGE
Sábado 17 de marzo a las 8:00 a.m.
Vende tus tesoros y quédate con el
dinero de lo que vendas.
Valor de los espacios $15 cada uno o 2 por $25
Reserva tu espacio en el deck después de la misa o en la oficina.
De esta manera nos ayudamos y también a nuestra Iglesia!

Haiti Our Projects

Haiti
Prayer on the mountainside
Protected from the muck of the slum
Unprepared, unsuspecting down the hill we descend
Into the scene of choking dust, open sewers,
and the many, many children of God….
Life with hope
That one day there will be a dry floor,
A clean glass of water,
a pair of shoes, a banana, an orange or school.
Author unknown

We pray that one day the hopes and dreams of the children of Haiti will be realized. We at St. Maurice, with the help of God, are helping to alleviate the suffering. As was reported last week, the container on our property was filled two thirds of the way with supplies to be shipped to Haiti through Cross International. A heartfelt “thank you” to all who contributed their time, and treasure to accomplish this project.

There was an article in the February 5th edition of the Miami Herald entitled “For Orphans a life of neglect and pain.” Six little boys eating large bowls of oatmeal at the Good Shepherd Home were pictured. This is one of our Hunger Program’s projects in Port au Prince. Father Luc Jolicoeur, the onsite coordinator is quoted as saying, “The government must care for the children.” According to Father Luc, no one from the government has ever visited the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd Orphanage. It is a blessing that dedicated people like Father Luc are willing to assume the responsibility of the care of these orphaned and abandoned children.

We have been attempting to discover the status of our seven projects in Haiti. Marlene Mathurin, the project leader for the At Risk Children’s Foundation traveled to Haiti on the day of the earthquake. This project has two locations, one orphanage is in Cape Rouge and the other in Cayes, they are both in southern Haiti. Marlene is safe, but has the sad news to report that three are dead, and others missing. Bishop Joseph Lafontant, of our Morning Bread project, has assumed a leadership role in Haiti after the death of the archbishop and vicar general. He is quoted as saying, “As for material things, we can rebuild, but in lives- the archdiocese has suffered.” Father Glenn Meaux, coordinator of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Project in Kobonal reports that all are safe, and that only tremors were felt in their area. He is preparing for an influx of refugees from Port au Prince. I contacted Sister Pat Downs, coordinator of the Ferrier Elderly Nutrition Program, and she was happy to report that all are well. Four Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament were in Port au Prince at the medical school when the quake hit, but they all survived. The school feeding program at St. Joseph’s School in Limbe is preparing to resume, even though there is no electricity. At this point in time, we have not been able to determine the status of the Notre Dame Parish Feeding Program in Port au Prince.

We keep these suffering people in our thoughts and prayers. This is their Good Friday, may they experience the joy of Resurrection.

The Board of Directors of the Hunger Program

Haiti is in crisis. It is hard to imagine saying that its crisis has deepened, but it has! The number of dead as a result of the earthquake has risen to over 230,000 and people, especially children, are dying of diarrhea. The crisis seems to be growing ever deeper.

During this time of special need, the St. Maurice family has reacted with its usual speed and generosity. St. Maurice filled a 40’ container with many necessities. Family and friends donated items such as water, medicine, food, blankets , quilts, towels, juice, bleach, charcoal, wheel chairs, crutches, and many other products. They were shipped to Haiti for distribution. St. Maurice raised $3300.00 towards the shipping costs.

At the best of times, Haiti is a nation in crisis. St. Maurice has been involved in dealing with human need for food and drink in Haiti through our Hunger Program for many years.

St. Maurice supports 7 projects in Haiti. Most projects involve feeding people, especially the young and the elderly. The Hunger Program contributes money that supports the project. The Hunger Program assigns a project leader for each project.

Here is the list of the names of the projects, the location of each, the name of the group providing the service and the St. Maurice Hunger Program project leaders for each. There is a brief description of the project.

Project Leader: Marlene Mathurin

This orphanage cares for about 45 children. It gets funds to assist in buying food.

Port au Prince                                                            Service Provider: Little Brothers

Project Leader:    Shel McCartney

The project provides shelter to approximately 160 boys who would otherwise be on the streets. It also provides 500 others with a meal each day.

Limbe                                                                            ServiceProvider:  St. Joseph  School

Project Leader: Ramona Rung

This school has 891 students. The Hunger Program funds a portion of the lunches.

Port au Prince                                                            Service Provider: Pain du Matin

Project Leaders: Marilyn Hogarth                                                                                                                              Therese Katende

This project provides poor families with a daily voucher for a bag of bread.

Port au Prince                                                             Service Provider: Terre Rouge Lunch

Program

Project Leader: Ellen Volpicella

This project provides a hot lunch for 500 children

Kobanal                                                                        Service Provider: OLHT Mission

Project Leader: Barbara Faticone

This project provides 110 families with 3 meals a day.

Ferrier                                                                           Service Provider: St. Vincent de Paul

Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament

Project Leader: Mary Becconssal

This project provides a hot lunch to each senior who comes to the center.

At this time we are not sure about what is happening with some of the projects that the Hunger Program supports.

May the Lord have mercy on this long suffering faith filled people!