Dear Friends,

I hope you and yours remain healthy and strong, both in body and soul, through these days of both trial and grace. As I mentioned in my live-streamed homily on Holy Thursday evening during the Mass of the Lord's Supper, I am convinced that God is at work during these strange and anxious times. I said in that homily that St. Paul assures us, in his letter to the Romans, that God makes all things work toward our good. More than a few of you have written to tell me of graces you have received during our social distancing; a deeper longing for the Lord in the Eucharist, a renewed appreciation for our parish and for the Church in general, a renewed family life, gratitude for all the simple things we so often take for granted, a greater solidarity with the sick and suffering; the list goes on and on. I am grateful that you shared these things with me, and I continue to pray for you and yours. God, indeed, is good. Let us continue to pray for one another, especially for the sick, the bereaved, for our health care professionals, and for an end to this pandemic.

Msgr. Curry has turned a corner and is on the way to recovery. The past two weeks have been hard for him in quarantine, but he is doing much better and is on his way back to health. He asked me to convey his gratitude for your prayer. Continue to pray for him. Thankfully, I tested negative for COVID-19 and remain healthy as does Fr. Dario. However, the two of us must remain in voluntary isolation for a few more days, just to be on the safe side.

Let me share with you a few quick updates:

The Vigil of the Resurrection will be lived streamed tonight at 8pm on Facebook. It will be a simple celebration of the Vigil. Our catechumens and candidates will be baptized, confirmed, and received into full communion with the Church sometime in the future. Easter Sunday Mass will be live streamed at 11am on Sunday morning. Please join us!

Bishop Checchio has asked us to light a candle in our homes this evening in witness to the resurrection of the Lord. I am attaching the link to his video request below. Even though we will not be led into the church this evening by the light of the Paschal candle, the light of the Risen Christ still shines on us, the people He has redeemed by His Blood. So consider lighting a candle tonight in your homes for perhaps displaying an electric candle in a window in witness that the light of Jesus, risen from the dead, has overcome darkness and death

In a rare but timely event, the Holy Shroud of Turin will be on public display today during this time of pandemic. The event will be live-streamed through the world beginning at 11AM EST. You can venerate the Shroud, which many believe to be the burial cloth of the Lord, an "icon of the Passion" as Popes have called it, by clicking here.

Keep your ears open tomorrow at 12:00 noon, We have arranged with our sister church in New Brunswick, Holy Family Parish, to have our church bells ring at that time to cover the city with the joyful proclamation of the resurrection of the Lord.

Lastly, below is a reflection for Holy Saturday. It is from an ancient homily dating from the second century. Holy Saturday is often referred to as the "harrowing of hell" as Christ descends among the dead to break the chains of death and lead us into the fullness of life with Him. Pray with these words today. What He did, He did not do for Himself. He did it for you and me.

So, light a candle tonight to illuminate the darkness and wait in hope for the Lord. Ora pro invicem Let us pray for one another.

Msgr. Joe Celano
Pastor
 

The Harrowing of Hell

"Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness... God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him—He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . . "I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . . . I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead... Arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven...the cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."