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Dear Parishioners,

With Passion or Palm Sunday we are entering the most Holy Week of our yearly faith journey. Holy Week reminds us of Jesus’ total commitment to God’s way of self-giving love. The Holy Father said the “Mystery we adore in this Holy Week is a great story of love that knows no obstacles. Jesus’ Passion lasts until the end of the world, because it is a story of sharing with the sufferings of the whole of humanity and a permanent presence in the events of the personal life of each one of us.”

As we set out on this journey of Holy Week as a community of faith we move into the mystery and into the grace of God. And leading us, of course, is Jesus, whose passion, death, and resurrection we get to retrace, to relive during these holy days. And, my friends, retracing and reliving them can transform us. Make us new.   Give us fresh hope. 

Holy Week liturgies will also be live streamed on the Holy name YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6pzDLp4ffa_898kXrBPxA


I Wish You A Blessed Holy Week

Fr. Jinto Mathew CSC

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To: All Parishes, Priests, Staff From: Fr. Edward J. Curtis, Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs Date: March 10, 2021 Re: Instructions for Holy Week 2021 Please see the information below/attached to assist with your planning for Holy Week. Thank you for your patience and continued co-operation during these challenging days. Instructions for Holy Week 2021 Palm Sunday (March 28, 2021) Please refer to the latest direction from the Archdiocese of Toronto regarding capacity restrictions in your region. Where public Masses are permitted and, at the discretion of the Pastor, palms may be distributed to the people as they enter the church. This should be done by ushers, wearing gloves and the proper P.P.E. The palms must not be left in a common area for the people to pick up on their own, to avoid multiple points of contact. Alternatively, palms can be used for decorative purposes only, at the discretion of the Pastor or Administrator. If the palms are being distributed to the people, the blessing of the palms should take place outside of the Mass, using the first prayer of blessing found in the Roman Missal. The Third Form or Simple Entrance in the Missal should be the formula used in parishes this year, omitting the reading of the Gospel in the midst of the people at the beginning of the Mass. Wherever possible, parishes should reduce the number of people who read from the ambo. Therefore, it may be fitting to have one Lector read the first and second reading, as well as one of the parts of the Passion. As is the custom, a separate lectern could be placed in the sanctuary for another person to read the Passion; however, the parts involving dialogue, as opposed to narration, should not be divided up between multiple readers. At the discretion of the Pastor or Administrator, the Passion could be read in its entirety by the presiding Priest or assisting Deacon. The Mass of Chrism (March 30, 2021 -11:00 a.m.) As we do not yet know what the restrictions will be at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica for the Mass of Chrism, we are asking that you join the celebration via livestream on Tuesday, March 30th at 11:00 a.m.: www.stmichaelscathedral.com/livestream The Renewal of Priestly Promises will take place after the homily. Page 2 of 3 The Holy Oils will be distributed, as we did last year, through various accessible locations throughout the archdiocese and a communication will follow to this regard. Holy Thursday (April 1, 2021) The Mass of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated in the evening with the amount of people able to attend, depending on the restrictions in place in your respective region. According to the communication issued from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments: “The washing of the feet, which is already optional, is to be omitted. At the end of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper the procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose is to be omitted and the Blessed Sacrament is to be kept in the tabernacle.” Churches may remain open for private Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and following that time, the Blessed Sacrament may be removed and kept in a suitable place, like the sacristy or a private chapel, for distribution of Holy Communion on Good Friday. The faculty to celebrate Mass on this day in a suitable place, without the people, is granted in an exceptional manner to all priests by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Good Friday (April 2, 2021) For the Liturgy of the Word, the instructions given for Palm Sunday should be followed. During the Solemn Intercessions, special intentions for the sick, the dead and for those feeling lost or dismayed should be added (please see attached). The Adoration of the Holy Cross should take place without the celebrant leaving the sanctuary. The individual Veneration of the Cross is to be omitted; however, the faithful could be encouraged to bring their own crosses to the Good Friday Service for private veneration, while the celebrant venerates the Cross in the sanctuary. Following the Service, the Cross should not be displayed in a way that would encourage any individual to touch or kiss the Cross. Additional services may be added on the afternoon of Good Friday at the discretion of the Pastor or Administrator. Easter Vigil (April 3, 2021) The preparation and lighting of the fire is to be omitted. The Paschal Candle is lit in its place in the sanctuary and the Easter Proclamation or Exsultet follows. The Liturgy of the Word takes place in the usual way, reducing the number of Lectors for the various readings. For the Baptismal Liturgy, the Renewal of Baptismal Promises alone is necessary. Holy Water may be sprinkled on the faithful without the celebrant leaving the sanctuary. Page 3 of 3 If it is deemed safe to do so, depending on the numbers, the candidates for the R.C.I.A. may receive the Sacraments of Initiation. Care should be taken to sanitize the hands of the celebrant each time he comes in direct contact with one of the candidates. The Sacraments of Initiation may take place any time during the Season of Easter, if they are not celebrated at the Easter Vigil. 

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Financial Needs of the parish

Please, if your situation allows it, remember the financial needs of our parish during this difficult and challenging time.

Contributions can be mailed to the parish, dropped through the mail slot at the Parish Office/Rectory 71 Gough Avenue, or made online through "Donate Now" at the website of the Archdiocese of Toronto—www.archtoronto.org.  If you donate through the Archdiocesan website, please be sure to select your parish for the donation—Holy Name.  Thank you for your generous support.