'Glory and Triumph'
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Scott Alessi, Managing Editor and Mary Stadnyk, News Editor
From the darkness of sin and death into the radiant light of new life, Catholics in the Diocese of Trenton joined the faithful the world over in celebrating the solemn sacrifice and triumphant Resurrection of the Lord during the sacred Easter Triduum.
Making the Triduum liturgies in the diocese particularly historic this year was the involvement of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who for the first time as bishop traveled to parishes to walk the path of Christ’s Death and Resurrection with his flock on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
The bishop began the celebration of Holy Week by marking Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with the community of St. William the Abbot Parish, Howell. Bishop O’Connell presided at the Palm Sunday Mass of the Lord’s Passion where he led the traditional blessing of palms, which symbolize the branches waved by the crowds as they welcomed Jesus into the city of Jerusalem.
'It’s All About Him'
With the season of Lent having officially concluded, the Triduum began with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 21.
Bishop O’Connell celebrated the Mass in St. Ann Church, Lawrenceville, along with Father Vincent Gartland, pastor of St. Ann, and Msgr. Joseph Rosie, diocesan chancellor and a weekend assistant at the parish.
Click HERE for a gallery of Easter photos from around the diocese.
Noting first how Holy Week is a time of year that is rich with Scripture and tradition, Bishop O’Connell, in his homily, gave a bit of background on the meaning of Holy Thursday.
Some Christian communities, he said, refer to Holy Thursday as “Maundy” Thursday, which is a term less familiar to Catholics. “Maundy” comes from French and Latin roots and means “commanded,” he said.
“It is a reference to the command of the Lord Jesus on that first Holy Thursday to wash the feet of his disciples: ‘As I have done for you, you should also do,’” he said.
As Holy Thursday sacredly recalls the last meal Jesus shared with apostles before his Death, and commemorates Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, Bishop O’Connell referred to the readings that were proclaimed at Mass and how they trace the history of salvation from the Old Testament through the writings of St. Paul to the Church at Corinth in the New Testament and finally, St. John’s Gospel which presents Jesus at the Passover meal.
“For more than 2,000 years, Catholics and Christians everywhere focus their attention on ‘Holy Thursday’ remembering the dramatic events that make this day in this week ‘holy,’” he said.
“At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ showed us the source of our faith, what it is that makes us believe, what it is that makes us want to believe,” said Bishop O’Connell. “On that same night, the Lord Jesus gave us a reason to believe and show us what it means to practice our faith. That is why tonight is holy. This night and everything about it, everything that we celebrate and remember is him and from him and about him.”
After the homily, the congregation was invited to “do as Jesus did” and participate in the washing of the feet. Bishop O’Connell first washed the feet of several parishioners and staff members from St. Ann Parish. The parishioners were then invited to kneel and wash each other’s feet.
Most poignant of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper came at the end when the faithful witnessed the ancient ceremony of the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop O’Connell removed the Blessed Sacrament from the main altar, then with the congregation following close behind and chanting “Pange Lingua” (“Sing My Tongue”), he carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession around the circumference of the parish grounds, to the chapel of repose (which is a separate room adjacent from the main church) where Adoration was prayerfully observed until 11 p.m.
Whether they were parishioners who chose to remain inside and pray before the Blessed Sacrament, or those who stayed outdoors and spent time in quiet reflection while taking in the cool evening breeze, all agreed that the Mass on Holy Thursday was indeed a most treasured part of their Holy Week tradition.
“I just love the whole Triduum,” said Kathi Morley, who as a member of the adult choir, said she was looking ahead to a busy three days. “The way we celebrate it here at St. Ann’s is just beautiful, and it was wonderful to have Bishop O’Connell with us here tonight.”
An Enduring Symbol
Bishop O’Connell continued his Triduum journey with the solemn celebration of the Lord’s Passion in Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, April 22.
At three in the afternoon – the hour at which Jesus died upon the Cross – Catholics gathered in silence with the bishop to begin their commemoration of Good Friday. The somber liturgy, at which members of the congregation come forward one by one to venerate the Cross, focuses on the sacrifice of the Lord and the Death he endured to bring about the world’s salvation.
Bishop O’Connell turned his focus to the cross as an enduring symbol that “depicts and represents the turning point of humanity and life in this world.”
The simple wooden cross, he explained, was once nothing more than an “instrument of death” reserved for society’s lowest criminals. The Crucifix bearing Christ’s wounded body, however, has come to symbolize for people of faith the depth of God’s love for humanity.
“The Crucifix is the most powerful reminder of the greatest love the world has ever known,” Bishop O’Connell said. “One wooden beam pointing from the earth to the sky, pointing our attention to God; another wooden beam pointing from east to west, pointing our attention to our fellow human beings.
“And what brings those two wooden beams, those two directions together, is a single body, his body, Jesus Christ, whose life of suffering and transforming love was a life and a love for all.”
Rising to New Life
The preparation of Holy Thursday and Good Friday served to set the stage for the Church’s most vivid and majestic celebrations, the sacred Easter vigil.
As flames rose into the night sky April 23, Bishop O’Connell was surrounded by several hundred parishioners of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral who gathered amidst the sounds of passing traffic on the busy Trenton street corner where the cathedral sits.
The bishop blessed the roaring Easter fire that symbolizes the light of Christ and lit the Paschal candle before leading the faithful into the darkened church. There the bishop presided at the vigil along with several priests and deacons, including Msgr. John Dermond, rector of St. Mary Cathedral, who was celebrating his final Easter vigil as rector before assuming full-time duties as diocesan judicial vicar in July.
Following readings from the Old and New Testament proclaimed in both English and Spanish, the congregation erupted in the singing of the “Alleluia” set to festive Latin music as the lights were turned on, marking the discovery of the empty tomb and Christ’s rising from the dead.
The vigil, which lasted more than two hours, was also the culmination of a journey for a group of individuals who had completed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and had been fully prepared to enter into the Church.
In the cathedral, Bishop O’Connell baptized six elect and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 11 candidates. They were among a total of 167 elect and 157 candidates who received the Sacraments of Initiation during Easter vigils held in parishes throughout the diocese the same evening.
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell retraced the steps of Christ’s Holy Week journey, from Palm Sunday to his Crucifixion and Death on Good Friday. Jesus’ humiliating death, Bishop O’Connell noted, may have dashed the hopes of his followers, but it was not the end of the story.
“Jesus’ Resurrection is about new life, transformed life, a completely different order of existence,” Bishop O’Connell said. “He rose from the dead leaving Death behind him… This is about glory and triumph.”
Yet Christ did not defeat death for himself alone, the bishop added, but for all believers throughout the world.
“The source of our joy tonight is that he offers the same triumph and glory to us who believe in him,” he said. “That is the meaning of our Baptism, when we say we die in Christ only to rise in him; new, changed, different, filled with grace and light and life.”
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By Scott Alessi, Managing Editor and Mary Stadnyk, News Editor
From the darkness of sin and death into the radiant light of new life, Catholics in the Diocese of Trenton joined the faithful the world over in celebrating the solemn sacrifice and triumphant Resurrection of the Lord during the sacred Easter Triduum.
Making the Triduum liturgies in the diocese particularly historic this year was the involvement of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who for the first time as bishop traveled to parishes to walk the path of Christ’s Death and Resurrection with his flock on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
The bishop began the celebration of Holy Week by marking Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with the community of St. William the Abbot Parish, Howell. Bishop O’Connell presided at the Palm Sunday Mass of the Lord’s Passion where he led the traditional blessing of palms, which symbolize the branches waved by the crowds as they welcomed Jesus into the city of Jerusalem.
'It’s All About Him'
With the season of Lent having officially concluded, the Triduum began with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 21.
Bishop O’Connell celebrated the Mass in St. Ann Church, Lawrenceville, along with Father Vincent Gartland, pastor of St. Ann, and Msgr. Joseph Rosie, diocesan chancellor and a weekend assistant at the parish.
Click HERE for a gallery of Easter photos from around the diocese.
Noting first how Holy Week is a time of year that is rich with Scripture and tradition, Bishop O’Connell, in his homily, gave a bit of background on the meaning of Holy Thursday.
Some Christian communities, he said, refer to Holy Thursday as “Maundy” Thursday, which is a term less familiar to Catholics. “Maundy” comes from French and Latin roots and means “commanded,” he said.
“It is a reference to the command of the Lord Jesus on that first Holy Thursday to wash the feet of his disciples: ‘As I have done for you, you should also do,’” he said.
As Holy Thursday sacredly recalls the last meal Jesus shared with apostles before his Death, and commemorates Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, Bishop O’Connell referred to the readings that were proclaimed at Mass and how they trace the history of salvation from the Old Testament through the writings of St. Paul to the Church at Corinth in the New Testament and finally, St. John’s Gospel which presents Jesus at the Passover meal.
“For more than 2,000 years, Catholics and Christians everywhere focus their attention on ‘Holy Thursday’ remembering the dramatic events that make this day in this week ‘holy,’” he said.
“At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ showed us the source of our faith, what it is that makes us believe, what it is that makes us want to believe,” said Bishop O’Connell. “On that same night, the Lord Jesus gave us a reason to believe and show us what it means to practice our faith. That is why tonight is holy. This night and everything about it, everything that we celebrate and remember is him and from him and about him.”
After the homily, the congregation was invited to “do as Jesus did” and participate in the washing of the feet. Bishop O’Connell first washed the feet of several parishioners and staff members from St. Ann Parish. The parishioners were then invited to kneel and wash each other’s feet.
Most poignant of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper came at the end when the faithful witnessed the ancient ceremony of the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop O’Connell removed the Blessed Sacrament from the main altar, then with the congregation following close behind and chanting “Pange Lingua” (“Sing My Tongue”), he carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession around the circumference of the parish grounds, to the chapel of repose (which is a separate room adjacent from the main church) where Adoration was prayerfully observed until 11 p.m.
Whether they were parishioners who chose to remain inside and pray before the Blessed Sacrament, or those who stayed outdoors and spent time in quiet reflection while taking in the cool evening breeze, all agreed that the Mass on Holy Thursday was indeed a most treasured part of their Holy Week tradition.
“I just love the whole Triduum,” said Kathi Morley, who as a member of the adult choir, said she was looking ahead to a busy three days. “The way we celebrate it here at St. Ann’s is just beautiful, and it was wonderful to have Bishop O’Connell with us here tonight.”
An Enduring Symbol
Bishop O’Connell continued his Triduum journey with the solemn celebration of the Lord’s Passion in Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, April 22.
At three in the afternoon – the hour at which Jesus died upon the Cross – Catholics gathered in silence with the bishop to begin their commemoration of Good Friday. The somber liturgy, at which members of the congregation come forward one by one to venerate the Cross, focuses on the sacrifice of the Lord and the Death he endured to bring about the world’s salvation.
Bishop O’Connell turned his focus to the cross as an enduring symbol that “depicts and represents the turning point of humanity and life in this world.”
The simple wooden cross, he explained, was once nothing more than an “instrument of death” reserved for society’s lowest criminals. The Crucifix bearing Christ’s wounded body, however, has come to symbolize for people of faith the depth of God’s love for humanity.
“The Crucifix is the most powerful reminder of the greatest love the world has ever known,” Bishop O’Connell said. “One wooden beam pointing from the earth to the sky, pointing our attention to God; another wooden beam pointing from east to west, pointing our attention to our fellow human beings.
“And what brings those two wooden beams, those two directions together, is a single body, his body, Jesus Christ, whose life of suffering and transforming love was a life and a love for all.”
Rising to New Life
The preparation of Holy Thursday and Good Friday served to set the stage for the Church’s most vivid and majestic celebrations, the sacred Easter vigil.
As flames rose into the night sky April 23, Bishop O’Connell was surrounded by several hundred parishioners of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral who gathered amidst the sounds of passing traffic on the busy Trenton street corner where the cathedral sits.
The bishop blessed the roaring Easter fire that symbolizes the light of Christ and lit the Paschal candle before leading the faithful into the darkened church. There the bishop presided at the vigil along with several priests and deacons, including Msgr. John Dermond, rector of St. Mary Cathedral, who was celebrating his final Easter vigil as rector before assuming full-time duties as diocesan judicial vicar in July.
Following readings from the Old and New Testament proclaimed in both English and Spanish, the congregation erupted in the singing of the “Alleluia” set to festive Latin music as the lights were turned on, marking the discovery of the empty tomb and Christ’s rising from the dead.
The vigil, which lasted more than two hours, was also the culmination of a journey for a group of individuals who had completed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and had been fully prepared to enter into the Church.
In the cathedral, Bishop O’Connell baptized six elect and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 11 candidates. They were among a total of 167 elect and 157 candidates who received the Sacraments of Initiation during Easter vigils held in parishes throughout the diocese the same evening.
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell retraced the steps of Christ’s Holy Week journey, from Palm Sunday to his Crucifixion and Death on Good Friday. Jesus’ humiliating death, Bishop O’Connell noted, may have dashed the hopes of his followers, but it was not the end of the story.
“Jesus’ Resurrection is about new life, transformed life, a completely different order of existence,” Bishop O’Connell said. “He rose from the dead leaving Death behind him… This is about glory and triumph.”
Yet Christ did not defeat death for himself alone, the bishop added, but for all believers throughout the world.
“The source of our joy tonight is that he offers the same triumph and glory to us who believe in him,” he said. “That is the meaning of our Baptism, when we say we die in Christ only to rise in him; new, changed, different, filled with grace and light and life.”
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