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Florida Catholic April 17-23, 2020
YOUR VENICE COMMUNITY
BOB REDDY
of the Florida Catholic staff
VENICE From Palm Sunday through the celebration of Easter, Catholics around the world cel- ebrated the holiest of weeks united knowing that the celebration of the life, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the central ten- ant of the Faith. There is no denying Holy Week 2020 was unprecedented, with the coronavirus pandemic forcing the suspension of gatherings of Mass across the globe. However, thanks to modern technology, the faithful were able to stay connected to the Church from afar. The livestreaming of Holy Week services - Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter
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from parishes to the faithful on their home computer or television was the form of presence this year. Bishop Frank J. Dewane, who celebrated the Triduum liturgies from Epiphany Cathedral, said the temporary closure of churches is a bitter affliction that all feel deeply. "I am painfully aware that this causes you, good Catholics, diffi- culty as you are troubled and hurt by the loss of the Eucharist and the other sacraments, the consola- tion of those sacraments in your life," Bishop Dewane said. "Our churches are closed, but yet I think we have to think of something else. Christ isn't quarantined from any of us. Indeed, the Gospel is not in chains. The Word of the Lord, it is out there. It is alive. In prayer and in Faith we are people of the Word, the Word of God, the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. With both of these together, whether its online or from a distance, nothing can stand in our way." Images of Pope Francis celebrat- ing Mass in an empty St. Peter Basil- ica, or a priest standing behind the altar with no congregation present did not diminish the significance of the liturgies. In fact, by tuning in to these celebrations, the faithful of Holy Mother Church were united in a way like never before. Remotely yes, but with a renewed apprecia- tion for the Mass and the power of Holy Week that many may have taken for granted. "Thank you for the beautiful Mass. The Church is empty," one person noted on social media after watching the livestreamed Mass on Palm Sunday from Epiphany Ca- thedral in Venice. While the gathering for Mass had been suspended since mid-March, Palm Sunday, a day marking the triumphant entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, with its traditional dis- tribution of palms and uplifting liturgy, as well as the reading of the Passion of Christ, assist in putting the faithful in the right frame of mind for the significant events of Holy Week. The physical separation of the faithful from the Church changed the way one celebrated Holy Week, a week that brings comfort to many as the symbolism and traditions have been celebrated unchanged for centuries. Parishes encouraged the faithful to proudly display palms - readily found in Florida
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or other green- ery, either on the doors or windows of their homes. The most imagina- tive created elaborate fan of palm fronds or large palm crosses for display, while others stood by the traditional placing of a palm frond behind a cross in their home or on
Faithful united from afar
HOLY WEEK
Bishop Frank J. Dewane lights the Easter Candle at the start of the Easter Vigil on April 11, 2020, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. At left, At center, Father Sebastian Szczawnski, Parochial Vicar of Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, presents the cross during the Good Friday Passion of the Lord liturgy on April 10, 2020, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. Above, following the Renewal of Baptismal Promises, Bishop Frank J. Dewane blesses the priests on the altar with holy water. Click the inset icon to view the Good Friday video.
PLEASE SEE HOLY, 4
This home is decorate with a cross and palms in honor of Palm Sunday. (COURTESY) Deacon Scott Little sings the Exsultet at the opening of the Easter Vigil before a darkened and empty church during the Easter Vigil April 11, 2020, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. Click the inset icon to view the Easter Vigil Mass video. Bishop Frank J. Dewane lays prostrate before the altar at the opening of the Good Friday Passion of the Lord liturgy on April 10, 2020, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. (PHOTOS BY BOB REDDY FC)
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