Our Parish Mission begins today!     Two of Father Walt's conferees --- Father Pat Mullin, C.M. and Father Jeff Harvey, C.M. --- are preaching our Parish Mission this year.

Father Jeff was ordained in 1993, and is currently in great demand as a homilist and a preacher.   His current assignments include serving as an Assistant in the Archdiocesan Office of African-American Catholics, and Vocation Director for the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers.

Father Pat was ordained in 1975, and is currently conducting Recovery Retreats and Parish Missions.   Father Pat is also superior of the Vincentian Community at the De Paul Center in Montebello.

Fathers Pat and Jeff will divide the conferences during our Parish Mission.    Both will be available for confession if requested.

Besides preaching at all the Masses this weekend, Fathers Pat and Jeff will preach after the 8:00 am Mass and after the 12:05 pm Mass Monday thru Thursday.     They will also preside at and deliver a homily during the 7:30 pm Mass Monday thru Wednesday.

Thursday they will offer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick after the Homily after the 12:05 p.m. Mass.    To receive this Sacrament, a person must have some serious health difficulty.    Such a difficulty might be retardation, emotional and severe stress problems, any manner of serious physical health conditions, and old age.     

Thursday Evening our Parish Mission will close with our Lenten/Easter Communal Penance Service.    A total of 12 priests will hear confessions that evening, so the lines should be short and the wait even shorter.

Prayerful consider coming to our Mission this week.    Also, prayerfully consider not coming alone, but bringing some guests with you.

Suffering and illness have always been among the greatest problems that trouble our human spirit.   However, we Christians are called upon to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear our pain with greater courage.    For as St. Paul reminds us, we are called upon to join our sufferings and pain with those pains of Christ Jesus for the salvation of the world.     By their witness, the sick show that our mortal life must be redeemed through the mystery of Christ's Paschal Mystery.

Our God is not a masochist!    In His great goodness and love, He shares with us His graces in the midst of our pain and suffering as He did with His only Son.    One of the ways our God has given to us to help us in our pain, is the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.   This Sacrament gives us the grace of the Holy Spirit.    "Through this holy anointing, may the Lord in His love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit.    May the Lord who frees you from sin, save you and raise you up."

And, as the priest prays after anointing the ill person:   "Lord Jesus . . . cure the weakness of your ill servant.    Heal his/her sickness and forgive his/her sins; expel all afflictions of mind and body; mercifully restore him/her to full health, and enable him/her to resume his/her former duties for You are Lord for ever and ever.   Amen."

Like all Sacraments, this Sacrament too should be administered communally.    For the whole community of faith shares their prayer.    For as the priest prays further:   "When alone, assure him/her of the support of all your holy people."

Who should receive this Sacrament of Anointing?    Anyone who is seriously ill should be anointed.   Such a person would be anyone needing surgery, anyone having a terminal illness, the elderly who have been weakened by the passage of time, people of any age suffering from any emotional or psychological illness/stress.

Who cannot be anointed?    Anyone who has certainly died cannot be anointed, as the Sacraments are only for the living.     Also, anyone who has publicly stated he/she does not wish to reconcile with the Church and has not changed his/her mind before going into a coma.    But in this latter case, all should pray for this person and seek the mercy of God upon such a one, even though they cannot be anointed.

One and all who feel they are in need of God's saving help in their difficulties are invited and encouraged to receive His loving mercy in the Sacrament of Anointing this Thursday after the 12:05 p.m. Mass.

Passion Sunday introduces the Holiest Week of the year.   Thus, palms branches will be blessed next weekend before all of our Masses.

Any who wish, may bring their own palms fronds or olive branches.    If you do, please have a member of your family stand in the vestibule area with your fronds/branches before Mass, so that the priest Presider may bless them along with the other branches being furnished by the parish community.