Honouring the Victory of the Cross
Summit and centre of the Liturgical Year, the celebrations of the Pascal Triduum are an occasion of special graces for the faithful who participate in them.
At the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Church gives thanks for the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood, manifested with special solemnity in the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament to the Repository. However, a note of sorrow is felt at the end of the ceremony with the stripping of the altar, which evokes the beginning of the Saviour’s sufferings. The prostration of the priest opens the Good Friday Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, culminating with the Adoration of the Holy Cross, imbued with the redeeming Blood. Nothing compares, however, to the Church’s joy in celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus in the Easter Vigil. The ceremony begins with the blessing of the new fire and the procession with the paschal candle, a symbol of Christ, the Light that overcomes the darkness of sin. This occasion is particularly suitable for the Baptism of catechumens. And the joys of Easter Sunday also include the chocolate eggs given out to the children.
These pages offer a sampling of the ceremonies carried out by the Heralds of the Gospel from April 6 to 9, at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Caieiras, and at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Cotia, both in Brazil; the Monastery of Jesus and Mary Joseph, in Madrid, Spain; the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, in Tocancipá, Colombia; the Church of the Mother of Good Counsel, in Ypacaraí, Paraguay; at Our Lady of Fatima Oratory and at St. Agnes Chapel, Mairiporã, Brazil; in the St. Joseph Community of Matola-Gare, in Matola, Mozambique; and at the House of the Heralds in Guimarães, Portugal.
Also noteworthy was the processional Stations of the Cross at the house of the Heralds in Guatemala, as well as the processions with the recumbent Christ at the Royal Discalced Convent in Madrid, and on the streets surrounding Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, in Medellin, Colombia.
18th National Shrine
Apostolate Encounter
Ten thousand people participated in the 18th National Shrine Apostolate Encounter, held on April 22 at the Fatima Shrine in Portugal. The programme began with the entrance procession and crowning of the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, followed by Holy Mass celebrated by Most Rev. Francisco José Villas-Boas Senra de Faria Coelho, Archbishop of Évora, in the Basilica of the Blessed Trinity. “I see in the Heralds of the Gospel an adamantine and valiant fidelity of encounter with the Lord in prayer, in faithfulness to the Church and therefore an echo of the Gospel that we heard today”, said the prelate during the homily. After the celebration, there was a period of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the recitation of the Rosary and a procession to the Little Chapel of Apparitions.
Brazil – At the invitation of the Franciscan Brothers of the Providence of God, the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary visited, in March and April, the premises of the St. Francis University Hospital, in the municipality of Bragança Paulista, and the Holy Houses of Mercy in the cities of Aparecida and Guaratinguetá. To the pleasing sound of the musical pieces performed by the young heralds, the Mother of God brought comfort and hope to both staff and patients.
República Dominicana – The St. Francis of Assisi Nursing Home, run by the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly in the city of Santo Domingo, was also visited by the Pilgrim Statue. There was a crowning of the Blessed Virgin followed by moments of prayer.
Guatemala – Brim-full of innocent joy, the children of the nursery school run by Our Lady of the Way Church in Guatemala City eagerly welcomed the Pilgrim Statue on March 23. Accompanied by teachers and assistants, they brought their youthful petitions to Mary Most Holy and received rosaries, holy cards and goodies as souvenirs of the occasion.
El Salvador – In order to raise the necessary funds for the construction of the new church of the Heralds in El Salvador, on April 18, more than five hundred people gathered for a charity dinner in San Salvador. During this occasion, Bishop Luigi Roberto Cona, Apostolic Nuncio to El Salvador, crowned the Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Those present were also able to enjoy a musical concert and watch a video about the progress of the construction.