Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

I regret that we are unable to gather as a parish family to celebrate the Eucharist. However, I want you to know that I am celebrating a private Mass throughout this time and including the Mass intentions listed in the parish bulletin at these Masses. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have sent your weekly offering to us during this period in which public Masses have been suspended. Your support helps us to continue to advance the mission of St. Joan of Arc Parish. May the Lord reward your generosity and kindness. Although the church remains closed at this time, you can participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and view other very good quality spiritual programming on Catholic TV, found on your local cable Channel 268, or on EWTN, Channel 56. You can also view daily Mass on-line at: http://www.catholictv.org/masses/catholictv-mass

Recently, it was decided by the Bishops of our region that out of a concern for the health of our community, no public Masses or Liturgies will be celebrated this Holy Week and Easter Sunday. However, on Palm Sunday weekend, blessed palms will be made available at the main entrance of our church during the regularly scheduled Mass times: Saturday, April 4 from 5pm to 6pm and Sunday, April 5 from 8am to 11am. It is important to not use this as an opportunity to socialize with friends we may see during those hours. Please maintain the social distancing prescribed by the Commonwealth and safely return to the sanctuary of your homes.

This will be a very different experience of Holy Week for us. I do encourage you to take advantage of the television and internet opportunities to participate in the religious services led by the Holy Father in Rome. Let us remember this year that in this time of worldwide pandemic, we are members of a worldwide Church shepherded by the Bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter, Pope Francis. May this be a source of spiritual strength, consolation and hope.

A number of people have spoken with me recently about how they truly miss receiving Holy Communion. For many of us it has always been a part of the rhythm of our lives which we may easily have taken for granted would always be available to us. These conversations have reminded me of what the Church has referred to over the centuries as an Act of Spiritual Communion. I would like to say a few words about this here.

No matter what our day is like, Jesus can help make it better, or at least more bearable, if we ask Him for His help and guidance in prayers such as this one, composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori in the 18th century:

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

The best way to receive Christ in Holy Communion is at Mass. Yet for those times when we can’t make Mass, we can still reach out to Him by making a Spiritual Communion in prayer. St. Thomas Aquinas once defined a Spiritual Communion as, “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him.” We can make a Spiritual Communion whenever and wherever we'd like, using this prayer or our own heartfelt thoughts. Christ might not answer us quite so instantaneously, but we can rest assured, He can and will respond to anyone who comes to Him in love and humility for His Divine assistance. After all, didn’t He say in the Sermon on the Mount, concerning the power of prayer, “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find” (Matt 7:7)? We just need to approach Him with sincerity, humility and a desire to follow in His footsteps in acts of faith and charity. And He’s delighted when we do so!

St. Jean-Marie Vianney, a French clergyman and Patron Saint of Parish Priests, who as an instrument of God’s grace, converted countless souls to Christ in his parish at Ars in the 19th century, once said, “when we feel the love of God growing cold, let us instantly make a Spiritual Communion. When we cannot go to the church, let us turn our thoughts towards the tabernacle; no wall can shut us out from the good God.”  We can all indeed be grateful for that!

Although we are disappointed that we are not able to participate in the community and parish events that we had looked forward to, our journey to and through Holy Week continues. Perhaps it has become more of a monastic Lent in the isolation of self-quarantine. However, when we look to the lives of the saints, we often see that at the times when they were “stopped in their tracks” and redirected away from their regular routine, it was then that they heard the voice of God in their hearts in a new and fresh way. We think of St. Ignatius of Loyola who while convalescing from a battle wound, felt the presence of God for the first time and it changed the course of the rest of his life. From there he went on to found the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, who proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ and taught the Catholic Faith throughout the world.

Let us remember one another in prayer, especially those most in need of our prayers during these extraordinary days. May we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who is with us in all seasons and circumstances of our lives. St. Joan of Arc, pray for us. Our Lady of Fall River, pray for us.

Sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Bill Rodrigues

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Message from Bishop Edgar M da Cunha, S.D.V. 03/17/20 

In this time of trial and testing, teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind.  Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts. https://vimeo.com/398283519

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From the Bishop

I invite you to submit any special prayer intention you may have.  I will personally read each special intention and bring it before the Lord each and every day,

+Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V.

RECTORY AND PARISH OFFICES
61 Canal Road, Orleans, MA 02653
Tel 508-255-0170
Fax 508-240-6741
Mass Schedule Line 508-240-7818
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm
E-MAIL: joanarc@c4.net
WEBSITE: www.joanarc.org

WEEKDAY MASS
8:00 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

SATURDAY VIGIL
5:00pm

SUNDAY MASS
September - June 8:00 and 10:00am
July - Labor Day 8:00, 9:30, 11:00am

HOLY DAYS
5:00pm Vigil
8:00am and 12:00 noon

We are a faith-filled community and this is a joy!  The wonderful spirit of generosity and hospitality of our parish is a constant beacon of welcome for all who seek the warm embrace of solace and friendship.  This is a special charism which continually strengthens and inspires us.

Both the upper church and the church hall are handicap accessible.

Please take time to peruse our web site.  Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.