Our Lent and Easter Celebrations

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With the words "From ashes you were formed and to ashes you will return", we recieve a cross-shaped mark of ashes on our foreheads as a reminder of our own mortality. This is how the season of Lent begins for Catholics all over the world. Lent is the season of preparing ourselves to remember and celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It is a season marked by fasting, penitance and much prayer. A popular devotion during this season is Stations-of-the-Cross. In this devotion, we take a virtual trip back in time to witness what happened to Jesus as he carried His cross up Galgotha Hill. Here at St. William, our Knights of Columbus sponsor the Stations every Friday evening during Lent and also provide a pancake supper afterwords.

Here, our young people are participating in a Living Station of the Cross.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which celebrates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the people waved palm branches in His honor. We begin Palm Sunday by blessing palm branches and then processing around the church property singing hymns of praise.

Father Stan blesses the palm branches on Palm Sunday.

Holy Thursday is a solemn service as we remember the events that took place that night. Jesus initiated the Lord's Supper, washed the diciple's feet, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, was arrested, and began His trial. One ritual which we perform on Holy Thursday is foot-washing.

Father Stan washes the feet of twelve men of the parish.

Easter Vigil is the most sacred Mass of the year. On this night we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. The Vigil starts outside after sundown as we light the Easter Candle, which represents the Light-of-Christ. Each person then lights his or her own candle from the Easter Candle and we process into a darkened church. At the proclamation, "Christ is risen! Hallelulia!", the lights are turned on and the Vigil continues with readings, chants, and psalms from Holy Scripture, recounting stories of God's saving work in the history of mankind. It is on this night that candidates are baptized, confirmed and brought into the Catholic Church as full members. The Easter Vigil is a joyous celebration of life, lasting about two hours.

The sun has set and we begin the Easter Vigil outside.

We light the Easter Candle and begin to process into the church.

The service inside begins in the light of small candles which were lit from the Easter Candle.

The people are reminded of God's saving grace through a beautiful medieval-style chant given by our Cantor. The smoke is from burning incense which fills the church with a wonderous, bitter-sweet smell.

A candidate is recieving the Sacrament of Confirmation as he is recieved as a full member in the Catholic Church.

We continue to celebrate the Easter Season for another fifty days until the Feast of Pentecost. During this time we celebrate an important Holiday: Mother's Day! Here at St. William it is a tradition to celebrate First Holy Communion on Mother's Day. The chapel is packed as visitors from all over the area as well as out-of-state come to celebrate the First Holy Communion with our children.

Group picture of our First Communicants.

Recieving First Communion.

It is also during the Easter Season that we honor our High School graduates. Each year the Knights of Columbus give out scholarships to help them as they go on to college.

Our graduates from the Class of 2000.