Get Out Your Sacramental Suit!

It's a Sacrament-filled Sunday here at I.C.  At 1:00 PM we celebrate 5 Baptisms in the chapel (and we hope you know you are always invited to come and "cheer" for our newest Catholics).

 

At the 5:00 PM Mass we'll be celebrating the Confirmations of 40 of our young people and adults. This is always a beautiful and meaningful Mass, so we hope you'll join us. 

Oh, and don't forget, this Sunday many of the churches in Malden (including ours) will be participating in a city-wide open house. Look for balloons at the doors of churches that are open and step on inside. You can read more about it here. Cool idea, and this is the first attempt so your participation will make it a success.

And of course there's always the beautiful sacrament of Eucharist, offered at every Mass. Check out the Mass schedule on this very webpage for your chance to join your parish family in prayer!

Happy Easter everyone! 

-MM

Sister Margo's award

We are back from California, and back to work here at I.C. Just thought I'd share one of the pictures that will be featured in this week's bulletin, about Sr. Margo's award:

Organ Concert

Rosalind Mohnsen, Organist and Director of Music at I.C. Parish, will present an organ concert at St. Cecilia Church in Boston on Friday, May 1 at 8:00 PM. The one-hour program is free with optional donation and will be followed by a reception. The church is located at 18 Belvidere St., just off Mass Ave. between Symphony Hall and Boylston St. For further info, call 617-536-4548.

Middle School Youth Group Cancelled!

Aw, we know, sad news! But Wildlife is only canceled for today, and will be back! Keep an eye on this webpage for upcoming dates!

Sunday, April 19

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! If there's anything the world could use more of these days, it's MERCY. Today we wrap up the 9-day devotion that you can learn more about here- but the mercy of Jesus, lucky for us, remains!
We (members of the pastoral staff) are happy to be back on home soil, and will post great pictures and information from our trip to the NCEA/NPCD conference!

Greetings from California!

Hello everyone back East! We're all on the ground here in Anaheim, but missing Fr. Mehm, who couldn't be with us. Our award winning Sister Margo will be feted at a banquet tomorrow night. See proof of her fame here! Leave your congratulatory comments here on the blog and we will pass them along!
-MM

Hurray for Sr. Margo!

After a gorgeous Easter Sunday and a quick rest, most of the parish staff of IC is heading out to California to celebrate as our own Sister Margo Shea, CSJ is being given a national award! 

Sister Margo's being awarded the Religious Education Excellence award from the National Catholic Educators Association's parish group, called the National Parish Catechetical Directors. 

(If you're keeping score, that's the NCEA's NPCD.)

We are so proud to show Sister Margo off to this appreciative crowd, and can't wait to hear her name called. In our nomination of her, we talked about how vital her work at IC has been, and her pivotal role in helping us move toward changing our model of faith formation to Generations of Faith. 

Thanks for all you've done, and all you do, Sister Margo! Congratulations! 

-MM

Easter Sunday at the 9:00 Mass!

Our children's choir was in their Sunday best!

They sang like angels!

We welcomed Chloe in Baptism. 

Receive the light of Christ!

Congratulations to Chloe and her family!

-MM

Good Friday and Holy Saturday pictures

This year on Good Friday, the Passion was chanted by three of our amazing cantors.

We venerated the cross, presented to us by the Deacon and our young people.

Right after the Good Friday service, our decorating team got to work!

Saturday night, the vigil started in darkness, and the flame was passed around the church.

Our newest adult Catholic. Congratulations!

Happy Easter! Glory to God in the Highest! Alleluia!

-MM

Triduum Day 3

Congratulations first and foremost to our Youth Ministry, over 125 young people and adults spent the last 24 hours fasting from food and doing service and prayer to raise money for Catholic Relief Services. They did some amazing work, showed a fine example for the entire community at the Stations of the Cross and the Good Friday service, and raised a WHOPPING $5000!!! This is their best effort yet, and the entire parish is so impressed and proud! You make us look good, young people!!!

Join us tonight for the most beautiful liturgy of the year (in my humble opinion!), the Easter Vigil. We start in darkness and light the church by taper candles, it is beautiful- and hear the stories that define our faith and our Church. When we get to the Good News, we throw the lights on and sing the Alleluia and Gloria, which we've missed all throughout Lent. Tonight we welcome three adults into full communion, too! Come and see the gorgeous church, and the Body of Christ rejoicing together. You won't forget it!

Scenes from Holy Week at I.C.

Our church all dressed up for Palm Sunday

Ecumenical Choir Concert

Towels at the ready for foot washing

Our teenagers starting the FOOD FAST with the Stations of the Cross

We're Mid-Trid

Last night's Holy Thursday Mass was beautiful and very moving. More people than ever joined us to begin the Triduum observance and it was wonderful to be there together with our community, journeying with Jesus through what I know will be a most blessed Three Days. 

Lots of pictures to come~ as I write this from the Youth Ministry office, I can see high school and middle school students filing in for the 24-hour Food Fast for Catholic Relief Services. This year more than 130 young people signed up and the entire parish is invited to Fast along with them. We hope to raise over $3000 and have fun and do some good while we're at it. Come and see the sea of orange t-shirts at the Stations of the Cross at Noon in the church!

-MM

Holy Thursday

All you need to know? 7:30 PM. Just come, 7:30 PM - bring your family, bring a friend... come learn how it all began and how it all goes on. Just come and see!

-MM

Triduum- Holy Thursday

Today is the last day before Triduum, are you ready? Let's get into Triduum shape together: First, it's important to pronounce it right! It's Tri-Doo-Um, NOT Tri-DI-Um. It's a natural mistake, but you will be marked as a true Catholic Rookie if you go around pronouncing it incorrectly. Second, you should know that it means "Three Days" and the Three Days begin with Holy Thursday (aka Maundy Thursday, or Shire Thursday. www.fisheaters.com says it "commemorates Christ's Last Supper and the initiation of the Eucharist. Its name of 'Maundy' comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning 'command.' This stems from Christ's words in John 13:34, 'A new commandment I give unto you (That ye love one another; as I have loved you).'"
On Holy Thursday at Mass (7:30 PM), you'll see our priests and deacon wash the feet of people in the parish, and you can have yours washed too- just get in line and come to the front, just as you do for Communion. (Don't feel like you have to get your foot all dirty in preparation for this, it's really more symbolically cleansing than actually cleansing, although they will use nice warm water and clean towels.) Whether you have your foot washed or not, consider yourself a receiver of that mandatum!
After Communion, you'll see the ministers and the people in the church process out, following the priest carrying the Eucharist to the chapel downstairs. This is called the Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament (the B.Sacrament being the Eucharist, and the "reposition" refers to moving the Eucharist to another place for the night. People will stay for a while, in the chapel, to pray. This symbolic movement reminds us of Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he asked his friends to stay with him while he prayed. The chapel will remain open for some hours after the liturgy, so join us with Jesus in a time of quiet prayer as we enter the holiest Three Days.
-MM

Once again: Triduum and Easter Sunday schedule

This is it folks! It's the holiest week of the year, the week where the whole story comes together, the week where we remember the history of our faith and hear the Good News proclaimed again. I really believe that participating in the whole Triduum is an experience that every Catholic should experience, it's a great way to really ready us for Easter. So, join your parish family for as much of the Triduum as you can, you won't be sorry! -MM
Here's the Schedule:

Holy Thursday, April 9th

7:30 PM Mass of the Lord's Supper, Adoration until 11 PM in the Chapel

Good Friday, April 10th

9:00 AM Morning Prayer

7:30 PM Good Friday Liturgy

Holy Saturday, April 11th

9:00 AM Morning Prayer

7:30 PM Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday, April 12th

Masses at 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM (No 5:00 PM Mass)

The Palm Sunday Concert was a success!

Last night's Palm Sunday concert was beautiful, AND dramatic! The choirs from many different churches (Catholic, and non) combined to sing Dubois' Seven Last Words of Christ (this audio sample is NOT from our choir, but it'll give you a quick taste of the music. Impressive, no?)

The drama was with the missing timpanist... the concert started late because he was stuck in traffic behind an accident on Rte. 93. Just before the last "word," though, the side doors flew open and he swooped in, set up his music stand, and took his position, and the choir and orchestra and timpanist concluded the piece with majesty and beauty. It was a great night overall, and WELL worth the wait! I'll post some (blurry) pictures here as soon as I can. Thanks to all our musicians and BRAVA to our wonderful music director, Rosalind Mohnsen!

-MM

Palm Sunday Concert, April 5th

The 24th Annual Ecumenical Palm Sunday Concert featuring Theodore Dubois' - The Seven Last Words of Christ - in the Church on April 5th at 7:30 PM.  Performed by local Church Choirs with Orchestra - Rosalind Mohnsen, Director - with Delphine Haldane, Soprano, Michael Belle, Tenor, and Richard Freeman, Baritone.  Suggested Offering is $10.  All are welcome.

-SM

It's Holy Week!

It's Holy Week again! We talk about Holy Week as the Superbowl of the Catholic Church. Everything we do all year leads up to this week- in fact, this week is in the minds of people who design churches- it's that important. You'd never put a carpet in a church that wouldn't go well with the color RED, a very important and meaningful color for the Church at this time of year. If you are on the fence about your faith, or wonder about the roots of the Catholic church, Holy Week tells the stories that can answer your questions. IC's Holy Week schedule is below, come for some or come for all and see your faith grow!

There's so much information online about this very holy week. Here are some: 

Catholic.org has some great information!

Fisheaters.com (great name!) tells the stories behind the stories. Check out the Palm Sunday page (including instructions on how to make those palm crosses!), and then try searching for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. 

Slate.com has a behind the scenes look at Holy Week from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.- where DO they get all that oil??

Happy, blessed Holy Week to you, from all of us at I.C.!

Good Tips for College Students

College students: graduating in May? This article has some good advice:

http://www.thesocialpath.com/2009/04/five-things-id-do-if-i-were-graduating-in-may.html

(right-click on the link and open it in a new window for best results)

1000 Club

I went to the 1000 club drawing tonight for my first time. I bought a number this year, and so far, no good- I thought maybe my presence would bring me luck- but no. I didn't win, but I had a nice time, and met a new friend or two, too. Here are some scenes from my un-winning night!

It's a great system: volunteers pick a number, the announcer announces it, and the tables at the left and right of the picture confirm the number. These people are pros! You can see the yellow "door prize" sign in the left picture, too- every member gets an additional chance at $25.00... I didn't win that either. Still, a great night out! Check it out for yourself, the first Wed. night of each month, 7:00 in the hall! (PS, even if you don't have a number, you can buy one for a night, for $5!)

The Afore-mentioned Green Shoots...

...or should I say Below-mentioned?

Holy Week, Triduum, Easter Schedule

Palm Sunday, April 5th

Vigil Mass on Saturday, April 4th at 4:00 PM

Masses at 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 5:00 PM

Holy Thursday, April 9th

7:30 PM Mass of the Lord's Supper, Adoration until 11 PM in the Chapel

Good Friday, April 10th

9:00 AM Morning Prayer

7:30 PM Good Friday Liturgy

Holy Saturday, April 11th

9:00 AM Morning Prayer

7:30 PM Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday, April 12th

Masses at 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM (No 5:00 PM Mass)