Lent and Easter at Cathedral
Dear Parishioners and Friends of Cathedral,
Like the woman at the well, we all are thirsting for something. What would you say it is for you this Lent? I know that I am very ready to have spring and summer here again, but more importantly, I am very thirsty for a deeper relationship with Almighty God. The older I get, the more I realize that things of this world no longer really satisfy me. I want more, and the more is Jesus Christ.
Let’s together open our hearts to Him this Lent. Let’s intentionally invite him into our lives. Let’s get to know Him more deeply in these days ahead. One way to do this is to spend more time with His words in the Gospel.
The Archbishop has suggested that we take time to read the Gospel passage a few days before we arrive at Sunday Mass. He suggests that we not only read it once, but several times so that we can really hear it.
We will be practicing this as a group on Wednesday nights during Lent. Consider joining us in church and being a part of this practice. You will find out more about this below.
Yes, we are all thirsting for the Living God! He invites us to the well. Let’s take a drink of His precious words together.
Blessings to you, Fr. Michael Grewe, Saint Cecilia Cathedral Pastor
Ash Wednesday
March 2
Holy Mass 7:00 am and 11:15 am. Also 7:00 pm with Archbishop Lucas (will be livestreamed).
Holy Masses During Lent
Join us!
Sundays 7:30 am, 9:30 am (livestreamed), 11:30 am, 5:30 pm
Weekdays 7:00 am and 11:15 am
Saturdays 7:30 am and 5:30 pm
Confessions
Prepare for Easter
Weekdays 7:30 to 8:00 am
Saturdays 4:00 to 5:00 pm
Tuesday of Holy Week 6:00 to 7:00 pm [April 12]
Good Friday 12:45 pm [April 15]
Holy Saturday 4:00 to 5:00 pm [April 16]
Lectio Divina
Lord, Quench Our Thirst!
Come pray and learn with others and allow Jesus to quench your thirst for Him, the living water. Fr. Eliot Schwer will offer Exposition/Adoration at 6:30 pm in the church (optional); 7:00 pm Lectio Divina (praying about the coming Sunday’s Gospel); 7:30 pm Benediction. Then we will go to the Parish Center Dining Room for small group sharing until 8:30 pm.
This prayer time is open to everyone. Come to one or all sessions this Lent on Wednesdays March 9 - April 6.
Stations of the Cross
Via Dolorosa
Fridays 6:00 pm [March 4 - April 8]
Good Friday Noon [April 15]
The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.
Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Music
Join us as we worship through word and music!
Under the direction of Dr. Marie Rubis Bauer and
Michael Emmerich, our Cathedral choirs and musicians
add an inspiring element to our liturgies and Masses.
The Roman Rite involves essentially singing the Mass, including dialogues between the priest and people, chanted prayers, short refrains interspersed with Psalmody. In Holy Week there are an unusually high number of musical offerings in the form of longer motets – pieces of music that match the ritual.
Palm Sunday
April 10
Holy Mass 7:30 am, 11:30 am, 5:30 pm
9:30 am with Archbishop Lucas (will be livestreamed)
Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.
Palm Sunday is known as such because the faithful will often receive palm fronds which they use to participate in the reenactment of Christ's arrival in Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.
Palm branches are widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, hence their preferred use on Palm Sunday.
Chrism Mass
April 11
Holy Mass 11:00 am (will be livestreamed)
Archbishop Lucas and the priests of the Archdiocese of Omaha gather at the Cathedral to celebrate the Chrism Mass.
This Mass manifests the unity of the priests with their bishop. Here the bishop blesses three oils — the oil of catechumens (oleum catechumenorum or oleum sanctorum), the oil of the infirm (oleum infirmorum) and holy chrism (sacrum chrisma) — which will be used in the administration of the sacraments throughout the diocese for the year.
Holy Thursday
April 14
Mass of the Lord's Supper 7:00 pm
with Archbishop Lucas (will be livestreamed)
Adoration follows Mass until Midnight.
With this Mass the Church begins the sacred Easter Triduum and devotes herself to the remembrance of the Last Supper.
This Mass is, first of all, the memorial of the institution of the eucharist, that is, of the Memorial of the Lord's Passover, by which under sacramental signs he perpetuated among us the sacrifice of the New Law. The Mass of the Lord's Supper is also the memorial of the institution of the priesthood, by which Christ's mission and sacrifice are perpetuated in the world. In addition, this Mass is the memorial of that love by which the Lord loved us even to death.
Good Friday
April 15
Stations of the Cross Noon
Confessions 12:45 pm (after Stations of the Cross)
Solemn Liturgy of the Lord's Passion 7:00 pm
with Archbishop Lucas (will be livestreamed)
Good Friday is the most solemn day of the Christian year.
It is the day our Savior died for us.
It is the day we were redeemed from our sins by the voluntary death of God Himself at the hands of man.
Good Friday is a day of penance to be observed as of obligation in the whole Church, and indeed through abstinence and fasting.
Easter Vigil Mass
April 16
8:00 pm
with Archbishop Lucas (will be livestreamed)
The Easter Vigil is the greatest liturgy of the entire year in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The Roman Missal guides the celebration of this great night and even refers to the Easter Vigil as the “mother of all vigils” which is quoting St. Augustine from the 5th Century. The Easter Vigil is packed with breathtaking symbolism and meaning. And it is packed with a celebration of everything that we hold dear as Catholics. Christ is seen throughout in amazing grandeur.
Easter Sunday
April 17
Holy Mass 7:30 am, 9:30 am (will be livestreamed), 11:30 am, 5:30 pm
Easter is the celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It is celebrated on Sunday, and marks the end of Holy Week, the end of Lent, the last day of the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday), and is the beginning of the Easter season of the liturgical year.
As we know from the Gospels, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day following his crucifixion, which would be Sunday. His resurrection marks the triumph of good over evil, sin and death. It is the singular event which proves that those who trust in God and accept Christ will be raised from the dead.
Since Easter represents the fulfillment of God's promises to mankind, it is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar.