Dear Friends,
On Holy Saturday, at the Great Paschal Vigil, as we announce the new Light of Resurrection, the deacon chants the Easter Exultet from the pulpit: O Felix Culpa—“O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!” These sacred words, sung out in the darkness of the church, show us that even in spite of sin and our mistakes, God is able to do something new.
That newness and restoration is revealed in the “sacrament” of Easter. Its power is just as fresh as it was 2,000 years ago. It is a message of Restoration that rings home and true to our own charism: Instaurare Sacra—“To Restore the Sacred.”
In our church, the painting of St. John Cantius shows exactly this miracle. We see our dear Patron picking up the pieces of the broken jug and putting them back together. The jug is refilled with water and through the prayers of Father John, it is turned to rich, sweet milk. The miracle teaches us that nothing is beyond repair. Nothing is wasted.
Who among us is not in need of that kind of deep restoration? To pick up the pieces, to be put back together, and be made whole again, and again.
The great liturgist, Fr. Pius Parsch wrote, "In Holy Week we participate in the most sublime drama of religious history."
Dear friends, Easter is an opportunity to renew this miracle in our lives. In these sacred and grace filled days of Holy Week, we can relive the love of our Saviour and what it cost Him. Will you participate? Or will you merely be a spectator? The choice is yours. As is its reward.
Each priest and brother of the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius thanks you for your Easter generosity and wishes that you deeply experience the restoration brought by the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Redeemer.
In Christ Risen,
Father Joshua Caswell, SJC
Pastor and Superior General
Holy Week and Easter Schedule 2023
“In Holy Week we participate in the most sublime drama of religious history.” —Fr. Pius Parsch
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