I wish for you to use Lent as a preparation for Easter, both by deepening your prayer life and by regularly engaging with God's word.

In the week of March 30, there will be an altar server meeting in the Church of the Holy Family on Monday at 5 PM. There will be no online meeting on Tuesday. On Friday at 4:45 PM, we will continue with the children's club preparing for First Holy Communion. On Friday at 5 PM, there will be First Friday Adoration in the Church of the Holy Family; the Stations of the Cross will not take place after the Holy Mass, but the invitation still stands for Tuesday at 8 PM for the Stations of the Cross at Petřín, meeting at the first station. On Saturday, April 5, at 9 AM, we invite and ask for your participation in the pre-Easter cleaning of the Church of St. Martin. Please bring work clothes. The Holy Mass next Sunday will include a sermon for children. On Sunday after the Holy Mass, there will be parish coffee; please bring some refreshments, thank you in advance. On Sunday at 10:30 AM, Leila Pištolová and Petr Hovorka will be baptized in the Church of St. Martin.

In the week of April 6, there will be a meeting over Scripture and topics on Monday at 7 PM in the Club. On Tuesday at 8:30 PM, there will be an online catechism hour. On Thursday at 7 PM, there will be a meeting of the parish pastoral council in the Club. On Friday at 4:45 PM, the preparation for children’s First Holy Communion will continue in the Club. On Friday after the Holy Mass, there will be the devotion of the Stations of the Cross in the Church of the Holy Family. Next Sunday, the branches will be blessed during the Holy Mass. Please bring your branches; they will also be available in the church. I thank everyone involved for their help during yesterday's cleaning in the Church of St. Martin.

Starting with the Sunday of April 13, we enter Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, you are invited to the solemn Vespers with visual meditation at Strahov – it begins at 7:30 PM in the Strahov Basilica and can also be watched online on the YouTube channel of Strahov Monastery. On Monday, April 14, at 4:30 PM, there will be an opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation in the Church of the Holy Family. On Tuesday at 8:30 PM, there will be an online biblical hour. On Wednesday, we invite the altar servers at 5 PM for a meeting at the Church of the Holy Family. Attendance will be important for rehearsing the ceremonies of the Easter Triduum. On Maundy Thursday, there will be the washing of the feet during Mass, followed by guided adoration in the Garden of Gethsemane. Good Friday is a day of strict fasting (abstinence from meat combined with a fast of penance that binds Catholics between the ages of 18 and 60). In the Church of the Holy Family, there will be the Stations of the Cross at 9 AM. Subsequently, the church will be accessible for silent prayer. In the evening at 9 PM, I invite you to the Stations of the Cross at Petřín, meeting in front of Strahov Basilica. On Holy Saturday, I invite you in the morning at 8 AM for prayer with readings in the Church of the Holy Family. Following that, there will be the rites of catechumenate before the baptism of adults. On the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, the foods will be blessed at the conclusion of the Holy Mass; please place them either in front of the altar or keep them at your seat. Note that the Holy Mass at St. Martin’s is at 10:30 AM. In the attachment to this article, you will also find the program of Easter services in our parish.

Sunday, April 20 is the day of the Resurrection of the Lord, at the end of the Holy Mass, we bless the foods — keep them either with you or place them in front of the altar before the Mass. After the Holy Mass, there will be parish coffee; if you can, please bring something for refreshments, thank you in advance. On Tuesday at 8:30 PM, there will be an online catechism hour. On Friday at 4:45 PM, the preparation for children's First Holy Communion will continue in the Club. Then on Saturday, we will have the first reconciliation with the children at 4:30 PM in the Church of the Holy Family. Next Sunday, during the Holy Mass at 9 AM, the children will receive the sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. I sincerely thank everyone who participated in the celebration of the Easter liturgy, all the sacristans, altar servers, choir members, singers, and organists, and everyone who was willing to help. Today, Sunday at 7:30 PM, I invite you to the solemn Vespers with a procession to the baptismal font at our Strahov, followed by the entire Easter Octave at 5 PM. In the attachment to this article, we bring you the pastoral letter of Archbishop Jan Graubner for the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord.

We invite you to Strahov for a workshop on Handmade Paper Making on Saturday, April 26 from 9 AM to 6 PM. The event of the Strahov Library and the graphic school in Hellichova Street will include not only the production of paper and a booklet but also a lecture by librarian Jan Pařez, as well as a tour of the library and the church, including a demonstration of the Strahov organ. Details including registration, pricing, and further information can be found on the poster on the bulletin board and in the attachment to this article.

To encourage understanding of the meaning of the Easter rituals, I share a video by Radek Tichý.

I wish you a peaceful month of April and much strength in all your tasks.

Řehoř J. Žáček.

Downloads

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for reading in the app here: Pastoral letter for the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord (114.28 kB)