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We will take up the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Today, over 40% of dioceses in the United States are considered mission territories because they are unable to fund the essential pastoral work their communities need. Your support of this appeal helps ease the struggle of these dioceses. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this appeal. More information can be found at www. usccb.org/home-missions.
Even though we were not able to gather in church for Holy Week and Easter this year, there are people who made certain we still had prayer resources and beauty to enjoy!
Many thanks to our Communications Commission folks who did an outstanding job of keeping us connected and prayerful: Gary Pritts, Carrie Sekarek, Ed Shemo, Nadge Herceg and Sharon Jesse…..We need our tech geniuses now more than ever and are so grateful for our website and Facebook page.
The St. Matthew Passion media presentation for Palm Sunday was engineered with grace and skill by Peter Toomey, building on our 2014 art work prepared by Ellen Brinich. Videograms were prepared for the Triduum by Fr. Gurnick, the media team from St. Patrick’s, Gary Pritts, Peter Toomey and musicians from both parishes. Be sure to check out the prayer/video with cantor Brian Marshall singing Pie Jesu (by Andrew Lloyd Weber) against a backdrop of beautiful images of our church interior. If you drive past St. Malachi on West 25th you may notice that our Good Shepherd window is now lit from within and shines forth in the neighborhood, thanks to Stan Kozak. God bless one and all!
Fr. Gurnick uses high technology to evangelize the Ohio City neighborhood, crisscrossing the geographic territories of St. Malachi and St. Patrick parishes on Easter Sunday morning from 9:30AM to Noon. Happy Easter, He is Risen!
Fr. Gurnick offers his Easter Blessings to his parishioners at St. Patrick and St. Malachi parishes in Cleveland, Ohio.
On this night of the Easter Vigil, The Exsultet, the proclamation hymn of Easter, is sung before the Pascal Candle.
It is a proclamation of praise and thanksgiving celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord.
We pray for Easter Blessings for the parishioners of St. Malachi and St. Patrick parishes on this Easter Vigil, 2020.
The Exsultet is sung by cantors Brian Marshall and Victoria McBride.
Prior to COVID-19, the plan for St. Malachi and St. Patrick was for both parishes to celebrate Holy Thursday at St. Malachi, and for both parishes to celebrate the Easter Vigil at St. Patrick. So, here is the celebration:
Images from the Easter Vigil from previous years:
We are Easter People
There is a phrase that keeps bubbling up on Facebook posts that just about sums up the last 40 days: THIS LENT IS THE LENTIEST LENT I’VE EVER LENTED. We wake up every morning to a new reality, new restrictions, new statistics, new theories and need to learn a whole new normal way of dealing with daily life. For me personally the most difficult aspect of “sheltering in place” has been the inability to gather and pray with living, breathing, singing human beings. Online prayer resources and live streamed Masses are a great thing and are becoming more and more available as the weeks pass. The people and institutions committed to providing these opportunities are dedicated and tireless . Here at St. Malachi many of us have burst through our fear of technology (and germs) to learn new skills. Creative channels are becoming unclogged and flowing, we work hard at communication, but for me it has become so clear that we need to be in face to face contact with “living stones”. How do we celebrate alone together?
Pope John Paul II reminds us “Do not abandon yourself to despair. We are the Easter people and Hallelujah is our song!” We remain rooted in the hope we have in Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, to insist that we live in a world where a resurrection really did happen. So we continue to pray for one another, look out for our neighbors, find ways to be of service, marvel at the greening of the earth and rejoice in the fact that the steadfast love of God endures forever. This IS the day that the Lord has made! Let us be glad and rejoice!
May you and your loved ones be richly blessed with rich and surprising blessings today and through these next great 50 days of Easter.
—Charlene McElwee, Director Music/Liturgy
Dear St. Malachi Family,
I would like to extend many blessings to you and your families during these most uncertain times. Know that you are in my prayers. My daily prayer for each of you is for God’s protection from all harm, healing of body, soul and spirit, Christ’s peace, God’s grace and the joy that comes from knowing Him. Easter has not been cancelled or delayed, celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, the tomb is empty, Alleluia!! Rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus! Please know that your parish family is here for you and if you are in need please reach out, support one another as Christ has instructed us to do.
Love is the joy of Easter,
Therese Mullen, Pastoral Council Chair
Easter in a truly unusual way, which manifests and sums up the message of the Gospel, the message of God’s boundless love. And in the silence of the cities, the Easter Gospel will resound…In the risen Jesus, life has conquered death. This Easter faith nourishes our hope…It is the hope of a better time, in which we can be better, finally freed from evil, and from this pandemic. In the risen Jesus, life has conquered death. Beside each other, in love and patience, we can prepare a better time. The creativity of Love can overcome isolation. Make a gesture of tenderness towards those who suffer. Tell them that the Pope is close, and prays that the Lord will soon deliver us from all evil. And you, my people, please pray for me. Have a good Easter dinner!
During this time when we cannot be together, join us for a brief visit to our church on this solemn occasion of Good Friday, 2020.
Parishioners may venerate the cross outside the church today at St. Malachi:
Or, at the rectory front porch at St. Patrick Church:
We thank Brian Williams, St. Malachi cantor, and Director of Liturgy Charlene McElwee for creating this beautiful video.
