Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Collect for Easter Sunday
Almighty God, who through thine Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life: we humbly beseech thee; that as by thy special grace thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
The Death of our Holy Father,
Pope Francis
Requiem Mass Tomorrow
(Wed April 23) at 6pm
Pope Francis was our 266th Pope, St. Peter being the first. You will notice the black bunting around his photo in the church and around the church door during the "Novemdiales" the 9 days following his funeral on Sat April 26.
Our diocese, the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, has a special relationship with the papacy. Pope Francis cared for our diocese in several ways (per Bishop Lopes):
- Pope Francis directly approved the Missal for our Mass and other liturgical office. We can thank him for the full expression of our liturgical patrimony, and for the authority with which it takes its place in the worship of the Church.
- Pope Francis appointed bishops in all three Ordinariates: Chair of St. Peter (US), Our Lady of Walsingham (UK), and Our Lady of the Southern Cross (AUS), clearly demonstrating that these are not transitory circumscriptions but true Particular Churches with an enduring character.
- Pope Francis twice updated our particular law, both times in order to expand the possibility for the faithful to become canonical members of the Ordinariate (which was once limited to only former Anglicans and Methodist and their family members.
Fr. Tipton put it well:
"We therefore owe him prayers for the salvation of his soul, both as a former vicar of Christ for the whole Catholic Church and, in particular, as a father to the Ordinariate. This is a matter of the virtue of justice: doing what you ought for your neighbour."
Click below for the 9-day Novena for the death of a pope. This begins the day after his funeral on Saturday, (April 27th - May 5th). In the meantime, you can attend the requiem Mass tomorrow 6pm, say the Office of the Dead from The Daily Office and/or use prayers for the dead from the St. Gregory Prayer Book.
Click below for the 9-day Novena for the death of a pope. This begins the day after his funeral on Saturday, (April 27th - May 5th). In the meantime, you can attend the requiem Mass tomorrow 6pm, say the Office of the Dead from The Daily Office and/or use prayers for the dead from the St. Gregory Prayer Book.
About Tomorrow's Mass for Pope Francis
The normal color for requiem Masses is black, expressing the reality of death and grief. But for a Pope's requiem the color is red, symbolizing the pope's willingness to give his life for Christ in martyrdom, as so many of the early popes did. Typically the altar paraments remain black, but the vestments are red.
But since we are in the Easter Octave, the rubrics direct us to retain the Easter colors (white or gold). This is because each of the eights day of the Octave is a Solemnity, the highest feast we have in the Church. So our altar paraments will remain gold tomorrow.
The Timing of our Mass
There is a tradition of waiting to offer a requiem Mass until the funeral has taken place in Rome. But the rubrics allow them to be said before the funeral in Rome, even during the Easter Octave and you will see in the news many parishes and Cathedrals are already offering them. Since I was scheduled to be out of town on Saturday through early next week, and because we already have a wedding and its rehersal taking place in the Church this Friday / Saturday, we will be have our requiem Mass tomorrow, Wed, April 23 at 6pm, so a greater number of the faithful can join us. Our regularly scheduled 12:10 pm daily Mass tomorrow (Wed April 23) will be cancelled since we will have the requiem Mass at 6pm in the evening.
Collect for the Death of a Pope
O GOD, who of thy ineffable providence didst vouchsafe to number thy servant Francis in the company of thy high Priests: grant, we beseech thee; that as he did fulfil on earth the office of thine Only Begotten Son, he may be numbered in the everlasting fellowship of thy holy Pontiffs; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
V. Rest Eternal grant unto him, O Lord.
R. And may light perpetual shine upon him.
Thank you to all who joined us for the Easter Triduum!
Congratulations to our newest Catholics who received the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil:
Travis Bourbeau, Chris Crabtree, Joesph Camps, Autumn Shoemake, Kayla Zanolli
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A big thank you to all those who participated in and helped to prepare for our Holy Week services.
To our instituted acolytes, our altar servers, the men who volunteered to have their feet washed, our catechists who prepared our candidates and catachumens for reception into the church, our hospitality team, our welcome team - and all of you who pitched in to help throughout this past week - THANK YOU! As a community we were able to observe the sacred Paschal Triduum with reverence and prepare to enter into the joy of the Resurrection and the Easter season.
Please do not throw out your blessed palms!
As the palms distributed at Mass on Palm Sunday had been blessed, they should not be thrown out. You may bring them back to the church and place in the basket in the narthex for proper disposal.
This Week at St. Edmund's
Please note, Parish Staff is off for the Octave of Easter, but Father is breaking his time off for the Requiem Mass for Pope Francis. Following the requiem, we will have the regular schedule of Masses, with visiting priests on Sun April 27, and Wed April 30.
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Divine Mercy Sunday - April 27, 2025
In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.
The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. The most comprehensive revelation can be found in her Diary entry 699:
The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. The most comprehensive revelation can be found in her Diary entry 699:
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.
In the Diary of St. Faustina, Jesus asked that the Feast of Divine Mercy, known today as Divine Mercy Sunday, be preceded by a Novena to The Divine Mercy. A Novena is nine days of prayer in preparation for a feast. In the case of the Novena to The Divine Mercy, we pray the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy each day for a specific intention. Our Lord told St. Faustina, "I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw ... strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death" (Diary, 1209).
Details on Divine Mercy and the Novena (including the daily intentions) can be found here:
St. Edmund's Stories
For the next several weeks, we will be sharing videos of parishioners sharing their "St. Edmund's Stories"
This week features Madelyn Long...enjoy!
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Save the Date!
Friday, Sept 19: Bishop Lopes Visit and Consecration of the Church
Mass Intentions for this Week
Join your prayers to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
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The Banns of Marriage
Michelle Lee Hedrich of St. Edmund Campion Catholic Church, daughter of Mark Hedrich and Maura Kerns Clearwater, Florida, and Steven Gerald Rademacher, son of Steven Rademacher and Maria Cook of Houston, Texas to be married April 26, 2025, at St. Edmund Campion Catholic Church in Flat Rock, North Carolina. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, you are to declare it. This is the first time of asking. Kindly keep them in your prayers.
Emily Anne Kadanec of St. Edmund Campion Catholic Church, daughter of Paul Kadanec and Theresa Spranger of Lakemont, Georgia, and Travis Dean Bourbeau, son of Tommy Bourbeau and Lisa Lawrence of Harkers Island, North Carolina to be married April 9, 2025, at St. Edmund Campion Catholic Church in Flat Rock, North Carolina. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, you are to declare it. This is the first time of asking. Kindly keep them in your prayers.
SaintEdmundCampion.com
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Mass & Confessions Schedule
Sunday: 8:30am & 11am
Wednesday: 12:10 pm
Confessions heard 30 minutes before each Mass; after Mass by request.
For pastoral needs please contact Fr. Joshua D. Johnson:
Call or Text: 828-393-5775 + wncord@gmail.com
