Dear Confreres, Sisters, and Brothers,
Once again, I greet you from Rome and the Church of St. Alphonsus. Thank you for your greetings, and most especially for your prayers.
Each day, we come before the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help to pray for all of you – for the whole Redemptorist Family and for the whole world. We pray for those suffering from COVID-19, and for those who are caring for them. We pray for the poor and the abandoned, and for those who are hungry and lost. We pray for so many of you reaching out to them with a message of hope through social ministries, with welcome, food, and shelter. We pray for the army of health care workers and volunteers of every nation and religion who are serving those in need. And we pray for the healing of our world which is wounded and in pain.
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. After forty days of Lent, we come once again to Holy Week.
Perhaps some of you are wondering: “How can we celebrate Holy Week this year? In the midst of this historic pandemic which is ravaging our people, our nations, our world: how can we celebrate?”
Our Churches are closed and locked. We cannot gather with the faithful to celebrate this holiest of weeks. Processions are canceled. No way of the Cross. No concerts or sunrise celebrations on Easter morning. In many places…
(See the full message in the video)