The Church of the Infant Saviour in Pine Bush, New York will be broadcasting via Facebook Live its Palm Sunday evening mass on Saturday; April 4, 2020 starting at 5 pm EST. You can watch the broadcast from the Church’s Facebook page found here:
https://www.facebook.com/Church-of-the-Infant-Saviour-103085844691006/
In preparation for Holy Week that begins with Palm Sunday, the Archdiocese of New York has issued the following statement as part of their continued response to the COVID-19 epidemic:
Since New York is at the epicenter of this health crisis, allow us to restate what has already been announced:
Mindful of everyone’s health, and for the sake of uniformity, palms are not to be distributed to the faithful at this time. They may be blessed at a later date using the form of blessing outside of Mass. Do not place palms outside church for people to come and pick up. We will announce the date of distribution as time goes on.
The laws of fast and abstinence are in effect for Good Friday. There has been no dispensation given. The norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. The norms concerning abstinence from meat and poultry are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards).
The collection for the Holy Land, which normally takes place during the Good Friday Liturgy, is being transferred to a later date in August or September.
God Bless You.
In addition to our own Infant Saviour’s Pam Sunday mass, WPIX-TV has very generously agreed to broadcast Mass from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for both Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Remember, daily and Sunday Mass is always available via livestream on their website here, and broadcast on the Catholic Faith Network , and on The Catholic Channel of Sirius XM Satellite Radio. All of Archdiocese of NY’s Holy Week liturgies will be celebrated in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and available on those platforms as well. Please note, for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, the Mass will begin at 10:00 a.m.
In regards to how palms are being handled for Palm Sunday in greater detail Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, explained:
One question that has come up repeatedly among many of the priests and Monsignor Joseph LaMorte, our Vicar General, is how to handle the distribution of palm this Sunday. We had hoped to find a way to distribute the palm, and many good suggestions were offered, but, ultimately, our medical experts told us the threat of possibly spreading the virus seemed too great. Therefore, we have asked the pastors to bless, then store, the palm until such time as we are able to once again open our churches. In the meanwhile, we have developed the attached image, should you wish to print or download it, that might serve as “virtual palm” until we can share the real thing.
Click here to download the Virtual Palm Sunday Graphic.
Our Council will continue to post throughout Holy Week ways you can participate in Holy Week despite the limits presented by COVID-19 being so widespread in New York and thus preventing large gatherings of the faithful from happening. Despite these challenges the Lord is clearly ever the more calling us to prayer and trust in Him this Lent. We must stay faithful in this cross we are asked to bear and raise up our personnel sacrifices to Christ as an offering of penance, as well as, a softening of our hearts. Remember, with Jesus Christ you are never alone– He is always there whether you perceive Him present or not. Let us choose this Lent and Easter season to let ourselves begin to see Christ in all we do and in all we meet physically or virtually as it may be. We continue to pray for all the dead, sick, unemployed, and all the people selflessly responding to this crisis such as first responders or medical professionals. We ask you keep all these people in your daily prayers as well.
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