Christ is Risen – Alleluia

April 9, 2007 By 4 Comments

The Triduum at St Mary’s Greenville was splendid. I was priviledged to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday. Fr Bart Leon celebrated conducted the Good Friday Liturgy and Fr Chris Smith presided at the Easter Vigil. The priests were supported by the whole team at St Mary’s–choir, our army of splendid altar servers trained to precision by John Heuser. It was a great joy to see many baptized and received into the Church.

A good number of the converts are from the Baptist faith or other forms of evangelicalism, and it is great to see their joy as they enter the church. Many of them say that they were attracted to Catholicism because they came into St Mary’s and before Mass the place was in silence with people praying. They are attracted by the reverence and solemn joy of the worship and the fact that this is so different from the shallow, feel good religion which they find in so many other churches.

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About Fr. Dwight Longenecker
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/13753776175726884530 Rowena Hullfire

    I prayed for a dear friend and colleague for years…gave him a statue of St Francis of Assisi with the animals for his garden (he does animal rescue work), a Missal, and a Rosary. He went to Catholic school K-8 and that was it; however, he was always so Catholic in his frame of mind and outlook on life, I raised it with him a few times, gently, didn’t nag; and prayed up a storm for him. Other friends/colleagues were, too, as I have since found out. Were it not for free will, the guy wouldn’t have stood a chance.After he came up out of the water the first time, we all saw that he looked different! He feels different.His head was positively dripping with sacred chrism–we Southerners don’t just anoint, we deep fry!– and he hugged me; I said, don’t get me all greasy!, and he just bear hugged me even closer. So my clothes and my pillow smell like Chrism; I wish I could keep a little Chrism soaked cloth in a ziploc baggie and just sniff it every once in a while. It’s the odour of sanctity!We had a post Vigil party til early in the morning, in the parish hall, and he was showered by gifts; he is so well loved in our parish already. I think he passed the scrutinies last fall when he catered the Blessing of the Animals with silver, crystal, and his famous cheesecake and petits fours! We have discerned his gift in the church and it’s HOSPITALITY!Another young man was received; I don’t know him well, but he oozes zeal. His face–he is in ecstasy.We had three priests doing a bless-o-rama of all the sacramentals, and it took a while!I led a rousing round of everyone singing, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back!”It was a total Easter Resurrection Baptism Chrism cake late night Blast!!!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/09356738924839809045 Andrew

    Happy Easter Fr. D!Christos anesti!Do you have any photos of the liturgies at St. Mary’s?Check out the Triduum celebrations in my parish

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12373317560249811006 Fr. Dwight Longenecker

    There are some photos of the Lenten 40 hour devotion on the St Mary’s website.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/02971229049336038270 Jim Janknegt

    I know this painting: Piero della Francesca!