Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Never did I imagine that I would celebrate Holy Week in the manner that is now required. In my forty years as a priest, this is the first Holy Week I have celebrated without the people of God in God’s house. Regardless of the restrictions of this time, however, we continue to worship together, more passionately and fiercely than ever before. I am grateful for the spirit of our community, which has embraced our new ways of connection, and held Fr. Rodrigo and myself in prayer.
In our ongoing efforts to reach out to our community in all possible ways, Carmel Mission has joined social media. Please follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CarmelMissionBasilica and on Instagram where are our handle is carmelmissionbasilica. In the few days that we have been live and active on these sites, we are amazed at the response and interaction with people all over California and the United States who have a special connection or affinity to our beautiful Mission. Please follow us there and share with your communities.
Easter is truly the high point of the church year, and it is very special time at Carmel Mission. Many of us remember just last year, when we were able to welcome so many parishioners, visitors and pilgrims to our Easter masses. Our Basilica and our front courtyard were full to capacity, and we even had people sitting in our parking lot. While we cannot be filling our beautiful physical space together we can still worship together, so please join our streaming mass for Easter Sunday via our website and invite your family and friends to join as well.
I also want to thank all of you who have continued your support and given electronically. The response to our streaming masses and daily prayer messages has been overwhelmingly positive and grows each day. It is so important in this perilous time that we stay connected with our faith and with one another. The fact that so many of you have chosen to give electronically has, we hope, made it simpler for yourselves and gives us the confidence to continue to provide for our many ministries at Carmel Mission. If you have not yet visited our website and clicked the DONATE link, I would ask that you consider doing so to make your Easter offering.
On Easter Sunday we celebrate the triumph of our God. The crucified one has risen in glory. Yet still the disciples do not understand what has happened. Mary Magdalene fears that someone has stolen his body, Peter runs to the empty tomb but does not comprehend what has happened. Only the beloved disciple, who was with Jesus through his Passion and Death, though he may not understand, believes. The gift of faith is a precious one, never more so than in challenging times such as we are experiencing now. As we bask in the promise of Christ’s resurrection, let us also offer grateful hearts for the powerful consolation of our faith.
Wishing you and your loved ones Easter blessings of good health, new hope, and great happiness,
Fr. Paul
Please take a moment to read our Carmel Mission Weekly Bulletin.