Easter Sunday

I stepped outside this morning to see that my lilies had bloomed in the night! Perfect timing, little flowers! :D


The Mass for Easter Sunday is pretty similar to Mass every Sunday, except instead of the Profession of Faith, we have the renewal of Baptismal vows and sprinkling with Holy Water (for the folks who weren't at the Vigil last night). Aaand the best part of Easter Sunday Mass is that Mom and Amber usually come with me! Except this year B didn't come; it was just Mom and me :'(

Anyways, on to the pictures!

Folks all did up in their Sunday best ^_^


The sprinkling with Holy Water. And I just have to say that Fr Peter is not stingy with the water at all! He made sure everyone got a drop on them, and some of us got quite a bit more! lol


Father mixing the water and wine before the Consecration of the Eucharist



And the procession following the Dismissal.



And after Mass we talked a bit with Niel-Ann, my good friend and old Sunday School teacher, and then I ran around taking random pictures:

Look! Little basket birdies! ^_^


I <3 seeing my church decorated all purdy!


Mom waiting for me to stop running around like a fool. Isn't she pretty? I was dressed up, too, but there's no evidence! Haha!


Little statue of the Mother Mary outside the Sunday School building


The Virgin Mary and St. Joseph on either side of the cross


Ever since reading Infinite Space, Infinite God II I absolutely LOVE statues of the Virgin Mary that show her crushing the serpent! *g*


And what is it about Southerners and gathering on porches? ^_~

Almost forgot to mention that we sang two of my very favorite hymns during Mass!
"How Can I Keep from Singing?" and "Lord of the Dance" (the latter is such a hippie-dippie folk song, and that's why I LOVE it lol).

Holy Thursday ~ Jueves Santo

I absolutely love the Easter Triduum. I feel they're the most beautiful liturgies of the year, and I took pictures tonight to share with y'all ^_^

During Lent, all the statues are veiled in our church.





You can also see the empty Tabernacle in this pic.

The lector reading Exodus 12:1-8,11-14 


Fr Wayne proclaiming the Gospel (Jn 13:1-15)


In his Homily, Fr Wayne talked about how the story of the Washing of the Feet is not only about humbling ourselves to serve others (which is HUGE in itself), but also Jesus' institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (we have been bathed by Baptism, but we are still sinners, so we're "clean, but not all") and Pope Benedict's recently published reflections on the subject. So, in the Catholic Church, Holy Thursday celebrates both the institution of the Eucharist and the institution of Reconciliation by Jesus; I did not know that. I <3 a homily where I learn something new! :D


Following the Homily, we had the Washing of the Feet, during which we sang "The Servant Song" and ""Pequé, Pequé." It's such a beautiful tradition!


At the end of Mass, we chanted the Tantum Ergo as the Eucharist was processed out to the altar of repose for Adoration. My camera battery died, so I didn't get any pictures of the procession or the altar. *sigh* It was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.