BRIDGEPORT—Please join us for the first live-stream of Bishop Frank’s Holy Week liturgies.
Livestream of the Passion of the Lord
Join us live for Stations of the Cross
Holy Week Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Live-stream of this year’s Chrism Mass.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you are aware, I recently had to make the very difficult decision to suspend all public Masses during Holy Week, given the continuing spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the health restrictions requested by state and local authorities.
The inability for us to gather together in our parishes and for diocesan liturgies has been a great hardship and loss for priests and laity, particularly as we enter the most sacred and solemn mysteries of the Church during Holy Week and Easter. In that absence, I have urged all to deepen their private and family prayer and seek out ways to be in spiritual communion when we cannot receive the sacraments. The response throughout the diocese to Nine Days of Prayer, live-streamed Masses, and other resources has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging.
For this reason, I invite you to join me online as I celebrate Holy Week and Triduum liturgies from Saint Augustine Cathedral. All the liturgies will be live-streamed on the Diocesan website (www.bridgeportdiocese.com). This is a wonderful opportunity to gather with me in prayer as we ask the Lord’s blessing during these trying times. The schedule is as follows:
Chrism Mass: Thursday, April 9 at 10 am
Mass of the Lord’s Supper: Thursday, April 9 at 7 pm
Stations of the Cross: Friday, April 10 at 12 noon
The Passion of the Lord: Friday, April 10 at 3 pm
Easter Vigil in the Holy Night: Saturday, April 11 at 7 pm
Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 12 at 8 am
During this period of “Eucharistic fast,” it is my hope that we will more than ever be united in solidarity with each other and the universal Church. Please know that I will continue to pray for you and your family. I also hope that you find consolation in knowing that your continued support for the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) has enabled core diocesan ministries to bring the mercy and love of the Church to so many during this crisis.
Knowing “that all things work for good for those who love God” (Rom. 8:28), we daily entrust ourselves to the care of the Lord and the protection of our Blessed Mother. At the same time, we eagerly await the day when the doors of our churches are open again and we are able to worship at Mass together in person.
May the Lord grant us the grace we need to persevere, to remain steadfast and to grow in faith, hope and love.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano
Bishop of Bridgeport