You are here
News
Holy Week 2021
Christmas and Easter are the two most important Christian Holy Days. On Christmas we celebrate the beginning of God’s salvific adventure with humankind namely that in Jesus God became human, one of us. On Easter we celebrate how Jesus made it possible for us humans to become more like God. In essence the mystery of salvation if this: God became human so that humans might become more like God.
We have been preparing ourselves during Lent to celebrate this great mystery through more intense prayer, greater charity and different ways of fasting from everything that distracts us from God and God’s plan for us.
Now we have reached Holy Week when we remember and give thanks for the greatest gift of all: Jesus self-sacrifice so that we might have eternal life. Let us enter this most Holy Week with great love and devotion.
We invite you to join us as much as possible either in person or via livestream for our many liturgies. We wish you all a very blessed Holy Week
In preparation of Holy Week:
- Register for in-person participation in our liturgies: please visit www.mary.org to register for any of our liturgies and to find out which liturgies will be livestreamed.
- Create a dedicated prayer area at home: this can be as simple as a rug or a small table with a family bible. Add your favorite religious images and the cross you will venerate as a family on Good Friday. This prayer area can be the place where you pray during Holy week. It can even be the place where you participate in our livestreamed liturgies.
- Prepare for the upcoming liturgies: If you are joining us from home, make sure you have everything you need to participate as fully as possible in the liturgies.
- Pray for our Elect: during the Easter Vigil we will initiate several adults into the church. Please accompany them with your prayers during these last days of preparation.
- Easter Baskets: Gather the necessary items to create Easter Baskets for members of your household and neighbors, especially those neighbors who are homebound.
- Easter Food: Many of us grew up with special Easter Foods. Now is a good time to look for the recipes and to check your cupboards. Sharing recipes and cooking together, either in person or virtually is a great way to connect with one another.
- Easter Gift: If you are able please help sustain our operations and empower our mission. You can make your Easter gift to The Basilica at mary.org/eastergift. If you are in financial need please do not hesitate to contact our St. Vincent de Paul ministry (612.333.1381).
Holy Week Liturgies
Palm Sunday:
- We will celebrate 9:30am, 11:30am and 4:30pm Eucharist with Blessing of the Palms in The Basilica.
- 9:30am Eucharist will be livestreamed on www.mary.org and www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls.
- Please remember to wear red, the color of the day whether you join us in person or via livestream.
- Palms and Holy Communion will be distributed outside the Basilica following the 9:30am and 11:30am liturgies.
Monday of Holy Week:
Prayer at Home:
- Pray the Stations of the Cross: https://vimeo.com/403088034
- Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: https://vimeo.com/403124458
Prayer with our Basilica Community:
- 9:15am: Join us for Morning Prayer either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- Noon: Join us for daily Eucharist either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
Tuesday of Holy Week
Prayer at Home:
- Pray the Stations of the Cross: https://vimeo.com/403088034
- Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: https://vimeo.com/403120059
Prayer with our Basilica Community:
- 9:15am: Join us for Morning Prayer either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- Noon: Join us for daily Eucharist either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- 5:30pm: Join us for Taizé Prayer with General Absolution either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls. This comforting form of prayer around the cross was developed by the monks from the Taizé monastic community in France. It is meditative and quieting thus very fitting for Holy Week.
Wednesday of Holy Week
Prayer at Home:
- Pray the Stations of the Cross: https://vimeo.com/403088034
- Pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: https://vimeo.com/403117616
Join our Basilica Community:
- 9:15am: Join us for Morning Prayer either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- Noon: Join us for daily Eucharist either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
Holy Thursday
What you will need in your prayer area for today:
- Bowl, pitcher with water and a towel
Prayer at Home:
- Pray the Stations of the Cross: https://vimeo.com/403088034
- Pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: https://vimeo.com/403122056
Join our Basilica Community:
- 9:15am: Join us for Morning Prayer either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- Noon: Join us for daily Eucharist either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- 7:00pm: Join us for The Celebration of the Lord’s Supper either in person or on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls. The livestream will begin at 6:45pm.
- If you join us in person:
- Please use the QR code in the narthex to find the booklet for the liturgy.
- If you are joining us in person we invite you to wash the feet of the members of your household when you get home as you will not be able to do that in the Basilica.
- Holy Communion will be distributed after the service ends and we ask you to leave church immediately after receiving Holy Communion.
- Since we will not be able to observe the customary prayer time in Church after the liturgy we invite you to spend some time in quiet prayer at home.
- If you join us from home:
- Please turn off your phone and set this time aside for prayer.
- You will find the music and prayers for this liturgy on your screen.
- Please stand, sit, kneel when we do and join us in prayer and song.
- We invite you to wash one another’s feet at the time of the Washing of the Feet.
- We will end the service with some music and time for silent prayer.
- If you join us in person:
Good Friday
Today is a day of fasting and abstinence
What you will need in your prayer area for today:
- Cross
- Several candles
Prayer at Home:
- Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: https://vimeo.com/403120059
Prayer with our Basilica Community:
- 9:15am: Join us for Morning Prayer either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- Noon: Join us for Stations of the Cross either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls. We will start livestreaming at 11:45am. Feel free to invite family and friends to virtually join you.
- 3:00pm: Join us for The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls. We will start livestreaming at 2:45am. Feel free to invite family and friends to virtually join you.
- If you join us in person
- Please use the QR code in the narthex to find the booklet for the liturgy.
- We will not have a physical veneration of the cross this year, rather we will venerate the cross spiritually.
- When you get home you may want to venerate the cross you have in your home.
- Holy Communion will be distributed after the service ends and we ask you to leave church immediately after receiving Holy Communion.
- If you join us via livestream:
- Please turn off your phone and set this time aside for prayer.
- You will find the music and prayers for this liturgy on your screen.
- Please stand, sit, kneel when we do and join us in prayer and song.
- At the time of the Veneration of the Cross we invite you to venerate the cross you have in your prayer area.
- We will end the service with some music while focusing on our Basilica Cross to allow for some quiet prayer.
- If you join us in person
- 7:00pm: Please join us for Tenebrae either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls. We will start livestreaming at 6:45am. Feel free to invite family and friends to virtually join you.
- If you join us in person
- Please use the QR code in the narthex to find the booklet for the liturgy.
- We will not have a physical veneration of the cross this year, rather we will venerate the cross spiritually.
- After the service ends we ask that you leave the church without lingering.
- When you get home you may want to venerate the cross you have in your home.
- You may also want to spend some time in quiet prayer.
- If you join us via livestream:
- Please turn off your phone and set this time aside for prayer.
- You may want to dim the lights throughout your home.
- Make sure you have your candles lit so you may extinguish them when they are extinguished during the service in The Basilica
- You will find the music and prayers for this liturgy on your screen.
- Please stand, sit, kneel when we do and join us in prayer and song.
- At the time of the Veneration of the Cross you may want to venerate the cross you have in your prayer area.
- We invite you to some silent prayer at the end of the service
- If you join us in person
Holy Saturday
What you will need in your prayer area for today:
- Candles
- Water and a brush for sprinkling one another
Prayer at home:
- Pray the Stations of the Cross: https://vimeo.com/403088034
- Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: https://vimeo.com/403124458
Prayer with our Basilica Community:
- 9:15am: Join us for Morning Prayer either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- Noon: Join us for daily Eucharist either in person or via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- 7:00pm: Please join us for The Great Easter Vigil either in person of via livestream on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls. We will start livestreaming at 6:45am. Feel free to invite family and friends to virtually join you.
- If you join us in person
- Please use the QR code in the narthex to find the booklet for the liturgy.
- This year only Fr. Bauer will go outside for the blessing of the fire and the lighting of the Paschal Candle. Everyone else will still in their pews.
- We will come around to light individual candles at the beginning of the service. Please take these candles home after the service.
- One of the highpoints of this liturgy will be the initiation of several adult candidates into our Church.
- Holy Communion will be distributed at the end of the service.
- Once you have received Holy Communion please leave The Basilica.
- If you join us via livestream
- Please turn off your phone and set this time aside for prayer.
- You may want to dim the lights throughout your home till at the time of the Gloria.
- You will find the music and prayers for this liturgy on your screen.
- Please stand, sit, kneel when we do and join us in prayer and song.
- Make sure you have your candles ready to be lit at the beginning of the service. Keep them lit through the singing of the exulted.
- During the sprinkling rite feel free to bless yourself and/or sprinkle others. You may also want to bless you home.
- If you join us in person
Other activities:
- Prepare Easter Baskets
- Enjoy a festive snack after the Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday
Pray at Home:
- Pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: https://vimeo.com/403117616
Pray with our Basilica Community
- We will celebrate 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am and 4:30pm Eucharist.
- We will livestream 9:30am, 11:30am and 4:30pm Eucharist. You can join us on www.mary.org or www.facebook.com/BasilicaMpls
- Holy Communion will be distributed outside after 9:30am and 11:30am Eucharist for those who joined us via livestream
- Archbishop Hebda will celebrate 9:30am Eucharist and bless the new Basilica Umbrellino
- If you join us in person
- We invite you to wear festive Easter attire,
- Holy Communion will be distributed at the end of the service.
- Once you have received Holy Communion please leave The Basilica and enjoy the ringing of all Basilica bells outside.
- If you join us via livestream
- Please turn off your phone and set this time aside for prayer.
- We invite you to wear festive Easter attire, even at home
- You will find the music and prayers for this liturgy on your screen.
- Please stand, sit, kneel when we do and join us in prayer and song.
- During the sprinkling rite feel free to bless yourself and/or sprinkle others. You may also want to bless you home.
- Following the 9:30am and 11:30am you are welcome to come to The Basilica to receive Holy Communion outside.
- If you join us in person
Other activities:
- Enjoy a festive meal
- Contact families and friends to wish them a blessed Easter
- Go for an Easter walk
He is Risen. He is Risen, indeed. Alleluia!
Blessed Easter
Basilica Community,
I hope this message finds you and your family continuing to stay well during these challenging times.
Today I have four things I would like to mention. First, while Governor Walz has relaxed some of the restrictions for public worship, the mask mandate and social distancing guideline of six feet is still in place. Given this, we anticipate maintaining our check-in protocols for the foreseeable future. So, if you are planning to attend any liturgies at The Basilica in the next few weeks, we ask you to pre-register via our website, and enter through the doors on the ground level on the western side of The Basilica.
Pre-registration helps us anticipate the number of attendees and makes the check-in process much faster. You can find a list of our liturgies for Holy Week and Easter on our website. If you are not able, or don’t feel comfortable joining us in-person for any of our Holy Week liturgies, we invite you join them via our livestream.
The second thing I would like to mention is that if you are not able to join us in person for Mass on Palm Sunday or Easter, we will distribute communion after the 9:30am and 11:30am Masses these days. As in the past, we ask you to stop in front of the rectory to receive a palm or prayer card, and then drive to the front of the school to receive communion.
The third thing I want to mention is that a few weeks ago we began the 2021 Catholic Services Appeal. The CSA is an independent foundation. The money raised through the CSA helps fund many ministries throughout our Archdiocese. I strongly support the CSA and I invite you to make a pledge of support as well.
While I am on the subject of giving, I want to thank you for your financial support of our parish and like to invite your continued financial support for The Basilica this Easter. Your financial support enables us to continue to offer the many ministries, services and programs that are at the heart of our Basilica community. I thank you in advance for your generosity.
Finally, on a very happy note, I want to let you know that one of our parishioners, Michael Reinhardt, will be ordained a priest of our Archdiocese on Saturday, May 29 at the Cathedral in St. Paul. He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at the 9:30am Mass at Basilica on Sunday, May 30. I ask your prayers for Michael and the other men who will be ordained that day.
If you have questions or concerns about anything that is happening at the Basilica, please contact me at the parish office or send me an email. My contact information is available on our parish website.
Let me close today in prayer.
Loving God, we pray for your love and compassion to abound as we walk through this challenging time.
We ask for wisdom for those who must make decisions with widespread consequences.
We pray for those who are suffering from illness or pain and all who are caring for them.
We ask for protection for the elderly and vulnerable.
We pray for misinformation to be curbed that fear may take no hold in hearts and minds.
And as we exercise the good sense that you in your mercy provide, may we also approach each day in faith and peace, trusting in your goodness and love.
We ask all this through Christ our Lord.
News and Resources
Novena to Saint Joseph
Pope Francis marked the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX with an Apostolic Letter entitled Patris Corde or With a Father’s Heart. The Holy Father’s stated goal was “to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.” The letter contains several short segments in which Pope Francis meditates on the many virtues of Saint Joseph: a beloved and loving father; an obedient and accepting father; a creative and courageous father; a working father; and a father in the shadows.
In addition, Pope Francis declared a Year of Saint Joseph to be celebrated between December 8, 2020 and December 8, 2021. Archbishop Hebda expressed the hope that “the Year of Saint Joseph will be a source of renewal in our local Church, most especially as we continue our preparations for the Synod of 2022.”
One of the highlights during this Year of Saint Joseph is the celebration of his Solemnity in March 19. To prepare ourselves we invite you to join us in a Novena, or nine days of prayer, to Saint Joseph. We propose that we use the prayer suggested by Pope Francis at the end of his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde for this Novena. Please add this prayer to your daily devotions as together we prepare to celebrate Saint Joseph and truly increase our love for this great Saint.
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became human.Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.
- Contemplative Outreach
- Minnesota Contemplative Outreach
- The Basilica Centering Prayer Group
- Or if that seems too much, you may just want to go on a gratitude walk. While you walk about your neighborhood be attentive to your surroundings and give thanks for what you see around you.