Welcome to the holiest week of the Church year. Today we begin Holy Week, welcoming Jesus more deeply into our lives and seeking to share in His suffering, death and Resurrection. Holy Week is that week when we stop to remember, relive and rejoice in the events which brought about our redemption and salvation. However, Holy Week can only become "holy” for us if we actively and consciously participate in the beautiful liturgies of this week … when we make Holy Week personal. The question for us is, will we choose to make Holy Week “holy”?

On Palm Sunday, Jesus was greeted by a great crowd of Passover pilgrims as he entered Jerusalem. To some, he was a miracle worker and prophet who merely went around doing good. To others, he was a revolutionary who offered freedom from the oppressive Roman rule. The crowd cheered Jesus for the worldly benefits that he could offer them. However, they misunderstood His mission. Jesus came not to offer temporary solutions, but to offer eternal salvation to those who deny themselves, take up their crosses daily, and follow after Him. There can be no Easter joy without the suffering of the Cross. That great crowd melted in the crucible of Jesus’ suffering, and only a handful of disciples followed Jesus and mourned for Him at the foot of the Cross on that first Good Friday. We need to ask ourselves, do we only follow Jesus when times are good, or are we willing to pick up our cross and follow Jesus whenever, wherever, and however He leads us?

At the Last Supper, the disciples were waiting for a servant to wash their feet before they ate. This was a task for the least servant in a household, something that the disciples believed was below their dignity. St. Paul tells us that Jesus wrote the book on humility, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness.” (Phil 2:6-7). Jesus not only took on the form of a slave when he became human, he took on the role of the lowest of slaves as he tenderly washed his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. Can we follow the advice which St. Paul gave a few verses earlier, “humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, not looking out for his own interests, but for the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-4) Can we not only serve Jesus, but can we serve the Judases as well?

At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the liturgical priesthood, the sacrament of the Eucharist and the Church’s greatest prayer, the sacrifice of Holy Mass. Without these, Jesus Christ could not be present among us - either in persona Christi (the priest acting in the person of Christ) to celebrate the sacraments, or in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Along with the Holy Spirit, these are the most precious gifts which Jesus left His Church. Do we treasure these gifts? 1) Do we pray for our priests; do we pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life; do we encourage our young to become priests, brothers, and sisters? 2a) Do we understand how important the Eucharist is for our salvation? Do we understand that Jesus himself said, ”The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day (Jn 6:54).” 2b) Conversely, do we understand how dangerous the Eucharist can be for us? St. Paul said, “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord (1 Cor 11:27).” 2c) Finally, do we avail ourselves frequently to the great sacrament of Reconciliation so that we can receive Jesus worthily in the Eucharist? It is only Jesus in the Eucharist who enables us to carry our crosses and serve others by regarding them as more important than ourselves.

This year, may our Lenten practices become Easter habits. May our Easter habits blossom into lifetime virtues. Through the sacraments, may we be strengthened to become holy, the saints God created us to become, and to help others as well.

3/22 the Fish Fry is open 4:30-7:00 PM and is take out only due to the Passion Play. All other dates both dine in and take out are available. 

Dine in is open 4:30-7:30 PM, Take out is open 4:30-7:00 PM. 

The Fish Fry is located at the Ryan Center on the Saint Aidan & Blessed Francis Seelos Academy Property (201 Church Road).

Take out Ordering
If you'd like to order online please go to fish-fry.org

If you'd like to call in your order please do so after 2 PM on the date of the Fish Fry by calling (412) 585-3915 or (724) 931-0596. 

All proceeds are equally split between Saint Aidan Parish and Blessed Francis Seelos Academy!

Questions about sponsorship? Contact Brie Kemp fishfry@saintaidanparish.org.

Click Here to view the online sponsorship page.
Click here for a printable sponsorship form.
Click here for the volunteer sign up (MUST have complete and up to date clearances!)

May you have a Blessed Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Please see the schedules in this week’s bulletin or on our website saintaidanparish.org/easter for events and Mass times. 

Confessions: There will be no Saturday confessions on Holy Saturday, March 30 at St. Alexis Church. The last opportunity for confession for Lent is Monday, March 25 at 6:00 pm at St. Alphonsus. 

Last Fish Fry: Please join us on Good Friday for the final fish fry of the year. I want to thank all those who made the sacrifices to make the fish fry possible this year. 

The parish office will be closed Holy Thursday, March 28, Good Friday, March 29 and Easter Monday, April 1.

NO Confession or Eucharistic Adoration at St. Alphonsus on Easter Monday, April 1. 

There is no Faith Formation on Wednesday, March 27 during Holy Week.

Donations for Chimbote, Peru are due after Easter!

The Family Program meets April 7th.

The next Catholic HOM session is April 10th during Faith Formation.

The next Service Saturday is April 13th from 9:00 am - 10:00 am in the St. Alexis Cafeteria.

March 24 - Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. The entry into Jerusalem. John 12: 12-15 “On the next day, when the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ‘they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, (even) the king of Isreal.” Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as it is written: “fear no more, O daughter of Zion; see, your king comes, seated upon an ass’s colt.” His disciples did not understand this at first. DO YOU? We will discuss and understand how this is and why it had to be. Dinner will be provided.

Discussion of events of Holy Week: 

Holy Thursday: 7 church pilgrimage and lock in at St. Alexis for 9th-12th grade teens. Come stay with Jesus as we remember his arrest and death. A great way to experience Jesus and show our love for him.

March 25 - Consecration day! Our young adult group, who participated in “33 Days to Morning Glory”, will be consecrated to Mary. Fr Will is consecrating us to Mary, and we will celebrate our growing in faith and in relationship of Mary in our lives. We will also have a celebration for one of our young adults coming into the church, Blake Ritchy. Dinner will be provided.

The trip is set for June 23-29, 2024 in David, Kentucky. For more information please contact Christine Miller at cmiller@saintaidanparish.org use subject line: Mission Trip

Orders are due TODAY, Friday, March 22. See the flyer below for all the details. We thank you so much for your support!

Living the virtue of detachment is important in order to gain eternal life. The goods of this earth - money, social position, prestige, etc., - have great power to attract our hearts, which were made for God. But our Lord leaves no doubt. "No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Mt 6:24). And "whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:33). God does not ask everyone to live "poverty" in the same way, but he does ask that we not allow our hearts to focus on the goods of the earth so that we end up adoring them like idols.

Join us on Monday, April 1 at 6:00 pm at The Ark & The Dove on Babcock Blvd as we continue to explore how to attain “victory” in our lifelong spiritual struggle. All men are welcome. For more information, contact Paul Spence at 724-713-8633.

Great news - we at Saint Aidan Parish are excited to announce that we are partnering with Hallow this Lent! Parishioners are invited to access all premium app content beginning now through Easter Sunday. We’ll have a specific Lenten prayer challenge starting Ash Wednesday, but you don’t have to wait. You can begin praying with Hallow today! Hallow is the #1 prayer app in the world. Through prayer and meditation rooted in the Catholic faith, Hallow helps people grow closer to God and find peace. Users are able to pray alongside Fr. Mike, Immaculee, Mark Wahlberg, Jonathan Roumie, Bishop Barron, Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, and many more. To join Hallow as part of our parish’s Lenten program, which gives you access to all premium app content for just $1, follow these steps:

If you do not already have an account:

If you do already have an account:

The Lenten season fills our parish with hope and promise – opportunities abound to grow our vital ministries, explore new ways to share the good news of Christ’s love, and reflect His care and mercy to those in need throughout the community. To continue to make a difference in 2024, St. Aidan Parish is reaching out to our parishioners.
 

With eGiving, you can help sustain and build ministries this year that reflect the promise of God’s love. The need is great in our community, and your generous online gifts will help people all around us.
 

We prayerfully request that you consider signing up for eGiving from your computer, smartphone or tablet. You can set up a recurring donation or make a one-time gift.

Register today by:
• Visiting faith.direct/PA47
• Calling Faith Direct Customer Service at 866-507-8757
• Texting “Enroll” to (724) 932-6440

Peace and blessings to your family! 

We are in need of a volunteer to help with the washing and ironing of altar linens at St. Alexis. If interested in helping please contact Mary Anne Dille at 724-553-6143.

We need donations of wrapped candy that will fit in a plastic egg for our Egg Hunt! Please place candy in the bin in the back of the old side or new side of St. Alphonsus Church, the bin in the narthex of St. Alexis Church, or the bin in the vestibule of the Parish Center. The Egg Hunt will be held on the playground at St. Alphonsus on Saturday, March 30, at 12:45 pm. In case of rain, we’ll gather in the school cafeteria. Please bring a bag or basket to collect eggs.

Are you or a loved one ready to embark on the Medicare journey? Perhaps you are already enrolled in Medicare and just have questions. Do I need a supplement? What is an Advantage Plan? Which is better? What about prescription drugs? Glasses? Hearing aids? Gym memberships? Traveling out of the region, out of the country?  These are all common questions.

Come to our no cost, no obligation, totally free seminar on Tuesday, April 9 beginning at 7:00 pm in the Ryan Center at Blessed Seelos Academy on the St Alphonsus Campus to find out answers to these questions. Lisa Lauro, Senior Healthcare Specialist from Secure Money Advisors will help you understand how Medicare works. No one will contact you after the seminar, it is totally free and without obligation as the Knights Council 3907’s way of saying thank you for all of the support you have given to our charitable works. The  seminar is open to everyone. We look forward to seeing you at the seminar.

Will you prayerfully consider being a permanent or a substitute adorer at:

Email devotions@saintaidanparish.org or call the Parish Office at 724-935-4343 and provide your name, phone #, email address, the church and the time slots that you will cover and if you can be a permanent adorer or substitute adorer.

Did you know that our parish serves nine Nursing Care/Senior Living Facilities?! We provide Mass to each facility under the direction of our wonderful chaplain, Fr. Daniel Straughn, and many volunteers take Holy Communion to various facilities during the weeks when we do not have Mass. We need a few more volunteers to join our Advance Team which helps Fr. Daniel by getting to the facility early to set up and assist him at Mass. In addition, as our list of requests grows, we need more volunteers to take Holy Communion to our homebound parishioners. If you are interested in helping, please contact Barb Griffith at ministries@saintaidanparish.org.