News

Bishop to bless foods on Holy Saturday at Cathedral

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

Bp. David Zubik will conduct the traditional Holy Saturday Blessing of Easter food at noon April 7 at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, 130 S. Monroe St., Green Bay. It will be part of a Holy Week filled with liturgical celebrations for the bishop.

	L e n t
	• Everyday People, Everyday Faith articles
	• Other Lent articles

The 20-minute ceremony will include a prayer, a Scripture reading and the blessing.

Worshipers are invited to bring baskets of food they plan to serve for their Easter meal.

While any food may be brought, the traditional ones blessed at these services are those God prescribed for the ancient Passover meal:

• lamb, either meat or a symbolic lamb in the form of a cake or butter, calling to mind the blood of the lamb which saved the Israelites, and Jesus, our Paschal lamb, by whose blood we were saved;

• bread, which in addition to its use at Passover reminds us of Jesus, who in the Eucharist is the Bread of Life;

• wine, the drink of the Passover and Last Supper, which gladdens our hearts and helps us enter into the joy of the Resurrection;

• horseradish, which represents the bitter herbs of the Passover meal and is a reminder of the bitterness and hardness of life in Egypt and of the bitterness of Jesus' Passion.

Other foods traditionally blessed are:

• ham, to celebrate the freedom of the New Law, as opposed to the Old Law which forbids certain meats;

• sausage, whose links remind us of the chains of death Jesus broke through his Resurrection;

• eggs, decorated with symbols of Easter, as a sign of hope and resurrection and to signify Jesus coming forth from the tomb as a chick breaks out from the shell.

• cakes and pastries, which are a sign of the sweetness and joy of life.

Children's Easter baskets of candy and eggs also may be included in the blessing service.

In earlier times, meats and dairy products were not allowed during Lent. As the end of the Lenten fast neared, people showed their joy and gratitude by bringing their food to church for a blessing on Holy Saturday.

The blessing of Easter food is found in many cultures in both the Eastern and Western rites of the church, including Bp. Zubik's own Polish heritage. The ritual marks the joy of the Easter season and the end of the Lenten fast.

Here is the rest of Bp. Zubik's schedule for Holy Week:

Palm Sunday, recalling Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem where he was greeted warmly by followers who laid palms in his path, 4 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral; 10 a.m. Sunday, April 1, at Good Shepherd Parish in Chilton, which also will be the Mass of Installation for the new pastor, Fr. Robert Kollath. Bp. Zubik will join the Dudley Birder Chorale of St. Norbert College in its presentation of "The Seven Last Words of Christ" at 3 p.m. at the Weidner Center in Green Bay.

Chrism Mass, blessing of the three sacred oils (Oil of Catechumens for those preparing for Baptism, Holy Chrism for those receiving Baptism, Confirmation or Holy Orders, and Oil of the Sick for those who are ill) to be used in each parish in the coming year, 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at the Cathedral. Because seating is limited, admission is by invitation only.

Holy Thursday, celebrating the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper, 7 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral.

Good Friday, recalling the death of Jesus on the cross, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral. (The 2 p.m. service will mark the 10th anniversary of Bishop Zubik's ordination as a bishop.)

Holy Saturday, when the church keeps watch for Christ's passage from death to life, 8:30 p.m. at the Cathedral.

Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Parish in Marion. Afterward, he will bless the Shrine of St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients, on the church grounds.

(Renae Bauer contributed to this story)