Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Maria Hayes • April 14, 2025

Blessed Palm Sunday to you. As we enter into to this Holy Week, I invite you to truly make it holy. Yes, I know you still have to go to work and school, the grocery and gas station, but really try to quiet down and cut out all those things that are not truly necessary. And we know the difference. Necessary means required to be done, needed, essential. Maybe one of the best exercises we can engage in this week, is to really evaluate the words & actions of our lives in terms of necessary and unnecessary. If the purpose of our life, our birth, our daily struggle, our sufferings, our successes, our whole life is to know, love, and serve God in this life so as to be with Him forever in the next, we must figure out here and now, what is necessary. Use the added holiness of this week to prayerfully discern over the various pursuits of your life in terms of necessity. For this week, set aside those things that are not necessary so as to be more faithful & focused upon that which is truly necessary. Allow this week to unite you to the necessity of your Catholic Christian Faith, of the Sacrifice of Christ, of His immense Love & Mercy, of our need for God in a godless world. If Lent is Catholic Christians at their best, then Holy Week should necessarily be Catholic Christians fully for Christ.


For much of the world and most people, this is just another week. They will go along as if nothing in particular is happening. They will follow their normal routines, engage in their normal activities, pursue their normal professions. Will that be us as well? Is this going to be Wholly a week for Christ and therefore a Holy Week, or will we just make a whole in our normal endeavors to admit Christ’s cross for a moment or to rejoice in the empty hole in the ground, known as tomb. If your faith is more than words upon our lips or a few pious thoughts from time to time, it should be manifest itself in the whole of your life, especially as we enter into Holy Week.


We all engage in unnecessary endeavors. I do to! Some unnecessary pursuits could, maybe should, just be abandoned altogether. Yet, unnecessary does not always mean unimportant. There could be unnecessary pursuits given the greater religious significance of this week, that simply allow those unnecessary pursuits to take their proper place, so as to justly recognized the real priority and right relationship with God, neighbor, and self. And learning to know the difference between distractions and definitives will help make you Holy.

 

Lenten Adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist

Didn’t sign up? Don’t worry. Just Show up & Pray!


 

Holy Week Schedule


Tuesday Mass at 8a 

Tuesday Stations of the Cross at 6:30p

 

Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7p 

  • Altar of Repose & time for quiet prayer with Christ in DAC until 10p
  • Compline & Night Prayer in community in DAC at 10p

 

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion at 3p

 

Saturday Confessions in the Garden from 8a to 10a

(in the church confessional if weather is incremental)

 

Saturday Easter Vigil with Sacraments of Initiation at 8:55p

 

Sunday Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection at 8a and 10:30a

[No Sunday 6p Mass]


Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, Led by the Holy Spirit to the Lord’s Suffering, Death, & Resurrection, Pray for us.


~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries


By Maria Hayes April 17, 2025
Resurrection of Christ by Annibale Carracci, 1593 Louvre
By Maria Hayes April 16, 2025
This year, deanery parishes are collaborating to host a single Divine Mercy Sunday Celebration at St. John Paul II Parish in Sellersburg. The event includes Confessions from 2-3pm, a Holy Hour with hymns, scripture reading and reflection, and singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and concluding with a reception at 4pm. Jesus said to St. Faustina in a private revelation about the Divine Mercy Feast: " The soul that would go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment... " (Diary, 699). Please join us at St. John Paul II to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, on April 27th!
By Maria Hayes April 14, 2025
Patrick C. “Pat” Lancaster passed away Wednesday April 9, 2025, just two days shy of his 83rd birthday. He was born in New Albany to the late Muriel and Thomas “Tommy” Lancaster. He was a Kentucky Colonel, a member of the Kentucky Restaurant Association, an animal rescuer and a member of Holy Family Catholic Church. Pat was an entrepreneur and a visionary in the restaurant and catering business. At 21, he expanded the family restaurant business, Tommy Lancaster’s. He launched a catering and tent rental division, which grew into one of the largest privately owned restaurant/catering operations in the country—ranked 8th nationally. They served major events such as Pan American Games, Kentucky State Fair, Keeneland, Louisville Redbirds concessions and political functions, including dinners for President Ronald Reagan, Nelson Rockefeller and Kentucky governors. He took great pride in building on his family’s legacy and became known for his dedication, vision, and impact in the community. Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandson: Robbie Lancaster, Jr., his nephew: Michael Kapfhammer, his brother: Mike Lancaster, and his brother-in-law: Mike Kapfhammer. Pat is survived by his daughter: Debbie Leist and her husband Steve and their sons: Matthew (Elizabeth), Michael (Emilie) and Maxwell Leist, his son: Robert Lancaster and his children: Garrett (Hila) and Travis Lancaster, his son: Steve Lancaster and his children: Jessica, Alex and Carissa Lancaster, 3 great-grandchildren and one on the way, his brother: Terry Lancaster, his sister: Eva Sue Kapfhammer, his partner of 25 years: Kathy Dunn and his former wife: Jeanie Landgraf.
By Maria Hayes April 8, 2025
As we prepare our hearts for the Resurrection of Christ, we invite you and your family to join us for the beautiful liturgies and prayer opportunities offered during Holy Week. Whether you’re a regular at Holy Family or seeking a place to reconnect with your faith, you are welcome here. Below is our full schedule for Holy Week 2025: Tuesday, April 15 Mass: 8:00 a.m. Adoration: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Living Stations of the Cross: 6:30 p.m. (led by our 7th & 8th grade students) Please note: There will be no 6:00 p.m. Mass or Confessions this evening. Wednesday, April 16 Mass: 8:00 a.m. Adoration: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Thursday, April 17 – Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 7:00 p.m. Procession to the DAC and Altar of Repose: immediately following Mass Compline (Night Prayer): 10:00 p.m. Friday, April 18 – Good Friday Good Friday Service: 3:00 p.m. The Parish Office will be closed on Good Friday. Saturday, April 19 – Holy Saturday Confessions in the Garden: 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. (weather permitting; otherwise, in the church) Easter Vigil Mass: 8:55 p.m. Sunday, April 20 – Easter Sunday Masses: 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Please note: There will be no 6:00 p.m. Mass on Easter Sunday. Join us as we walk with Jesus through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This sacred week is a time of deep reflection, hope, and renewal — and we look forward to celebrating it with you. The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, April 21. 
By Maria Hayes April 8, 2025
It's a week-long summer celebration of all things beautiful, bold, and Catholic in the New Albany Deanery. Each day age-appropriate activities will include music, drama, arts & crafts, and more fun! This year, we will focus on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and the Apostle's Creed. We can't wait to spend the summer with your child(ren)! To make this exciting ministry successful and safe for our youth and children, many hands and donations are needed. See the bottom of this page for volunteer opportunities. Date: Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 13, 2025 Location: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (1752 Scheller Ln. / New Albany, IN) Cost: $20 (with a maximum family payment of $60) Deadline for registration is June 2, 2024.
By Maria Hayes April 8, 2025
Mark your calendars and gather your team— Holy Family Trivia Night is back and promises an evening full of fun, fellowship, and friendly competition!
By Maria Hayes April 3, 2025
Passiontide – the Home Stretch of the Lenten Journey
April 3, 2025
Due to a power outage, Lenten Eucharistic Adoration scheduled for today has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to take time for prayer and reflection at home.  Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to gathering in prayer again soon!
By Maria Hayes April 1, 2025
Congratulations to parishioner Karen Schueler! St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities has selected Karen Schueler as a 2025 recipient of the Spirit of Hope Award. This will be presented at St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities’ annual “Changing Lives ~ Giving Hope” Gala on Thursday, April 10 th at the Galt House in Louisville. Karen served on the Advisory Council for fifteen years, including thirteen years on the Executive Committee and four years as Council Chair. During Karen’s service the agency experienced tremendous growth. This includes: New programs providing care to those in need. The agency becoming an accredited social service agency. Growth of the St. Elizabeth campus to house more women and children. In her leadership role, Karen always kept the agency focused on our mission. Karen was the agency’s biggest cheerleader and made sure the staff always felt appreciation from the Council. Karen also served on the Development Fundraising Committee and was instrumental in developing relationships that lead to new funding and connecting the agency to valuable community partners. Karen was always working in the background promoting St. Elizabeth attracting those willing to share their time, talent and treasure to support the agency. And while she has stepped down from the Board, she continues to be a huge supporter of the important work of St Elizabeth to women and children in our Kentuckiana area. Karen Schueler is well deserving recipient of the Spirit of Hope! We are very grateful for her and glad she is such a vibrant part of the Holy Family family. + As we have a “mini-celebration” this Laetare Sunday, rejoicing that we’ve passed the half-way point of Lent, there is hint of the rising Son painting the horizon in shades of pink & rose. Hopefully, that is true in your heart & soul, as much as in the Mass vestments this weekend. Jesus through the Spirit wants to lead us into the loving embrace & eternal care of the Father. This graced time of freely chosen sufferings of Prayer + Fasting + Almsgiving help configure us to Christ’s Cross of Good Friday so as to share in His Empty Tomb Sunday. + Special Thanks to all those who helped make our two Holy Family Fish Fry’s a swimming success. A core group of parishioners has led the charge – and monitored the fryers – the last several years. It is greatly appreciated & very delicious. We are also assisted by current 7th grade HFS students & their parents. They assist in the dining area with serving, cleaning, and cashiers, as well as the dessert table (even in Lent a little joy must be found!). Some of the proceeds from the two nights will go to their Washington DC trip at the start of 8th grade. So, thank you for coming out to support both the events, building up the Holy Family family, and enjoy some delicious fish! + Lenten Adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist Didn’t sign up? Don’t worry. Just Show up & Pray! + Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God. Holy Family, Led by the Holy Spirit, Pray for us. ~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries
By Maria Hayes March 27, 2025
Raymond Lee Heckman, born on August 2, 1931, in Louisville, Kentucky, passed away on March 22, 2025. Ray found great joy in nature and the outdoors. His love for hunting and fishing was matched only by the delight he took in watching birds. This appreciation for the environment underscored his generous spirit, as he often shared his passions with those around him. As a dedicated coach of many youth sports, he inspired and mentored countless young athletes, instilling values of teamwork and perseverance. An avid fan of the University of Louisville Cardinals, Ray's enthusiasm for sports was only rivaled by his creative pursuits. He began making jewelry, which he lovingly crafted to give as gifts, sharing his talent and thoughtfulness with family and friends. He is survived by his children, David (Kathy) Heckman, Gary (Linda) Heckman, and Carol (John) Goodman; his grandchildren, Lisa Pennington, Melanie Cook, Vanessa Kennedy, Chris Heckman, Sarah Heckman, Scott Heckman, Ben Heckman, John Goodman, and Chloe Goodman; as well as eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Ray was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond B. Heckman and Nancy Morris Heckman; his beloved wife, Georgenia "Genie" Heckman; and his daughters, Sherry Quinn and Debbie Nall. His legacy of kindness, passion for life, and love for his family will always be remembered. 
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