St Raphael Catholic Church Lehigh Acres Florida
St Raphael Catholic Church Lehigh Acres Florida
Monday - Saturday: 8:00 am (English)
Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm (English) & 6:30 pm (Spanish)
Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am & 12:30 pm (English)
10:30 am & 5:30 pm (Spanish)
CONFESSIONS
Wednesday: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm (English)
Saturday: 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm (English)
Sunday: 4:30 pm - 5:15 pm (Spanish)
Files coming soon.
HOLY WEEK
Holy Thursday, March 28th
Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 7:00 PM (Bilingual)
Good Friday, March 29th
The Passion of the Lord – 3:00 PM (Bilingual)
Live Passion – 4:30 PM in Spanish
Holy Saturday, March 30th
Blessing of the Food – 11:00 AM (English & Polish)
Easter Vigil – 8:15 PM (Bilingual)
EASTER SUNDAY – MARCH 31ST
Masses: 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM & 12:30 PM in English
10:30 AM & 5:30 PM in Spanish
SEMANA SANTA
Jueves Santo, 28 de marzo
Misa de la Cena del Señor – 7:00 PM (Bilingüe)
Viernes Santo, 29 de marzo
La Pasión del Señor – 3:00 PM (Bilingüe)
Pasión del Señor en Vivo en Español – 4:30 PM
Sábado Santo, 30 de marzo
Bendición de la Comida – 11:00 AM (inglés y polaco)
Vigilia Pascual – 8:15 PM (Bilingüe)
DOMINGO DE PASCUA – 31 DE MARZO
Misas: 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM y 12:30 PM en inglés
10:30 AM y 5:30 PM en español
Blessing of the Baskets
The Blessing of the Baskets is one of the most enduring and beloved Polish traditions. Baskets containing a sampling of Easter foods are brought to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday. The basket is traditionally lined with a white linen or lace napkin and decorated with sprigs of boxwood, the typical Easter evergreen. Observing the beautiful foods and creations of other parishioners is one of the special joys of the event.
Blessing of Food
The Blessing of the Food is a festive occasion. The three-part blessing prayers specifically address the various contents of the basket, with special prayers for the meats, eggs, cakes & breads. The priest then sprinkles the individual baskets with Holy Water.
Basket Contents and Symbolism
Butter – this dairy product is often shaped into a lamb, reminding us of the goodness of Christ that we should have toward all things.
Easter Bread – a round rye loaf topped with a cross, symbolic of Jesus, the Bread of Life.
Horseradish – symbolic of the Passion of Christ still in our minds, but sweetened with some sugar because of the Resurrection.
Eggs – indicate new life and Christ’s Resurrection from the Tomb.
Sausage – a spicy sausage of pork products, indicative of God’s favor and generosity.
Ham – symbolic of great joy and abundance.
Smoked Bacon – a symbol of the overabundance of God’s mercy and generosity.
Salt – so necessary an element in our physical life, that Jesus used its symbolism: “You are the salt of the earth.”
Cheese – shaped into a ball, it is the symbol of the moderation Christians should have.
A candle – is inserted into the basket to represent Christ, Light of the World. A colorful ribbon and sometimes sprigs of greenery are attached.
Please note that these are the traditional items used for the basket blessing but any food items may be used.
Copyright © 2024 Saint Raphael Catholic Church in Lehigh Acres - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.