Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1916 — St. Augustine’s Church Notes. [ARTICLE]

St. Augustine’s Church Notes.

Easter Sunday, the festival of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. St. Leo has called it the “feast of feasts” and said that Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter. It is the oldest feast of the Christian church, the connecting link between the Old and the New Testaments. The joyous character of the time besides the adorning of the church and altars with flowers and lights, is marked in the services of the church by the consfcant repetition of the word alleluia, (the Hebrew cry of joy meaning “praise the Lord”). During Easter time the paschal candle is lighted on Sundays and holy days during high mass and vespers, and in primitive ages the newly 'baptised converts came to church in white robes, which they did not lay aside for a week. The keeping of other feasts ends with their octaves, hut that of Easter asts till Pentecost, full fifty days. All movable feasts are calculated from Easter, while Easter itself has no fixed’ date; it is the Sunday after the first full moon following March 21; as a result the earliest date of Easter is March 22 and the latest April 25. The order of services will ibe as loilows: Early mass with sermon at 8 o’clock. The Catholic Order of Foresters will receive holy communion at this mass. During this mass the children will sing the following songs: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today; “Today He’s Risen;” “Hail the Holy Day of Days”. Rosary, high mass and sermon at 10 o’clock. The choir will render the following music: Vidj Regina,” “Haec Dies;” “O Salvataris”; “Tantum Ergo,” “Holy God We Praise Thy Name,” by the congregation.