The Passion Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist began in silence as Bishop Edward Malesic and several other clergy members filed into the church on Good Friday, April 3.
Two readings preceded the reading of the Passion, after which Father Don Oleksiak, vicar general and moderator of the curia, delivered the homily.
“Jesus breaks the cycle of sin by overpowering and forgiving it,” he told the faithful who gathered for the solemn liturgy. He said no suffering was wasted with Christ’s death. “And there is no sin that is so great it cannot be forgiven,” Father Oleksiak reminded the congregation.
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He also encouraged them not to rush toward Easter, but to let it come slowly and to venerate the cross.
“Love crucified is the love that saves you and me,” Father Oleksiak said, adding that love “sets us free and heals us.”
The liturgy included a series of intercessions, veneration of the cross and Communion.
After Communion, the clergy left the cathedral in silence. Some returned a few minutes later to hear confessions.