Sacred Heart Parish, Lafayette Avenue, Palmerton, celebrates weekend Mass on Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m., following all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Allentown Diocesan directives. All worshippers for weekend Mass are asked to call the rectory office at 610-826-2335 indicating the Mass time and how many will be attending. Daily Mass, Monday through Friday, is celebrated at noon. The church remains open after daily Mass until 3 p.m. for private prayer.

Sunday 9:30 a.m. Mass is livestreamed on Facebook for all who are unable to join us in person.

Seating capacity continues to be limited to 160 worshippers at each Mass. Wearing a facial mask and safe distancing is required. The Sacrament of Confession continues to be offered by appointment only. Please call the rectory office to schedule. All other parish and diocesan news can be found at www.shcpalmerton.org.

This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday. Jesus, humbling himself out of love for us, did not shield himself from buffets and spitting but offered himself on the cross. The Passion will be read at all Masses and Blessed Palms will be distributed at the end of Masses. We now enter into Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum.

The church will be unavailable for use on Monday and Tuesday as it will be professionally cleaned to be prepared for our upcoming celebrations.

On Monday, we will have Rite of Christian Initiation class at 1 p.m. in the Parish Center.

April 1, we celebrate at 7 p.m. the Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by Adoration until 10 p.m. when we will conclude with Night Prayer.

Good Friday, April 2, Stations will be celebrated at noon, and the main liturgy, the Passion Service, will be celebrated at 3 p.m.

April 3 is Holy Saturday. At noon Father Bill will bless Easter Food Baskets, and at 8 p.m. the church celebrates the first Mass of Easter, The Easter Vigil.

April 4 at 9:30 a.m. we will celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection and renew our baptismal promises. Children are invited to bring their Easter baskets to this Mass for a blessing and a small treat from Father Bill.

Bishop Schlert will celebrate the Chrism Mass on March 31 from the Diocesan Cathedral and it will be livestreamed on www.ad-today.com/live at 10:30 a.m.

Father Bill continues to ask for prayers through the intercession of Father Walter Ciszek whose cause for canonization to sainthood is under study, that God will bless us with a cure for COVID-19 and restore the physical, spiritual, emotional and financial health to our global family.

All are invited to join us for the Triduum and Easter Celebrations as we look forward to the return of the faithful from a challenging year of the pandemic. Please call the rectory office to reserve your seating today for all services that you will be attending. Masks will be required.