April 12-13, 2025
Dear parishioners,
Now that we are in the final stretch of Lent, we now enter into the most sacred days of the entire year. During Holy Week, we enter deeply into Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection. Everything in Scripture- in both the Old and New Testaments- points to, and culminates in, the events that occur from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday.
This Tuesday, we will not be having our regular morning Mass because I will be at the cathedral in Toledo for the Chrism Mass, at which Bishop Thomas will bless all of the oils that will be used for the sacraments at each parish in our diocese. However, kindly note that Kingdom Builders will still be gathering at the Paulding church that evening 7:00.
We will be having Mass as usual on Wednesday morning. Wednesday of Holy Week has traditionally been referred to as “Spy Wednesday.” Of course, this refers to the event of Judas going to the chief priests sometime before the Last Supper and arranging for Jesus’ arrest. That is why this event is always the Gospel reading for Mass on Wednesday of Holy Week. As Matthew records it, “One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over” (Mt. 26: 14-16).
If you would like to deepen your experience of Holy Week with a spiritual practice on Spy Wednesday, then consider attending the Tenebrae service that will be happening at 7:30 pm this Wednesday, April 16, at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo. Bishop Thomas will be presiding at the Tenebrae service, which will include sung vespers, the chanting of the lamentations (excerpts from the Book of Lamentations in the Bible) along with a few other sung musical pieces.
“Tenebrae” is the Latin word for darkness, and in the liturgical context of Spy Wednesday, it refers to the darkness that came upon the earth when Jesus died on the cross and the darkness felt in the heart of the Church during the days and hours of our Lord’s Passion and death. Although somber in nature, the Psalms and other sung pieces during the Tenebrae service are profoundly beautiful as they try to bring expression to the anguish that Jesus experienced as he was undergoing his bitter suffering for our sake. As such, attending a Tenebrae service is the perfect way to prepare our minds and hearts for what we will experience in the liturgy throughout the whole Paschal Triduum.
Speaking of our liturgies for the Paschal Triduum, our Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday will be celebrated at 7:00 pm in Paulding. When you come into the church that evening, you will notice that the tabernacle will be empty and the red sanctuary candle will be extinguished. Kindly be aware that this is supposed to happen. The Roman Missal’s rubrics for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper state, “The tabernacle should be entirely empty; but a sufficient amount of bread should be consecrated in this Mass for the Communion of the clergy and the people on this and the following day.”
Our Good Friday service will start at 1:00 in Payne. Following the service, we will pray the stations of the cross, and then the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Lastly, our Easter Vigil Mass will start at 8:30 pm in Paulding. Please continue to pray for the two candidates who will be becoming Catholic at the Easter Vigil! Our Easter Sunday Masses will be at 8:30 in Payne and 10:30 in Paulding.
A blessed Holy Week to you all!
Fr. Ammanniti
