Hello everyone!
A few Lenten updates for you:
As I mentioned in an earlier bulletin, the Paulding Knights of Columbus Fish Fries will continue through the month of March: every Friday (Mar. 5, 12, 19, 26) from 4:00-7:00pm at the Paulding Knights of Columbus Hall. Only curbside ordering is available as we are not able to offer dine-in options because of COVID.
Feel free to join us for Stations of the Cross during Lent every Monday at noon in Paulding, every Wednesday at 7:00pm in Antwerp, and every Friday at 2:30 in Payne with all of our school students. Please note that if school is cancelled on a Friday, Stations of the Cross will also be cancelled. Additionally, everyone is certainly welcome to come pray the Stations individually at any of our campuses. However, if you choose to pray them on your own, please bring your own booklet or read the meditations on your phone.
As usual, we will be holding a Day of Grace at each of our campuses. Please take advantage of these days on which the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available throughout the day!
March 10 at Antwerp: 8:30-10am, 12-2pm, and 5-9pm
March 17 at Paulding: 8:30-10am, 12-2pm, and 4-8pm
March 24 at Payne: 8:30-10am, 12-2pm, and 5-8pm
As is indicated on the parish calendar:
Holy Thursday Mass will be in Paulding at 7:00pm
Good Friday service will be in Payne at 1:00pm
Easter Vigil will be in Antwerp at 8:00pm
Easter Sunday: 8:30 in Payne and 10:30 in Paulding
We are certainly grateful to be able to have the Holy Week liturgies in-person this year! However, the liturgies will look and feel a little different than we are accustomed to. Last year, the Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican released instructions on how these liturgies are to take place during the COVID pandemic. On Palm Sunday, the Vatican stipulates that the simple entrance will take at the beginning of Mass. What this means practically is that the palms will already be blessed when you arrive for Mass and the solemn reading of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem does not take place at the beginning of Mass.
On Holy Thursday, the washing of feet is omitted from the Mass. Additionally, the Vatican also instructs us that the usual procession of the Blessed Sacrament is not to happen after the Holy Thursday Mass. Instead, the Blessed Sacrament will be reposed in the tabernacle for the evening, during which people are welcome to stay and pray until the Blessed Sacrament is reposed elsewhere in preparation for Good Friday.
For the Good Friday service, the Vatican has asked that only the priest celebrant kiss the crucifix during the adoration of the Cross. Additionally, a petition for an end to the COVID pandemic (written by the Congregation for Divine Worship) will be added to the Solemn Intercessions.
Lastly, for the Easter Vigil, the Vatican has asked that the usual gathering outside the church building and lighting of a fire be omitted. Likewise, the procession into the church from outside is omitted, which means that we will not be holding candles like we are accustomed to. Essentially, this means that the beginning of the Easter Vigil will look a lot like how we have been starting Sunday Mass during the pandemic, but without music. The Paschal candle will be lit and the exsultet will be sung, and then Mass will continue.
Although it will look and feel a lot different than usual, we still keep in mind that the great mysteries celebrated in the Paschal Triduum remain always the same- Christ yesterday, today, and forever!
God bless you!
Fr. Ammanniti
