March 16-17, 2024
Dear parishioners,
First, I would like to congratulate our 7th and 8th grade parishioners who received the sacrament of Confirmation a couple Sundays ago. The Mass with Bishop Thomas at the cathedral was beautiful and our parish was very well represented as we filled half of the cathedral with family and friends of the confirmandi. Additionally, our parish was well represented by the respectful demeanor of everyone present, including the candidates themselves and the servers. Thank you for your prayers for the newly confirmed as they prepared to receive this sacrament!
Don’t forget that our second Day of Grace is this Wednesday, March 20 in Payne. I will be hearing confessions from 8:30-10:10, 12:00-2:00, and 5:00-8:00.
Next Sunday is already Palm Sunday! As we have done for the past couple of years, we will be doing a procession from the Paulding Ed Center to the church before the 10:30 Mass. Please consider coming to join us for this beautiful start to Holy Week! Our children’s choir will again be providing the music as they have wonderfully done in the past. There are a few prayers and a reading before the procession begins, so we will begin the prayers in the Ed Center at 10:20. All are certainly welcome to come and take part in the procession!
Kindly remember that there will be no Mass on Tuesday, March 26 because I will be away at the Chrism Mass at the cathedral. The Chrism Mass is the Mass at which the bishop consecrates all of the oils that will be used to confer the sacraments throughout the diocese in the following year. Also at this Mass, all the priests of the diocese renew the promises we made on the day of our ordination. So, please say a prayer for all of us that day, that we might remain faithful to those promises we made when we were ordained, and be ever more dedicated to serving those whom Christ has entrusted to us!
Of course, with Holy Week comes the beautiful liturgies of the Sacred Paschal Triduum. Please consider joining for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in Paulding. This Mass solemnly begins the Triduum liturgy. It is, of course, this Mass which commemorates the Last Supper, at which Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood. We celebrate with great joy on this evening because the Eucharist is the most tremendous gift Jesus has given us, and continues to give us every time we are at Mass! No words can fully express how much we need the Eucharist! As St. Padre Pio once notably, wrote; “We would better live without the sun than without the Eucharist.” We also celebrate with great joy at Jesus’ institution of the priesthood because, without priests, we would not have a way to receive the sacraments!
Our Good Friday Service will be at 1:00 in Payne. The service will be followed by stations of the Cross and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
The Easter Vigil will take place at 8:30 p.m. in Paulding on Saturday, March 30. On Easter Sunday, our 8:30 Mass will be in Payne and our 10:30 Mass will be in Paulding.
Blessings,
Fr. Ammanniti
