“Spy Wednesday” of Holy Week
5 April 2023
Dear Parishioners,
Blessed Holy Week / Passiontide to all of you! I’d like to take this opportunity to give you a heads up of what you will experience here at Our Lady of Lourdes this TRIDUUM and leading into Easter.
Church Law does not allow us to celebrate Masses on Holy Thursday or Good Friday mornings; nor do we celebrate Mass on Holy Saturday afternoon. As such, we will gather at communal prayer for the Mass of the Lord’s Last Supper at 6:30 PM on Thursday night. At this Mass we will return to the celebration of the Mandatum (Foot Washing) after the homily, and the “Transfer of the Holy Eucharist” will take place after our reception of Holy Communion. The Blessed Sacrament will be recessed to the Saint Michael of the Saints Chapel; please follow the ministers and me to the chapel. All are welcome to spend private prayer in the Sacred Presence until 11:00 PM. Please be mindful that Faithful from the Green Bay Diocese will arrive at Lourdes at roughly 9:30 PM as our parish has been chosen to be one of the seven diocesan “stations” where pilgrims will travel that night.
Our Good Friday celebration will take place at 12:10 PM. During this celebration we will listen attentively to Saint John the Evangelist’s perspective on the Passion narrative. Feel free to keep your missals closed during this reading, as the Passion on Friday is proclaimed differently than on Palm Sunday. Allow your attention to be focused on the spoken Word verses your own read Word!
After sitting through the proclamation of the Passion and the homily, we will stand for the duration of the Universal Prayer (petitions). Immediately thereafter we will reverence the Holy Cross. This year we ask that people simply approach the cross, displayed in the center of the sanctuary, and offer a profound bow to the cross. Should you desire to spend more time at the cross for adoration or veneration, that can take place after the conclusion of the liturgical service.
Our great Easter Vigil will be celebrated on Holy Saturday at 8:00 PM. The liturgy will begin at the firepit just adjacent to our main entrance on the southside of the church. Candlelight Entrance Rites will follow immediately in the church narthex (gathering place) which will eventually conclude with the chanting of the Exsultet. We will then process into the main church for the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy at the Altar. After the blessing of the Holy Water, we will be celebrating the full-incorporation of many parishioners into the life of the Church. We are blessed by such a decent group of people! After the Rites of Initiation, the Mass will continue as usual.
It is important to note that the TRIDUUM consists of one main liturgy, with long breaks in-between the celebrations of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. As such, it is imperative, especially given the serious nature of this liturgy, that you arrive and exit the church in silence. Also, while the Blessed Sacrament will not be reposed in our tabernacles during this time, Faithful are encouraged to come to our church for various times of private prayer throughout the TRIDUUM.
On Easter Sunday, Masses at Lourdes will be celebrated at 5:45 AM (Outdoor Sunrise Mass), at 8:15 AM and 10:15 AM. There will be no 6:00 PM Mass on Easter Sunday night. The 6:00 PM Mass will resume next weekend, 16 April, the Second Sunday of Easter. Should you choose to attend the Sunrise Mass, please dress appropriately given the unpredictable nature of weather in Northeastern Wisconsin! Also, please bring a chair to pass. This Mass will be celebrated at the main entrance on the southside of the church.
It is my hope that each of us will try earnestly to honor the sacred nature of this Holy Week. While it is important that we come and go quietly to honor those who will be gathered at church for private prayer, it is also important that we fully engage in these prayerful opportunities. Please be generous in your verbal responses, prayers and in the singing of songs. May our lives be spent this week as a, “Living Sacrifice of Praise!”
Again, Blessed Holy Week to each and every one of you!
Father James Baraniak, O. Praem.
The Thorn Tree
Today is Spy Wednesday, the day Judas sold Jesus for 30 silver pieces. We are also on the cusp of the holiest days of the entire Liturgical Year. If you can participate in any or all of the most beautiful liturgies of the year, please do. We begin with Holy Thursday, which continues into Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Again there is so much to celebrate as we journey with Jesus through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This week is the apex of our entire Liturgical Year. The week that changed the world!
A song that I came across last year, which was new to me, is a song by Scot Crandal and Sister Genevieve Glen titled "The Thorn Tree." Sister Genevieve, the lyricist for this song, uses the image of a thorn tree from the time of Jesus' birth to foretell what was to come. In the lyrics, the thorn bleeds on Good Friday, and after Jesus' death, it is broken. But then, on Easter morn, we see this thorn tree bloom in the fulfillment of Jesus' resurrection! I find this image refreshing but also very poignant in our paschal mystery. It may be poignant since it takes me back to my trip to the Holy Land and where Jesus wept over Jerusalem before his Passion. In that place, there were two trees like the ones that the crown of thorns would have been made from.
A song that I came across last year, which was new to me, is a song by Scot Crandal and Sister Genevieve Glen titled "The Thorn Tree." Sister Genevieve, the lyricist for this song, uses the image of a thorn tree from the time of Jesus' birth to foretell what was to come. In the lyrics, the thorn bleeds on Good Friday, and after Jesus' death, it is broken. But then, on Easter morn, we see this thorn tree bloom in the fulfillment of Jesus' resurrection! I find this image refreshing but also very poignant in our paschal mystery. It may be poignant since it takes me back to my trip to the Holy Land and where Jesus wept over Jerusalem before his Passion. In that place, there were two trees like the ones that the crown of thorns would have been made from.
Triduum Collections
During the Triduum we take a moment to consider those less fortunate in our community and world and share from our overflowing blessings. As such we will be holding special collections on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
Holy Thursday
God wants our lives to overflow with mercy, love, and compassion — the marks of His kingdom. As followers of Jesus, we have a choice: respond to unsettling realities in fear and withdraw, or follow Him in responding to the greatest needs of our day with love and hope. When we help the poor, we are truly followers of Jesus, servants of the poor. As you consider your gift to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, know that you are a sign of God’s love to those who are suffering, and you give them Easter hope and joy!
We hope that you will continue your walk with Jesus by further helping in our efforts! Please consider your continued monetary support through generous giving at the OLOL Holy Thursday Mass, either in-person or online. Also, if you know of someone in our parish or our West De Pere community who is in need of assistance, please contact our conference President, Dave Kwiatkowski, at (715)927-1264, or email davidk7191@gmail.com to inform us of that need. Please also pray that the Holy Spirit may continue to guide and multiply our good works with our Friends In Need in the West De Pere community!
Good Friday
Every year on Good Friday, a collection is taken up in Catholic Churches to support those in the Holy Land. Christians there rely heavily on the help that comes to them from this worldwide collection. Collected funds support the preservation of Holy Places, but above all provides for those pastoral, charitable, educational and social works which the Church supports in the Holy Land for the welfare of their Christian brethren and of the local communities.
Holy Week at Our Lady of Lourdes
Wednesday: 9 a.m. Mass with OLOL School
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m. Mass
Good Friday: 12:10 p.m. Service
Holy Saturday: 8 p.m. Mass
Easter Sunday: 5:45 a.m. Sunrise Mass (outdoors, bring a chair)
8:15 a.m. Mass
10:15 a.m. Mass
Game Day
It’s time to “fling off” those winter blahs, coats and kick off spring! Join us for a game day on Tuesday, April 25, from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the Social Hall for games, door
prizes, and a build your own ice cream sundae bar! Games include Sheepshead, Dominoes, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Cribbage & more! Games are provided or bring your own board games & friends!
Brunch & Bunco
Ladies of the parish and community are invited to join us on Sunday, April 23, from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm in the Social Hall for some delicious food and Bunco! Don’t know how to play? No worries -- We’ll learn together and have a great time! Sponsored by OLOL Women’s Ministry. Please RSVP by Tuesday, April 18, to the Parish Office at (920) 336-4033, by email to robin@lourdesdepere.org or by clicking here.
Our Lady of Lourdes Trivia Night
The annual OLOL School Trivia Night is Friday, April 21, at Green Bay Distillery. Have a blast while supporting our school! Click HERE to print the registration form or learn more. You can support us by:
·Forming a table of 8 to compete with. Decorate your table to win the best theme contest, and enjoy 6 rounds of trivia, along with other raffles and contests throughout the night. Cost is $240.
·Don’t have a group of 8? No worries! Call the School Office at (920) 336-9031 for more information on how to participate!
·Sponsoring a round or contest. By sponsoring, you promote your business while supporting OLOL Catholic School. Call the School Office at (920) 336-3091 for
more details.
Thanks for supporting our school!
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Family
1307 Lourdes Avenue
De Pere, WI 54115
(920) 336-4033
Email: parish@lourdesdepere.org