Today as we celebrate Palm Sunday we enter the most solemn week of the Church Year – the final, intense days of Lent and the
great days of the Triduum. This week, called holy by our ancestors, calls us to focus our attention and energy on the observance of
the Paschal Mystery.
The Triduum: The first thing to recognize about the Triduum is that it means ―The Three Day. The Triduum is a unified observance
that extends over three days, and forms its own unique and central part of the liturgical year. Lent ends on Holy Thursday afternoon.
The Triduum begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and concludes on Easter Sunday evening.
The Church is called to enter into a period of prayer, fasting and vigilance, which reaches its climax at the Easter Vigil. The principal liturgies even suggest the unity of the Triduum by the way they end and begin. On Thursday, there is no dismissal or conclusion;
on Friday we gather and leave with no introductory or concluding rites; and at the Vigil we gather around a fire and begin without the
usual introductory rites. We begin on Thursday and don’t conclude until after the Vigil, with Easter Sunday as a kind of extension of
the celebration of the Vigil.
These days are the central movement around which all else revolves. The Triduum gives meaning to Lent, which precedes
it, and to the Fifty Days of Easter that follow. As the Lent-Easter cycle is the core of the year, so the Triduum is the core of Lent-Easter. These days are central because they draw us into the heart of our identity as a church. The paschal mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection is the core of our faith, and our participation in the mystery through the celebration of baptism defines what it means to be Christian and what it means for the community to be church. This year, Holy Thursday and Good Friday services will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Lake, King Ferry and the Easter Vigil will be celebrated at St. Patrick Church, Aurora,
May you have a blessed Holy Week—God’s peace and blessings.
Father Bill

This year we again invite families to participate in CRS Rice Bowl. Rice bowls are available in the church vestibules. This year
we are supporting CRS projects in Nigeria, Guatemala, and Bangladesh. It is suggested that you put the Rice Bowl on your dinner
table, and during Lent set aside days to fast as a prayer sacrifice for the hungry and poor of the world. The money that you would
normally pay for a full meal you are encouraged to put in the Rice Bowl as a sacrificial gift. Likewise, if you give up items for Lent,
such as candy, desserts, movies, etc., you are encouraged to give the money you would normally spend on these items to the Rice
Bowl. At the end of Lent, the Rice Bowl donations will be collected and distributed to address hunger in the world. Twenty-five percent of the money collected will go to the local food pantries and the rest will be distributed by Catholic Relief Services. Please consider participating in this program of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. If you search www.crsricebowl.org you will find more information
about CRS Rice Bowl, including meatless Lenten recipes from around the world. As we journey through Lent please pray for the
Pope’s health and peace in our world. God’s Blessings and peace, Father Bill

Recently a parishioner came up to me and asked to be anointed because of some medical concerns. I said I would be glad to and I went and got the Oil of the Sick and anointed her with the holy oil as I administered the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. I was grateful that she gave me the opportunity to pray with her.
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament that is based on the healing ministry of Jesus and the teaching of the church found in the Letter of James. James 5:14 teaches,” Is anyone among you sick? He should summons the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If
he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.”
In the past people looked at this Sacrament as one that you received as you prepared for death; it was called Extreme Unction, or Last Rites. The Sacrament today is called the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, and while it is still received by those who are close to death, people are also encouraged to receive this sacrament who are dealing with serious illness, surgery, and those who are dealing with various chronic
illnesses, especially the elderly.
If you are in need of receiving the Sacrament of the Sick I encourage you to do so. You can call the church office (364-7197) to schedule a time to meet with me either at church, or if you are homebound, at your house. If you are able to attend Mass you can ask me to anoint you after Mass. I encourage this approach especially when you are going in for surgery or some other serious medical procedure or course of
treatment.
Also, if you or a member of your family is homebound and cannot attend Mass, please let us know if you or they would like to receive Holy Communion at home and arrangements will be made.

Superbowl Sunday: For all the football fans among us, today is Superbowl Sunday! For many who don’t enjoy football,
today is a day they annually spend watching movies! I must say I am one who will enjoy watching the Superbowl. I have greatly
enjoyed the playoff games once again this year, with one exception, I did not like seeing the Bills lose. This past Sunday, when no
football games were on I began dreaming of the baseball season beginning! I am also dreaming about spring arriving. Even though
the Groundhog saw his shadow last Sunday, and is predicting six more weeks of winter, I am still hoping for an early spring.!
As I look out at the yards in Aurora I see that the little snow we had here has melted away today. I am sure that we will
receive more snows in the weeks ahead, but being able to see my flower beds, it makes me eager to plant some flowers. But, realistically it will be not just six more weeks, but over three more months before spring planting is clear of frosty nights. In the meantime we
wait patiently.
I do like the way that the liturgical calendar is laid out this year. Some years Lent comes right on the heels of the Christmas
season. I find it an enjoyable time to reflect on what Jesus has done for us when there is more time between the celebration of His
birth and the Lenten days of His passion and death.. Lent will begin this year with Ash Wednesday on March 5th, and Easter will be
celebrated on April 20th. May we use the time wisely and share our faith and love with others.
As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this Friday, remember to share your joyful experiences with your loved ones.
Have a blessed week,, Father Bill

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins, Saturday, January 18 and ends, Saturday January 25. The theme
chosen for 2025 is, “Do you Believe”( John 11:26) Our world has seen so much warfare in recent times as nations fight against their neighbors, and our country has seen so much political division that causes unrest in our nation. The violence on New Year’s Day in New Orleans reminds us that our streets, neighborhoods, and schools continue to be plagued with senseless gun violence that calls out for justice for all people. These continued tensions in the human family call out for healing, unity, justice and peace. As we reflect on the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “Do you Believe?”, may we pray for unity not only in our faith communities, but also for our families, our country, and our world.
The churches of Union Springs have gathered in daily prayer and reflection sessions in observance of the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity, for over forty years. Covid stopped the gatherings for prayer for a couple of years, but last year we began meeting again for prayer and reflection during the Week of Prayer but with an abbreviated schedule. This year we will do likewise.
On Saturday, January 18,at 2:00 p.m., there will be a session at the Healing Grounds, 155 Main Street, Union Springs. The
Scripture readings for that gathering are Isaiah 63:15-1t; Psalm 139: 1-3, 13, 23, 24b; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6.
On Sunday, January 19, at the Trinity United Church of Christ, on Main Street, Union Springs, there will be a dish –to- pass
meal at 6:00 p.m., followed by a 7:00pm prayer service with a reflection offered by Fr. Bill Moorby.
On Tuesday, January 21, at 2:00 p.m.at the Trinity United Church of Christ, on Main Street, Union Springs. The Scripture
readings for that gathering are Exodus 3:7-8; Psalm 16:5, 7,10-11.
On Wednesday, January 22, 7:00 p.m. at St. Michael Church, on Main Street, Union Springs. The Scripture readings for that
gathering are Ezekiel 36:24-28; Psalm 104: 24-25, 27-29. 33-34; John 3:4-8.
On Thursday, January 23, 7:00 p.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Union Springs. The Scripture readings for that
gathering are Isaiah 2:2-4; Psalm 133; Ephesians 4:1-6.
On Friday, January 24, 2:00 p.m. at St. Michael Church, on Main Street, Union Springs. The Scripture readings for that gathering are Micah 7:18-19, Psalm 51:1, 7, 10, 12, Matthew 28: 16-20.
Please bring a Bible with you to the prayer and reflection sessions.
If you cannot make the gatherings, please pray for unity that we may all be one in God ‘s love. Also, a Daily Scripture and
Prayer Guide for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be available in our churches. You are encouraged to use them at
home for personal prayer during the week or to gather as a family or with friends at home to prayerfully reflect throughout the week.
On January 20th, we honor Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who devoted his life to bring about equality by peaceful means and to stop the injustices experienced by persons of color in our society. May we pray for the necessary changes needed in our minds and hearts, as well as in the laws and systems in our society that facilitate discrimination and injustice. May we see others as our neighbors and all people as children of God. God’s blessings and peace, Father Bill

I share with you today this teaching of the church of who we are as God’s pilgrim people as we await the fulfillment of our salvation ,
the Second coming of the Lord.
From “Lumen gentium”, the Second Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution on the Church
The eschatological character of the pilgrim Church
“The Church, to which we are all called in Christ Jesus and in which we acquire holiness through the grace of God, will reach its
perfection only in the glory of heaven, when the time comes for the renewal of all things, and the whole world, which is intimately
bound up with man and reaches its perfection through him, will, along with the human race, be perfectly restored in Christ.
Lifted above the earth, Christ drew all things to himself. Rising from the dead, he sent his life-giving Spirit upon his disciples, and
through the Spirit established his Body, which is the Church, as the universal sacrament of salvation. Seated at the right hand of the
Father, he works unceasingly in the world, to draw men into the Church and through it to join them more closely to himself, nourishing them with his own body and blood, and so making them share in his life of glory.
The promised renewal that we look for has already begun in Christ. It is continued in the mission of the Holy Spirit. Through the
Spirit it goes on developing in the Church: there we are taught by faith about the meaning also of our life on earth as we bring to fulfilment – with hope in the blessings that are to come – the work that has been entrusted to us in the world by the Father, and so work out our salvation.
The end of the ages is already with us. The renewal of the world has been established, and cannot be revoked. In our era it is in a
true sense anticipated: the Church on earth is already sealed by genuine, if imperfect, holiness. Yet, until a new heaven and a new
earth are built as the dwelling place of justice, the pilgrim Church, in its sacraments and institutions belonging to this world of time,
bears the likeness of this passing world. It lives in the midst of a creation still groaning and in travail as it waits for the sons of God to be revealed in glory.