​Book Study 6:30pm, 1st & 3rd Fridays @ SSPP school Please feel free to join us at any time. We are currently discussing Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Copies are available to borrow & can be picked up from the parish office. Children are welcome to play in the school gym during discussions. All ages are welcome. Any questions, please contact Anna Jelleberg

The Holy Season of Lent culminates in the Church’s celebration of Holy Week. There is no more important observance in the Christian calendar than the celebration of the events of our salvation: the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; the institution of the Sacraments of Holy Orders and the Eucharist at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday; the suffering and death of the Lord on Good Friday; and His glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday. Each year, on Palm Sunday, the Church begins Holy Week by reading the Gospel account of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, and then reading the Passion story from one of the synoptic Gospels (i.e., Matthew, Mark, or Luke). This year the Passion account is taken from the Gospel of Matthew. It is fitting that we get a “preview” of the events of Holy Week in the scripture readings on Palm Sunday. On Good Friday we will read the Passion story from the Gospel of St. John. (The Passion story is always taken from John on Good Friday.) Plan now to participate in the whole Sacred Triduum: Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at 7:00pm (followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until midnight), Passion Service on Good Friday at 12:30pm, and the most important celebration of the entire year, the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday at 8:30pm. This is what we have been preparing for all Lent! I strongly encourage you to attend all three services, if possible. Together let’s make this a Holy Week!! Each year during Holy Week the Bishop presides over the Chrism Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in La Crosse. This year it is celebrated on Tuesday, April 4, at 10:30am. All the priests and deacons of the Diocese who are able will join him (I’ll be there!) We priests renew our ordination promises at this Mass. All the faithful of the Diocese are invited as well. If you have never attended the Chrism Mass before (and even if you have), and you are able to make a day of it, I encourage you to attend.

May God bless you!
Fr. Schaller

End of SSPP Mass Livestream
​Palm Sunday will be the last Mass livestreamed on Facebook. We will continue to record Mass and it will be posted to our Facebook page by Monday morning.

Glacier Lake FNE Pancake Breakfast
Sunday, April 23rd, 8:00 am – 12:30 pm at SS Peter & Paul Catholic Church Adults $10.00; Children ages 5-12 $5.00; Children 4 & under eat free; Maximum Family Rate $40.00.
Menu includes: buttermilk pancakes, sausage, real maple syrup, applesauce, cheese, cookies and choice of beverage. 

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The Gospels recount many of the miracles the Lord performed: restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength of limbs to the lame and palsied, multiplying the loaves and fishes to feed the hungry. Saint John, in his Gospel, does not call these great works of Jesus miracles; he calls them signs. Truly, the Lord’s miracles are signs, since – in addition to what the miracle accomplishes in itself – it points to some further reality. This can be seen clearly in the miracle of the raising of Lazarus, which is recounted in today’s Gospel. Not only is Lazarus raised from the dead, but this miracle points to a greater work of God: the glorious resurrection of our Savior on Easter. This is why the Church places this Gospel story towards the end of Lent, as a means to help us prepare spiritually for Easter.

Are you ready for our final sprint towards Easter? Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, and the beginning of Holy Week. Plan now to participate in the whole Sacred Triduum: Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at 7:00pm, Passion Service on Good Friday 12:30pm, and the most important celebration of the entire year, the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday at 8:30pm, and Easter Day at 9:00am. The whole liturgical year - and our faith! - revolves around the celebration of this central mystery of the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Savior.

May God bless you!
Fr. Schaller 

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Tenebrae Prayer Service
Please join us for a sung, candlelight prayer service that will feature the choirs and musicians of Ss. Peter and Paul and Sacred Heart of Polonia. This event, inspired by the traditional Holy Week offices of Tenebrae, will take place on
Holy Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 7:30 PM 

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Our Lord frequently made use of material things in order to teach a spiritual message. In today’s Gospel he uses the occasion of meeting (and healing) a man born blind to teach us to “see” with eyes of faith. “There is no one so blind as the person who will not see,” i.e., the person who chooses not to see. Lent is such a great time for spiritual renewal. And the Church enriches our experience of Lent by selecting for our reflection some of the most startling Gospel accounts. Last Sunday, today, and next Sunday, the Church draws from the Gospel of John with the stories of the “Woman at the Well,” the “Man born Blind,” and the “Raising of Lazarus.” I encourage you to spend some extra time today to read carefully these Gospel accounts, especially today’s Gospel of the “Man born Blind.” If we observe times of quiet prayer – alone with God – He will help us see where we have wandered from the Truth. Pray that the Lord may open your eyes to see the fullness of the Truth to which he is calling you.
Today, Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday, marks the midpoint of Lent. It is a time to pause, assess how I have observed this holy season thus far, and recommit myself to a fruitful conclusion of Lent. We are just a few weeks away from the holiest week of the year. The Holy Week Liturgies provide the opportunity for us to enter more fully into the Sacred Mysteries of our salvation. From Palm Sunday, through the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday) and the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) we journey with the Lord to arrive at His glorious resurrection. Mark your calendars for Holy Week. I encourage all our parishioners to participate in ALL the Holy Week services if possible. What a great culmination for Lent!
May God bless you!
​Fr. Schaller 

Save the Date!
Father-Daughter Dance 6-8:30pm, Apr. 21 @ SSPP 

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