Lent Schedule and Activities

SCHEDULE FOR LENT

1. Stations of the Cross on Friday mornings and evenings (following Masses)

2. Lenten Dinners (5:30 PM) and Mass (6:00 PM) on Friday evenings

3. Confessions on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM

4. Rosary on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning

5. Adoration every Wednesday (morning and evening)

6. Bible Study on Monday nights

The US rules for abstinence from meat includes all
Fridays during Lent; Fast: The Church defines this as
one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added
together would not exceed the main meal in quantity.
and Abstinence as in universal rules -- no meat) on Ash
Wednesday and Good Friday.

FREE Lenten Suppers:

Fr Jay's Seasonal Message

Dear Friends in Christ,

During this past year, the Archbishop conducted a series of meetings throughout the Archdiocese addressing the concern of how to reach Catholics who are away from the Church.  It has been a concern that has been raised within ecumenical circles throughout the nation.  Most people in our society believe there is a God or Divine presence but less and less are attending or belonging to any denomination.  Church attendance is in decline across our nation and this is a concern.  Many in our society are questioning the relevance of organized religion and whether a church has anything to contribute to the common good.

Some of the issues that have been raised at meetings within our Archdiocese are:  "What is the work of the Church?"  Is witness in the public arena also the church’s ministry, and a place for pastors and congregation leaders?

I have shared at these meetings some of the things that I have learned over my 25 years as being a priest.  I have discovered that ministry within the congregation and outside the church’s walls are both equally important!  For Christ has called us not only to minister among one another, but also with the world "outside", where we all spend most of our days.  But it’s never an "either-or" proposition.

Our ministry within the congregation is central to who we are, and critical to the life of the church.  Here we worship God, we hear God’s Word and what it means for our lives.  Here we gather for life’s celebrations and to grieve together, as a community of faith.  But God calls us also to welcome our neighbor, practice hospitality to strangers, and to go out into the world to hear and understand our neighbors’ hopes, concerns, dreams and struggles.  To address people’s needs for spiritual growth, for worship, and for the basic things in life (home, shelter, work, food and health) requires the work of the Church to be present both within the sanctuary and in the places of power (like city hall and state capitols).  For Jesus was in the synagogue and the Temple, but he also spent most of his time in peoples’ homes, in the towns and villages, on the lakeshore, and on the road to Jerusalem, bringing God’s voice to all kinds of people.  Jesus brought good news to the poor, comfort to the suffering, hope to the lost and lonely, while he also spoke truth to those in power and challenged the authorities to care for people.

Jesus calls us in baptism to follow him as disciples.  This call leads us both within ourselves, within the church, and out into the world to meet our neighbor.  The season of Lent is a time of year when we spend more time than usual within the church’s walls, reflecting in worship on our lives of faith.  But remember that the purpose of this season is not just for our own spiritual growth, but also to re-energize us for our ministry outside the church building, with people in the world around us.  God calls you and me to go deep within ourselves so that we can go out with a strengthened faith as witnesses of good news.

We as Church have something to offer to the world around us.  The world is still in need of the message of Christ, to have hope, to know there is forgiveness, and that we are loved.  In my ministry over the years, whether in Parish, High School, Esperanza, Operation Nightwatch, Northwest Harvest or in the Jail, I have found that people are still looking and still waiting to hear the message of Christ.  For the Church to be relevant and meaningful in the world, we need to be present in the world.  We need to be outside these walls and where the people are to be found.  Jesus went out to the countryside and visited the people in their homes, in the marketplaces and out on the streets.  We as church must also be out there. 

May this Easter Season be a time for us to renew our vision of Church.  May this time be a new beginning for us to be Church and to be the presence of Christ within the world. 

God bless you on your journey this Season.

Fr. Jay DeFolco