Lenten Season

02-12-2021Weekly Flocknote MessageFr. James Aboyi, V.C.

Have you made plans for the Lenten season this year yet? Remember, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The most common way many people make plans for the season of Lent is by making Lenten promises. The tradition of making Lenten promises is a very good strategy that helps us to develop new ways to maintain personal disciplines and spiritual renewal. I encourage you to consider including the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving in your Lenten promises this year. When we include these three pillars of Lent in our Lenten promises, we will see that Lent will mean for us a period of “Giving up, taking up, and lifting up.” In fasting, we give up attachment to bodily needs like food and material things. By setting aside quality times for personal prayers, we take up new habits to strengthen our relationship with God. When we give alms, we are lifting up our brothers and sisters who are in need of our love, prayers and support. May God give us His grace and strengthen us to be able to carry out our Lenten promises faithfully to the end.

Our Bishop, Thomas J. Olmsted, had a webinar last Wednesday with priests and parish staff across the Diocese to give us some updates and, most importantly, to share some modifications to the Lenten and Easter Liturgies this year. One of the modifications is the way the ashes will be distributed on Ash Wednesday. According to a new regulation from the Vatican, ashes will only be sprinkled on the head and not imposed on the forehead. We have therefore canceled the plan I announced last weekend regarding imposing the ashes on the forehead using cotton balls. Other modifications will generally affect the Holy Week and Easter celebrations. I will communicate these changes to you in the next few weeks.

Please check our bulletin and website for the Ash Wednesday Mass schedule. Be reminded of the following Lenten activities coming up next week:

Wed, Feb 17: Ash Wednesday. All Masses will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel and ashes will be distributed during and after all Masses. We will also have a Liturgy of the Word service with the distribution of ashes at Noon.

Thu, Feb 18: First session of the Lenten Bible Study at 7pm

Fri, Feb 19: Confession from 5-6pm; virtual Stations of the Cross from 6-6:30pm on YouTube

Charity and Development Appeal (CDA)

This past weekend was the Kickoff Weekend for the CDA in all parishes in the Diocese. We heard directly from the Bishop during Masses, inviting everyone to participate. I thank those who have already participated in the CDA this year. We will provide you with an envelope, especially for those who have not received their CDA envelope by mail yet. There are some easier ways to give this year such as “Text to Give.” We will explain the different ways to give during Masses.

A Message of Hope from Bishop J. Olmsted

Have a wonderful weekend and Remain Blessed.
Pastor