Lent 2010


Lent used to be a dour time.  We focused on what we were giving up - meat, candy, movies, money, time, etc. - or what we were taking on - daily Mass, Stations of the Cross, prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, etc.  On these terms, Lent seemed a burden to us.

But Lent is meant to free us. Its three disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are ways to remind us of who we are as Catholic Christians.  Prayer places us before God for His love to comfort and challenge us as we see ourselves as God’s children.  Fasting helps us take stock of what we really need to live well and to appreciate our “creature comforts” as signs of God’s goodness.  Finally, almsgiving shows us how rich we are.  When we use our treasure to help others, its value is multiplied because it links us together through a gift shared.

So, Happy Lent to us all!  May this season lead us to Easter with more peace through our prayer, with less need through our fasting, and with a gracious spirit through what we received by giving generously.

 

Ash Wednesday


    


The ancient ritual of imposing ashes is a reminder of our sinfulness, our limitations and weaknesses, our mortality, but also it is one of hope.  “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel,” says the minister as the ashes are imposed.  The message is clear: we are sinners but we are not lost; we are loved by the Father and therefore change is possible.   Please click here for more pictures from Ash Wednesday.

 

Lenten Evening Prayer

Beginning Wednesday, February 24 at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer will be prayed in church followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  Evening Prayer is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church.  It is prayed at various hours of the day by priests, deacons and men and women in many religious communities.  Its origins were many centuries ago in monasteries and convents, and consists of public recitation of psalms of the Old Testament, scripture readings and prayers.  There will be a Prayer Basket for your special intentions.  If you are in need of prayer, know someone who is, or if you have a special intention, simply write the person’s name or the intention on a piece of paper and place it in the Prayer Basket.  We will place these names and intentions before the altar and make intercession for them each Wednesday throughout the season of Lent.  All are invited to join in this “sanctification” of the hours of our daily lives during these weeks of Lent.

 

Stations of the Cross

Stations will be prayed on Mondays and Fridays during Lent.  All are invited to attend these services.  Please check the bulletin for changes in the schedule.  If there is no school, the children’s Stations of the Cross will be cancelled.  The schedule is as follows:

  • Stations of the Cross for Children:  Fridays beginning on February 19 at 2:15 PM

  • Stations of the Cross and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament:  Fridays beginning on February 19 at 7:00 PM

  • Stations of the Cross for Children:  Mondays beginning on February 22 at 6:30 PM

Area Lenten Penance Services

Please join us at 7:00 PM on the following dates throughout our area for Lenten Penance Services.

  • Tuesday, March 23: - Church of Saint Anne, Belle Vernon

  • Wednesday, March 24:  Epiphany of Our Lord Church (Knox Avenue Site), Monessen

  • Thursday, March 25:  Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Perryopolis

Fast and Abstinence

All persons 14 years and older are not to eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent.

All between the ages of 18-59 are to eat only one full meal and not eat between meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

 

2010 Day by Day Lenten Booklets

The LITTLE BLACK BOOK for adults and the LITTLE PURPLE BOOK for young people will again be offered this year.  These Lenten booklets, with prayers and reflections for this Lenten season, are available for $1.00 each at the entrances to the Church.  Please place your offering in the envelope provided.  Envelopes may be placed in the collection basket or brought to the Parish Office or night deposit box.

 

Lenten Folders

For your convenience the Lenten Folder is now designed to hold quarters or dollar bills.  The Lenten Self-Denial Folders have been mailed to all parishioners.  During Lent each of us is asked to put 50 cents or a dollar, daily, or weekly, whenever you can, in the slots provided as a symbol of penance and almsgiving, a traditional Lenten practice.  You may place your folder in the collection basket at the end of Lent.