Ash Wednesday – February 22nd
Masses will be celebrated at:
6:30am, 9:00am, & 7:00pm
In addition, there will be a simple Liturgy of the Word with the Distribution of Ashes only at 5:30pm.
This will NOT be a Mass, and Holy Communion will NOT be distributed at 5:30pm.

 

 

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take place every Monday during the Lenten Season following the 8:00am Daily Mass and will conclude with a Holy Hour & Benediction from 7:00-8:00pm in the Chapel. Signups for time slots will begin soon, stay tuned!

 

 

Stations of the Cross
Every Friday at 7:00pm in the Chapel. Please note: the usual Friday Holy Hour is being transferred to Mondays during Lent on a trial basis, so Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings will take place at 7:00pm and will be the only devotion during that time.

 

 

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Every Saturday: 3:45-4:30pm in Chapel
Thursdays during Lent following the 7:00pm in Chapel
Evening of Reconciliation on Wednesday, March 22nd beginning at 7:00pm in Church; several guest priests will be available for Confessions around the Church; there will be no formal prayer service, simply come and engage this great Sacrament of healing and mercy before Easter!

 

 

Palm Sunday
We will follow a normal Sunday schedule:
5:00pm Saturday Vigil
Sunday at 7:30am, 10:30am, & 6:00pm
A Solemn Blessing and Procession of Palms will take place at both the 5:00pm Saturday Vigil and 10:30am Sunday Masses beginning at the Gazebo outside the Clergy Residence, weather permitting. In case of inclement weather, we will move inside the Atrium.

Holy Thursday
7:00pm – Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Following the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, all are welcome to join in a Solemn Procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose in the Chapel. Weather Permitting, we will follow a similar route we used for 40 Hours around the outside of the Parish Campus. The Altar of Repose will be located in the Chapel and will remain open for private prayer until Midnight.

Good Friday
A simplified version of Morning Prayer will be prayed in the Chapel at 9:00am. The Chapel will remain open throughout the day for private prayer.
3:00pm – Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in Church
Following the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, the Church will close for the evening.

Holy Saturday
A simplified version of Morning Prayer will be prayed in the Chapel at 9:00am. The Blessing of Easter Food will take place at 10:00am.

Solemn Easter Vigil – 8:00pm
This year we do not have any Parishioners being Baptized at the Vigil Mass, however we are encouraging Parishoners to attend this beautiful Liturgy that is rich in its symbolism! Weather permitting, the Easter Fire will be lit and blessed outside the Atrium.

Easter Sunday
Masses will be celebrated at:
7:30am, 9:00am, & 10:30am.
Please note the addition of the 9:00am Mass since there will NOT be a 6:00pm Mass on Easter Sunday!

 

“Little Black Books”

We are happy to provide copies of the “Little Black Book” from the Diocese of Sagniaw. In Advent we distributed copies of the “Little Purple Book” and parishioners found them to be quite helpful. There will be a limited supply available in Church beginning the weekend of February 18th & 19th.

 

Pocket Crosses

We are happy to once again provide “Pocket Crosses” for this Lenten Season! They are engraved with the words we hear on Ash Wednesday: “Repent, and Believe in the Gospel” along with the year: 2023. These will be available on Ash Wednesday. In addition, we also have a supply of wooden crosses from years past that we will have out which you are welcome to take.

 

Rules on Fasting and Abstinence

 

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

For Catholics, the rules on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. 

The rules concerning abstinence from meat are binding from age 14 onwards.

 

For health reasons, these rules can be adjusted. You should always follow your medical doctor’s instructions with regard to diet. Such instructions are important and can override rules of fasting and abstinence. In these cases, another act of fasting or sacrifice can be substituted.

 

Return: Lent with Fr. John Burns

Thursdays at 10:00am in the Berulle Conference Room

 

Reorient your mind and heart this Lent so you can more fully experience the joy of Easter—Christ’s victory over sin and death. In this beautiful guided journal for prayer and meditation, Fr. John Burns—author of the bestselling and award-winning book “Adore” invites you to strip away your confusion, attachments, and sin so you can return to the Lord and undergo real and lasting conversion.

In the liturgy’s first reading on Ash Wednesday, the prophet Joel calls us to wholehearted conversion: “Even now, says the Lord, return to me, with your whole heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning, rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:12–13).

Each week throughout Lent, Fr. Burns breaks down these two verses:

Week 1, “return to me”—recognize the need to reorient our lives through Lent;

Week 2, “return to me with your whole heart”—reorient not only the mind but also the heart to the Lord;

Week 3, “return to me with fasting”—acknowledge hardness of heart and the value of discipline;

Week 4, “return to me with weeping and mourning”—bring forward personal agonies and unbind hidden bitterness that divides us from God; and

Week 5, “Rend your hearts, not your garments, return to the Lord, your God”.

Then, during Holy Week and the Resurrection on Easter, you are invited to weave your own stories into that of the Paschal Mystery.

Fr. Burns uses the opening prayer of each day’s Mass—called the Collect—as a starting point for your meditations through the forty days leading up to Easter Sunday. He also focuses on the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which come together as our sacred penance during this solemn season and ultimately lead us to heaven.

Each day of “Return” includes the prayer from the Opening Collect of Mass, an inspiring meditation, thought-provoking reflection questions, and a prayer. There’s plenty of space for journaling as well.

Return features stunning original art by Josiah Henley of Heart of IESVS. Free weekly companion videos, a downloadable discussion guide, and other resources make this book perfect for parish-wide, individual, and book club use leading up to Easter.

If you are interested in joining us for this faith formation program for Lent, please contact Susan Dobrowolski at:  zusia2010@aol.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *