Acerca de

Dear friends, 

​

Lent is a beautiful time to grow more in our faith and also to let God enter into the messiness of our life and world to create a renewal and restoration of our dignity as his children. Lent is a time for deep self examination, conversion through prayer, fasting and alms giving. Join us as we grow together in christ and await the grace salvation. 

 

Ash Wednesday marked the first day of the liturgical season of Lent. At it, we marked ourselves with Ashes reminding us of repentance and conversion and the Gospel of Christ. We reminded ourselves that we are dust and to dust we shall return, calling ourselves to remember to return to the font of Grace and Hope, Jesus our Lord. 

 

In this season, we prepare ourselves intently and intentionally to celebrate the high point of our Christian life, Easter. The readings call us to a change of heart and teach us about the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. While these disciplines are to be part of the Christian life always, during the season of Lent, we renew our commitment to them more concretely. 

 

The meaning behind tracing a cross on our foreheads with ashes (the liturgical sign of Ash Wednesday) is a summary of our Christian life. On one level, the ashes remind us of our origin and our death. (In the words of the prayer said when we receive ashes: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”) The ashes are also the sign of our victory: the cross of Christ. In his death and resurrection, Christ conquered death. Our destiny as Christians is to receive the victory over death that Christ won for us. We acknowledge that victory when we “turn away from sin and become faithful to the gospel.” 
 
Each Friday during Lent we will have stations of the cross at 6:30pm at St. Patrick and at 7:00pm at St. Joan of Arc. 

Our Lenten Parish mission will be on March 28th from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

 

During the season of Lent, I encourage all to make time to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. I encourage you to spend time in prayer too. Maybe come a few minutes early to church, to pray on Sunday or join for our adoration opportunity. 

 

Lastly, I continue to ask you to keep praying for conversion of each heart during this season. Offer a Our Father…, Glory be… and Hail Mary… each day for this intention. 

​

May this be a fruitful season for us all. 

​

May God Bless you always, 

Fr. Francis