“I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.” (Psalm 32).
If we turn to the Lord, Jesus will fill us with joy, hope, healing, renewal, etc.! All we have to do is turn to Him. I am happy to note that there are many ways and opportunities for you to turn to the Lord during Lent this year and receive joy and hope! I just want to take a moment and highlight some of them for you.
1) This year, the school’s theme is Ignite Hope. They celebrated hope in God in so many beautiful ways during Catholic Schools week. In light of this, Fr. Bearer and I have decided to offer a Lenten Preaching Series on Hope, where we will take turns preaching each weekend at all the masses and focus on the message of hope in the Gospel.
2) Beginning on February 15 to March 19, we will be beginning our journey of consecrating the parish to St. Joseph. Our primary resource will Fr. Don Calloway’s “Consecration to St. Joseph,” which unpacks the Litany of St. Joseph’s titles of St. Joseph. This consecration truly helps you to get to know St. Joseph better and will help you live out these realities in your life. If you don’t have a copy of this book, the parish will be providing a resource for you on our website and weekly email blast that will provide an abbreviated reflection and prayer for you. The school will be doing this as well. There will be a weekly discussion on St. Joseph each Saturday morning in the Church after 8:15 Mass beginning February 20. Go St. Joseph!
3) While we focus on St. Joseph, we can’t forget about St. Mary! That’s why I am excited to welcome and encourage you to attend our Lenten Mission on Mary: Her Joy, Her Sorrow, Her Glory: A Marian Reflection of Art over the Centuries. This mission is offered by Fr. Terry Grachinin, Pastor of St. Noel, Willoughby Hills. Come at 7:00pm on February 28, March 1 and March 2 and enter into the beauty of art and ultimately the beauty of Mary’s life!
4) On Saturday, March 20, a Women’s Retreat will be offered that focuses on the lives of the saints and will offer a great time of prayer, spiritually uplifting talks, reconciliation, adoration and more. Come be a friend of the saints this year.
5) Sitting with the Scriptures for Sunday, recently kicked off. On Mondays @ 7:00pm in the Church, we have been simply praying with the scriptures for Sunday. We hear the Word, pray with the Word and let the Word dwell deep in us so that we can share it abundantly with the world. What a gift!
Check the bulletin for more! Be mindful of the additional opportunities for reconciliation, Night Prayer on Sundays, additional Wednesday evening Mass, overflow for 9:00am and 11:00am Masses and more!
Let’s have a Lent filled with hope!
May God’s peace and joy be with you,
Fr. Jeremy
