LENT BEGINS WEDNESDAY
This Wednesday we begin the discipline of Lent by receiving ashes on our foreheads as a public sign of our willingness to do penance and participate more fervently in the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through these practices we seek to imitate and contemplate the very life of Christ, with the ultimate goal of sharing in the redemptive graces won by his Sacred Passion.
Prayer is the hinge on which the season of Lent rests. Every Catholic is called upon to renew his life of prayer, do penance for sins committed and return to the Lord with a renewed heart. This is achieved by a more frequent and active participation in Holy Mass, making a daily Examination of Conscience, going to Confession and increasing our periods of personal prayer, Scripture reading and Catholic devotions (e.g. Stations of the Cross, Novenas, Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration,etc).
Fasting. As an integral part of our Lenten observance, the Church asks us to take on fasting as a form of penance and self-denial in imitation of Christ, who fasted in the desert for forty days. Fasting assists us in gaining mastery over our bodies and disciplining those passions and desires which are contrary to God’s will. By fasting, we concretely express our true conviction that we are dependent upon God for everything. We understand the physical hunger that results from fasting to be a sign of the deeper spiritual hunger that we have for communion with Jesus.
Almsgiving. If the goal of Lent is ultimately to conform ourselves more perfectly to Christ, then mercy and charity, especially towards the poor, should be the obvious expressions that we are progressing in the spiritual life. All of us are encouraged to be more charitable during Lent. Perhaps we might consider eating a meager meal each week and donating the money we save from that meal to the Ladies of Charity organization of our parish or some other worthy charity.
ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
Mass and Distribution of Ashes: 6:45am; 9:00am and 7:00pm
Liturgy of the Word and Distribution of Ashes: 12 Noon and 5:00pm
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Stations of the Cross will be prayed each Wednesday of Lent at 1:30pm (with the school children) as well as each Friday of Lent at 1:30pm (with the school children) and again in the evening at 7:00pm.
LENTEN REGULATIONS
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of both fast and abstinence. The law of fasting allows only one full meal and two smaller ones with no food or snacks in between. The law of abstinence forbids the eating of meat products. All Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence. This means that no meat is to be eaten on the Fridays of Lent. The obligation of abstinence begins at age 14 and the law of fasting is binding on all Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59. Nevertheless, all Catholics are encouraged to do voluntary acts of penance which go beyond what is prescribed by the law. Parents are to see to it that their children are educated in the authentic sense of fasting and encouraged to do acts of penance, fasting and self-giving.
*Please note that as your pastor I do not have the authority to dispense parishioners from these obligations, even when there is a celebration such as a wedding rehearsal, reception, etc. scheduled on a Friday during Lent.
PARISH SHARE PROGRAM
Today throughout the Diocese of Pittsburgh the annual Parish Share Program (PSP) begins. To that end, every registered family should have received a letter from me outlining the parameters of this diocesan campaign along with the goals assigned to our parish.
In a nutshell, the PSP supports the vital ministries of Bishop Zubik and the programs of the Diocese of Pittsburgh that benefit all of us. For example, revenues raised through this annual appeal pay for chaplains at local hospitals, universities and prisons; they pay for the education of seminarians and permanent deacons; and they fund crucial diocesan offices regularly used by our parish, such as the Marriage Tribunal, Legal Office, Property Planning and Department and Catholic Charities.
For 2012, Saint Louise de Marillac Parish has been assessed nearly $206,000 by the Diocese. In order to raise this amount and keep our parish financially solvent we are counting on your help. Therefore, each registered family in the parish is asked to contribute $300 to this year’s PSP.
Each year, our parish falls woefully short in meeting our PSP assessment, and therefore we have to take money out of our regular operating account to make up for the shortfall. This is opposed to our neighboring parishes who always greatly exceed their PSP goals and keep the extra money for special projects of their own. So, please consider making a pledge this year!
Information on how to make your pledge is contained in the letters sent to you in the mail. Please review the information carefully and consider supporting the Parish Share Program as best you can.
