Saint Michael Parish
Welcomes You
The Season of Lent
From our Pastor...
On Ash Wednesday we gathered to commit ourselves to our annual Lenten journey. Enriched with the Word of God, nourished with the Body of Christ, and marked with the Ashes of Repentance, we are sent out into the world, much like Christ in the desert. Our journey is one that seeks to renew us in the constant process of conversion. Through the traditional practices of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving, we are invited to reflect more deeply on our relationship with God, ourselves, and others. May this coming season of Lent become more than a “this is what we always do” approach, and rather, challenge us to discover a greater sense of devotion in living out our faith. Please plan to join with our parish family as we prepare ourselves for the joy of the Easter Resurrection.
As the words of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, heard every Ash Wednesday remind us, “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”.
POPE LEO’S LENTEN MESSAGE
Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer find welcome, and listening opens paths toward liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love. I impart my heartfelt blessing upon all of you and your Lenten journey.
PRAYER, while always necessary for our relationship with God, is a valuable part of the Lenten journey. We are invited to consider increased participation at Mass, the prayer of the Stations of the Cross, or other forms of prayer – all leading us to a deeper understanding of God’s presence in our lives.
For individual prayer during Lent the church will be available Monday through Thursday during regular office hours (8:30am-4:00pm).
Please use the door closest to the office, push the round silver button on the wall and wait for the door to open.
FASTING refers to limitations on food and drink. The regulations of fast prescribe taking only one full meal a day, with two smaller ones; nothing in between meals. There are two days of fast: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Additionally, individuals are asked to reflect on their lives and seek to fast from something that has kept them from focusing more on their relationship with the Lord (i.e. – excessive TV or social media, certain foods or vices, etc.).
ABSTAINING means refraining from certain kinds of food or drink, typically meat. Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent including Good Friday are days of abstaining from meat.
ALMSGIVING,like prayer, should always be part of our Christian journey, but like prayer, becomes a heightened awareness and understanding during the Lenten season. Consider your gift to the 2026 Annual Diocesan Appeal – One in Hope, One in Mission, contributions to the Holy Week collections for Catholic Relief Services (Rice Bowl on Holy Thursday and the Holy Land on Good Friday), as well as an increased contributions to the parish and other charities of choice. Don’t forget our “Green Eggs (or any color) and Ham” collection. Like the very successful Turkey Connection, we will be collecting Hams (not baked) and colored Easter eggs for Easter Dinners at area soup kitchens. This will be on Tuesday, March 31, from 10:00am – 3:00pm in the parish hall.
LENTEN DEVOTIONS: WEDNESDAYS – 7:00pm
Weekly opportunity for prayer and reflection:
March 11......... Holy Hour with a reflection of Fasting
March 18......... Holy Hour with a reflection on Almsgiving
March 25......... Annunciation/Stations of the Cross
CLEAN UP YOUR ACT FOR LENT
Beginning next weekend, we will be collecting personal hygiene and household cleaning items for those in need throughout our community. Any items may be placed in the bins located at the entrances of the Church. All items will then be distributed through Catholic Charities. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity.
PALM SUNDAY PASTA DINNER
Sunday, March 29 from 12:30–3:00pm in the Family Life Center.
Pasta w/choice of meatballs or sausage. Salad, Bread and Butter.
Dessert, Coffee, and Soft Drinks
Wine (1 complimentary glass for adults)
Dinners - $20. ($10. for children 9 and under)
ECUMENICAL SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY DEVOTIONAL PRAYER SERVICE
WHEN - Wednesday, April 6, from 7:00-8:00pm
WHERE - Saint Michael Parish
WHY- Three important reasons for consideration for any member of our parish on why one would participate in this particular prayer service.
1.) The time of this prayer service is in the middle of Holy Week, a time when Christians prayerfully ready themselves to celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Holy Triduum. Through the prayer of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, Catholics will be better equipped, through the prayerful accompaniment of Mary's sympathetic suffering, to meditate on the infinite goodness of God's love for us, who willingly suffered so much for our redemption.
2.) Contemplating such perfect love produces in us great spiritual fruits such as profound gratitude toward God, deeper empathy and love toward our suffering neighbors, greater endurance and patience in our own sufferings and spiritual perfection of ourselves and our neighbor through our own willingness to offer up our sufferings as a prayer to the Father, through Jesus' Passion and Crucifixion.
3.) Lastly, your participation in this prayer service will make you a cooperator in the Church's work toward unity among all our Christian brothers and sisters, especially among other Christians who recognize the importance of our Blessed Mother as, Mother of God, defined in the Council of Ephesus in 431. How this will be realized is by inviting members of Eastern Orthodox parishes, as well as Christians from other Denominations, to join us in this time of Marian prayer.
HOW - What one can expect during this prayer service includes: Introductory remarks from the seminarian intern, praying the Seven Sorrows of Mary prayer & listening to two short reflections on the spiritual importance of Mary for the Christian disciple interleaved into the devotion.
I hope that I may be able to see you all there on that Wednesday evening to participate in a moment of prayer that will unite our hearts ever closer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to her Son's Most Sacred Heart, burning furnace of charity.
Daniel LaPolla
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
On the Fridays of Lent (March 6, 20, and 27), Mass will be held at 8:00am followed by Stations of the Cross at 8:30. Please plan on making this part of your Lenten Journey.
FISH DINNERS - "CHANGE IN MENU"
This year, Saint Michael Parish will not be hosting weekly Fish Dinners. For the past few years, we have been monitoring the attendance of diners, number of volunteers (for all roles), and the cost factor compared to the net profit. Each year, the attendance has been less than the year before, while volunteers for some jobs are good, certain key positions are hard to fill, and the costs continue to rise, including the increased utilities of the building during that time. While we had already decided not to continue this year, we then discovered that the cost of a case of fish has increased greatly. This has prompted others not to continue this year, and the rest are faced with increasing prices. We will, however, be holding a Palm Sunday Pasta Dinner on Sunday, March 29 from 12:30 – 3:00pm in the FLC. More information is on the Lenten card being mailed out and will appear in the bulletin. A heart-felt thanks to everyone who volunteered and supported the Fish Dinners over the past years. Please plan
to join us for the Pasta Dinner and all other events throughout the year.