Not Quite Midweek at Midtown
Ash Wednesday Mass Times
St. Joan of Arc
8:30 AM
1:30 PM (schools)
6:00 PM
St. Thomas More
7:00 AM
8:15 AM (school)
5:30 PM
Fast 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 members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms 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 norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection
https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence
Stations of the Cross
St. Thomas More will have Stations of the Cross every Friday at 6:30pm.
St. Joan of Arc will have Stations of the Cross every Friday at 7:00pm.
A Little Extra Prayer
As many of you already know, the season of Lent gives us the opportunity to reevaluate and adjust our prayer, penance, and almsgiving.
Here are two recommendations for prayer:
The Hallow App – https://hallow.com/
For Lent in 2022, Hallow invites you to join the #Pray40 Challenge where—for the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter—thousands will join together in prayer and meditation on these important words.
The #Pray40 Community Challenge on Hallow is one of the most popular and life-changing challenges of the year with exclusive prayer resources to enhance your Lenten journey. This Lent, unite yourself to Christ’s suffering and: Deepen your relationship with God, Meditate on the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, Be God’s love to others.
Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence –
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1591451884/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_R3TWZS4A425MPPT8QRHE
Jesus Calling is your yearlong guide to living a more peaceful life. More than 30 million copies sold! By spending time in the presence of the Savior with the much-loved devotions in Jesus Calling, you will:
- Feel comforted by words of hope and encouragement
- Be reassured of Jesus’ unending love for you
- Receive gentle guidance based on Scripture
- Strengthen your faith with Scripture verses
- Connect with Jesus further with reflection and meditation based on God’s Word
Bringing Back the Gifts
As we begin this new liturgical season, perhaps it is time to return to a little more normal at our weekend Masses. We will begin bringing up the gifts at offertory starting the first weekend of Lent.