Prepare for Lent 2019 

The 2019 Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6, for Latin-rite Catholics with Easter Sunday on April 21.

During  Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to service by giving alms, and to sacrifice self-control through fasting.





Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection.
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Lent begins with Ash Wednesday

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Take inspiration for your Lenten journey from prayer and the reading of Scripture, from fasting and from giving alms. 

Prayer – Lent is essentially an act of prayer spread out over 40 days. As we pray, we are brought closer to Christ and are changed by the encounter with him. 

Fasting – The fasting that we all do together on Fridays is but a sign of the daily Lenten discipline of individuals and households: fasting for certain periods of time, fasting from certain foods, but also fasting from other things and activities.

Almsgiving – The giving of alms is an effort to share this world equally—not only through the distribution of money but through the sharing of our time and talents. Read More

PARISH PASTORAL RESOURCEs

Books and Booklets

• Parish Emergency Kit, Responding with Compassion when tragedy strikes - a booklet on healing; Kathy Hendricks, Twenty-Third Publications
• Responding to the Sexual Abuse Crisis – A supplement to the Parish Emergency Kit  - Twenty-Third Publications
• Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics - Father Thomas Berg, Our Sunday Visitor Publications

Websites

• Solidarity - Loving our neighbor (USCCB)
• Why remain Catholic (with so much scandal)? - Bishop Robert Barron, Word on Fire Ministries
• Q&A on the Sexual Crisis - Bishop Robert Barron, Word On Fire Ministries
• Pope Francis Speaks about Hope, with Reflections by Fr. Mike Schmitz - Word Among Us
• Bishops address abuse scandal with U.S. pilgrims at World Youth Day  - The Texas Catholic
• Bishops must realize seriousness of abuse crisis, pope says - Catholic News Service

LEAVE YOUR LEGACY
Making a gift for the benefit of our Church after you are gone is a wonderful way to create a lasting legacy and ensure that the faith life you and your family have received will be there for generations to come.

For more info or to answer your questions about a possible gift, please phone or email Niki Goodman at 972-475-4405; extension 11; http://niki.goodman@yahoo.com