Lenten Message from Father Ian Duffy -
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
On Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023, we will begin the holy season of Lent. Let us pray that this will be a time of tremendous grace for all of us as a parish family. The forty days of Lenten prayer and penance are a special time for us to grow in the love of God, and in loving service to our brothers and sisters. During Lent we focus on the Cross of Christ, so that, through the Cross, we might be brought to the glory of new life.
In his book, Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year, Bishop Peter Elliott writes these beautiful words about the season of Lent, “In these forty days, Mother Church vests herself simply in violet. Her sacred halls are bare, and much of her gracious music is muted. Flowers at her altars and shrines are set aside, and, at the end of the season, the lamps will be extinguished, the bells will fall silent, and her altars will be stripped. But this is her true springtime, when her children grow in grace, in ways often imperceptible, subtle, and varied. Lent thus reminds us that the greatest graces are often given by God, not when our senses perceive them or when our hearts are full of consolations, but in the silence and stillness of ‘the night’.”
I hope that you will all plan to participate as fully as possible in the spirit of this Lenten season, so that together we may rejoice in the new life of Easter. In this pamphlet you will find the schedule of liturgies and devotions for the Lenten Season, as well as the times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which I hope all of you will celebrate during Lent. Let us pray that the Lord will look with favour upon our acts of penance and charity, and bless our parish with many graces during “the stillness of the night”.
With prayers for all of God’s blessings,
We remain, yours in Christ:
Father Ian Duffy Father Bill Foote
Deacon Quinto Tami Bishop Matthew Ustrzycki