Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you
whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help,
to do penance,
to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ
suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
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Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and Calendar (27):
Lent is ordered to prepare for the celebration of Easter, since the Lenten liturgy prepares for celebration of the Paschal Mystery both catechumens, by the various stages of Christian Initiation, and the faithful, who recall their own Baptism and do penance.
Ceremonial of Bishops (249):
The annual observance of Lenten is the special season for the ascent to the holy mountain of Easter. Through its twofold theme of repentance and baptism, the season of Lent disposes both the catechumens and the faithful tp celebrate the Paschal Mystery. The catechumens are led to the sacraments of initiation by means of the rite of election, the scrutinies, and catechesis. Tthe faithful, listening more intently to the word of God and devoting themselves to prayer, are prepared through a spirit of repentance to renew their baptismal promises.
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults:
Lent: This is an annual period of forty days beginning on Ash Wednesday for Latin Catholics, which is set aside for penance, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for the coming celebration of Easter. It is modeled in part on the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert prior to beginning his public ministry. The penance, fasting, and almsgiving are meant to help lead the believer to ongoing conversion and a deeper faith in the Lord who redeemed us.
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LITURGICAL NOTES
- Lent runs from Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2014, until before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2014.
- The Alleluia is not sung from the beginning of Lent until the Easter Vigil.
- The Gloria is not sung during Lent except for the Feast of the Chair of Peter on Friday, February 22, and the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mary on Tuesday, March 19.
- The altar area is not decorated with flowers except for the two days listed above.
- The liturgical color of the lenten season is violet (purple).
- The three scrutinies for those in the RCIA take place on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays in Lent. The Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are presented to them during the first and third scrutinies. Also, our RCIA catechumen & candidate will go to St. Paul Cathedral on Sunday, February 17 for a liturgical service with Bishop Zubik.
- Since Lent is a preparation, for the Sacraments of Christian Initiation for those in the RCIA, the baptismal font will be empty and covered with a purple cloth. It will be uncovered at the Easter Vigil and filled. Therefore, because this Sacred Season is a preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism, Baptisms will not be celebrated during the Lenten Season. The exception to this would be an emergency situation.
- We will begin all the Masses during Lent in silence and kneel for the Introductory Rites and Penitential Rite and then stand as the priest approaches and reverences the altar and proceeds to the presider’s chair for the opening prayer. If for health reasons you are unable to kneel, then you are asked to sit. Our sung conclusion to the Prayer of the Faithful is "Hear us Almighty Lord, Show us your mercy. Sinners, we stand here before you."
- The Sunday 6:00pm Lenten Evening Prayer consists of Eucharistic adoration, singing of 3 Psalms, Scripture reading, period of silence, prayer and Benediction. It will take about 45 minutes.
- Prayer—Fasting—Almsgiving are the three traditional pillars of the Lenten Season that are highlighted.
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Prayer
Beside you private prayers, you are urged to participate communally in weekend and daily Mass, Sunday Evening Prayer with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Holy Hours, Stations of the Cross, Penance Services, Men’s Bible Study, Women of Grace Study Program, Christian Meditation, etc.
Also, you are encouraged to read the daily Scriptures referenced on the back of the bulletin and spend some time meditating on them. These weekday Scriptures taken from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark & Luke will mention some aspect of these three practices during the first 3 1/2 weeks of Lent which are meant to draw us closer to Jesus Christ and his Church through a conversion of heart, mind and soul. From the fourth week until the end of Lent, the weekday Scriptures are taken from the Gospel of John and deal with the mystery of the person of Jesus Christ, our eternal life.
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Fasting
Lenten Regulations — The Rules for fast and abstinence are:
- Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence. The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence in the United States.
- The obligation of abstinence (refraining from eating meat) begins at the age of 14. The law of fasting (limiting oneself to one full meal and two lighter meals obliges all between the ages of 18 — 59. No one should consider this obligation lightly.
- Those individuals who have a medical condition in which fasting may be considered harmful are not obliged to fast, but should perform some other act of penance or charity.
- Pastors and Parents are to see to it that minors, though not bound by the law of fast and abstinence, are educated in the authentic sense of penance and encouraged to do acts of penance suitable to their age.
- All members of the Christian Faithful are encouraged to do acts of penance and charity during the Lenten season beyond what is prescribed by the law.
- As a general rule, a request for a dispensation from the obligation of abstinence on Fridays of Lent will not be considered unless some serious reason is present. Attendance at social events, banquets, wedding rehearsals or receptions, or funeral wakes is not considered sufficient reason to request a dispensation.
Remember to keep the spirit of the law as well as, the letter of the law. Be creative in your ways of fasting and abstaining over and above just food.
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Ash Wednesday — February 18
Ashes will be distributed:
- during the 7:00am Mass
- Distribution Service at 12 noon – no Mass
- during the 7 pm Mass
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During Lent, our daily Mass schedule is:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday . . . 8:30 am
Tuesday and Thursday . . . . 7:00 am
Our week-end Mass schedule remains the same:
Saturday evening (vigil) 4:00 pm
Sunday 7:30 am
Sunday 9:30 am
Sunday 11:30 am
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The Meditation Hour:
Each Tuesday, at 7:00 pm
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Stations of the Cross
Each Friday during Lent, 7:00 pm — beginning February 20
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Confessions, First Confession, and Penance Services:
Confessions:
Wednesday – 9:00 am to 9:30 am
Saturday – 11:00 am to noon
Wednesday, March 18 – 6:00 to 9:00 pm — The Light is Still on for You!
( All parishes in the Pittsburgh Diocese )
First Reconciliation — Second Grade:
February 24, Tuesday 6:30 pm
Penance Services: St. James, Sewickley, March 3, Tuesday, 6:30 pm
St. Margaret Mary, Moon, March 12, Thursday, 6:30 pm
St. Catherine of Sienna, Crescent, March 18, Wednesday, 6:00 pm
St. Joseph, Coraopolis, March 30, Monday, 6:30 pm
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Adult Education
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?, Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 7–8:15 with Father Frank
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Parish Mission for Lent 2015
Fr. Scott Seethhaler will present parish mission at SMM, March 20-25. Fr. Scott will also visit RMU students @ the campus Newman Club meeting, March 24.
Theme of the Mission: L.E.N.T. stands for
"LET’S ELIMINATE NEGATIVE THINKING"
All programs will be from 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
Sunday Evening Theme:
GOD IS NOT MISSING
Monday Evening Theme:
DON’T LET WORRY WIN
Tuesday Evening Theme:
THE MIRACLE OF FORGIVENESS
Wednesday Evening Theme:
REASONS TO HOPE
Fr. Scott will preach at all weekend Masses.
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Make Us Believers
Make Us Believers Passion Play, March 30 at 7pm at St. Margaret Mary Church
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