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LENT 2011

Turn Away From Sin and Be Faithful to the Gospel

General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar 27:
The season of Lent is a preparation for the celebration of Easter. The liturgy prepares the catechumens for the celebration of the pascal mystery by the several stages of Christian initiation; it also prepares the faithful, who recall their baptism and do penance in preparation for Easter.

Ceremonial of Bishops 249:
The annual Lenten season is the fitting time to climb the holy mountain of Easter. The Lenten season has a double character, namely to prepare both catechumens and faithful to celebrate the paschal mystery. The catechumens, both with the rite of election and scrutinies, and by catechesis, are prepared for the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation; the faithful, ever more attentive to the word of God and prayer, prepare themselves by penance for the renewal of 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 9, 2011, until before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 21, 2011.
The Alleluia is not sung from the beginning of Lent until the Easter Vigil.
The Gloria is not sung during Lent except for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mary, on Saturday, March 19, and the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord on Friday, March 25.
The altar area is not decorated with flowers except for the two solemnities and Confirmation on Wednesday, March 16.
The purple fabric enhancing the sanctuary were prepared by Joanne Ruschman, Lucy Balchon, Sister Jeanine and Father Andrew.
The three scrutinies for those in the RC IA 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.
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.
As during the Advent and Christmas seasons, the weekly bulletin will contain suggestions for each week of Lent as well as, a reminder of the prayers and programs for that week. Prayer Fasting Almsgiving
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 daily Mass, Sunday Evening Prayer, Holy Hours, Stations of the Cross, Penance Services, Faith Sharing, 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

The "rules" for fast and abstinence are:

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and 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 21 — 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.
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 food.

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Meager Meal

You are encouraged to eat a Meager Meal at least once a week during Lent in order to unite yourself to the poor among us and the hungry of the world. Place the money that you would normally spend on a regular meal in your purple container at home (see purple container next page).

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Almsgiving

Purple Container

Prayer & fasting should lead us to be more aware of the needs of others. Since you as parishioners were very generous in the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas projects, we are urging you to take part in our Lenten almsgiving plan.

Each week you are asked to bring a certain item and place it in the purple container in the sanctuary. Please bring the designated item(s) Saturday through Friday at which time they will be removed to make room for the next week’s donations.

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1ST SUNDAY OF LENT (March 12 & 13)	CANNED VEGETABLES, CANNED FRUIT, CANNED SOUP
2ND SUNDAY OF LENT (March 19 & 20)	PEANUT BUTTER, JELLY, JELLO, CEREAL, CRACKERS
3RD SUNDAY OF LENT (March 26 & 27)	PAPER PRODUCTS: NAPKINS, TOILET PAPER, PAPER TOWELS, TISSUES
4th SUNDAY OF LENT (Apri1 2 & 3)	CLEANING SUPPLIES: DISH DETERGENT, TOILET BOWL CLEANER, WINDOW CLEANER, LAUNDRY SOAP, FURNITURE POLISH, CLEANSER, VINEGAR, BAKING SODA
5TH SUNDAY OF LENT (April 9 & 10)	BRAND NEW SOCKS: WHITE, ALL COLORS, ALL SIZES
PALM SUNDAY (April 16 & 17)	TOILETRIES: SOAP, HAND CREAM, TOOTHPASTE, MOUTHWASH, SHAMPOO, TOOTHBRUSH; HOTEL SIZE ACCEPTABLE
AT HOME	USE A PURPLE CONTAINER TO COLLECT MONEY.

You are encouraged to place a purple container (again, be creative) in a prominent place in your home (i.e. kitchen, family room, by the entry door, etc.) to remind you of almsgiving. Please use this to put monetary donations (currency and loose change) and bring this to church for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday when a collection for the poor is noted in the instructions for that very special liturgy.

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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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