Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Brothers and Sisters, Praise be Jesus Christ!

Lent Starts Wednesday!
Lent starts Ash Wednesday February 17.  We will have an “Ash Service” at 7am at which Dcn John will preside (no Mass).  We will then have our regularly scheduled 8:30am Ord. Form Mass with the distribution of Ashes.  At 6pm will be an Extra. Form High Mass with the distribution of Ashes.  Due to covid, there are particular guidelines on how to distribute the ashes.  This year if you are looking forward to a great big smudge of ashes on your forehead you will be disappointed.  This year the priest or deacon will administer the blessed ashes by lightly sprinkling them on top of one’s head.  Here at St. Paul we will do this by having people come forward and kneel (or stand if unable to kneel), while the minster comes to distribute the ashes on one’s head.  This may seem a little weird for us, but in other places in the Catholic world (especially Europe) this has always been the norm.  It seems our American practice of placing ashes on one’s forehead is what is out of the ordinary.  Either way, the symbolism remains.  We recognize our sinfulness and need for grace and conversion.  We show how we need to be cleansed. We prepare through the gift of penance in the Lenten season.  This is the reality whether people can see a smudge or not. 

Collecting Old Palms
This weekend there are baskets in the narthex to collect old blessed palms.  If you still have your palms from last Palm Sunday, please bring them in so that they can be disposed of appropriately.  There is a meaningful custom of taking the palms from the previous year and burning them. The remaining ashes then become the ashes used for Ash Wednesday.  This is what we will do this year.

Surveys in the Narthex and Online - Possible Mass Time Change!
If you have not completed a survey yet, please take a few minutes to do so.
In particular we are looking to tweak the Sunday Mass schedule. Especially if you attend the 8:15 or 11:15, we are looking to move those times to 8am and 11:30 respectively. This week will be the last weekend to give us input.  Thank you for your faithfulness and flexibility as we continue striving to fulfill our mission.

Catholic Charities
Next weekend is time for the Annual Catholic Charities Appeal.  Our parish is always so generous in helping those in need in our area through this Appeal.  We are in difficult times and many are hurting financially, but I ask everyone to discern how the Lord is calling you to best share His blessings with others.

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr