Parish Lent Project
The beginning of Lent is almost here starting this Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a very special time when Christians renew their faith choice. It is a time to clear out space in our lives so God can enter and fill it. In this season of grace, we reflect on how our faith is influencing and guiding the decisions we make in our lives every day.
Most Catholics associate Lent with giving something up but it’s so much more and it can be life changing if we let it. For this reason, we wanted to plan a special way we can begin this Lenten journey together …..as a Parish community.
There are three basic Lenten disciplines that we can practice, helping us make this Lent as meaningful as it can be for each of us. These disciplines are prayer, almsgiving, and fasting and there are so many ways we can incorporate them into our everyday lives.
First, we have created a Parish Lenten Calendar for us to follow together as a family. Each day provides either a reflection, an action or prayer to help us all turn to God everyday during Lent and try to make real changes in our lives.
We have two calendars, one for children and one for adults. You can download them here, or pick up a printed copy (on lavender paper) near the entrance of the church.
We have also created multiple opportunities to give during the season. We will have collection bins in the entrance of the church for two of the collections. The first will begin next weekend where we will collect old towels and blankets you may have to donate to the Bergen County Animal Shelter; they are always in need of these items. The 2nd collection will be for our local veterans. Supporting those who have sacrificed so much for us and our nation. So many veterans struggle with housing and day to day needs. We will be collecting men’s socks, underwear, and crew neck T-shirts in sizes Medium to 2XL beginning on March 14 th for 2 weeks.
Lastly on Saturday March 14th we will have a Lenten Soup Supper in the School Cafeteria directly after the 5:00 Mass. We will share a modest simple meal of homemade soups and bread to remind us of those that are less fortunate and struggle with food insecurity. A soup kitchen and shelter is survival for many. We ask all those that join us for the Soup Supper to bring a shelf stable food donation for the St. Joseph Food Pantry and after our meal we have a guest speaker offering a Lenten reflection to feed us spiritually! It will be a very special night and registration will be needed to ensure we have enough soup for all. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for those details in the coming weeks.
Lenten materials can also be found in the back of the church throughout the season to support you. You can also visit our Lent page for additional resources.
By beginning this journey together as a community, we can be guided by the same message and unite in daily prayer and reflections. We hope all we have planned and created for you helps you this Lent. Thank you for your kind attention. I look forward to beginning our Lenten journey together. Please continue to pray for each other and our Parish! God Bless you All.
