Don’t Miss These Special Events This Week and Next!

Don’t Miss These Special Events This Week and Next!

Only one more week until the centerpiece of our Lenten offerings – the Collaborative Lenten Mission-Retreat! New details on each day are in the article below, but please take seriously the idea of inviting someone to join you… it’s a lot easier to invite someone to a special event than to Mass!

 

Meanwhile, the highlight this week is the visit from Father Abraham Miller, a priest of the St. Nicholas Eparchy (like a diocese) for Ukrainian Catholics in the USA. Like many Eastern Rite Catholics, Father Abe has a love of sacred icons (the prayerful artwork, not the tiny images on your screen!) After collecting them for most of his life, he started to attend workshops on “writing” (making) sacred icons as a spiritual practice. He will give two presentations this Wednesday. In the morning, he will speak at the 9:45am Coffee & Chat in St. Mary church hall on “Holy Icons: What Are They? and How Are They Made?” The same day at 7:00pm, the Adult Faith Formation team has arranged a special event for Fr. Abe to speak in St. Martha church. After a brief summary of what he covered in the morning, he will focus on the “Spirituality of Icons”: how they draw us into prayer and reflection on the mysteries of God and the saints, and our faith. We will have some time to prayerfully reflect on the icons he brings with him, and the evening will conclude with refreshments hosted by the PWC Women’s Group

 

Don’t forget that during Lent there are extra opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance, Confession). In addition to our regular times (Sat. 3:00-3:45pm at St. Mary; Sun. 9:15-9:45am at St. Martha), we have “The Light Is On for You” Tuesday evenings 7:00-8:00pm in St. Mary church (this week it will be Fr. Bernie). Next week, when this and all parish evening activities are suspended during the Mission evenings, instead we will have many priests available on Tuesday at St. Martha for people to receive this sacrament near the end of the mission service that night.

 

The Light Is On overlaps with Mary’s Garden Prayer Group, Tuesdays 7:30-8:30pm, which meets weekly during Lent and extends an open invitation to you to try it out. This week they asked me to give a brief talk on the beauty of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and how a good examination of conscience beforehand can make the experience even better. Watch for articles announcing their future topics.

 

These and our other opportunities are meant to support your own personal journey this Lent. Hopefully you will find at least some of them will resonate with you and be able to make time in your schedule to do special things for yourself and your spiritual growth this Lent.

 

 

Next Week: “Choose Hope in Christ” Collaborative Lenten Mission-Retreat
 Catholics and others from surrounding towns will gather for this three-evening experience, 7:00-8:00pm next Monday-Wednesday, March 24-26, as we strive to become “Pilgrims of Hope” during this Jubilee year 2025 with the Daughters of St. Paul to accompany us. Monday, Sister Mary Lea Hill will help us rediscover and live Acts of Christian Hope. Tuesday, members of our collaborative parishes will help us reflect on restoring hope through Forgiveness & Reconciliation with God and others, followed by the opportunity for Sacramental Reconciliation. Wednesday, Sister Tracy Dugas will speak on Forming Habits of Prayer to help us carry this hope beyond a mission or Sunday experience to being more woven into every part of our lives. Invite someone to join you for this mid-Lent series of music and laughter, Scripture, prayer, and Sacraments. www.pwc.church