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Lent to Easter Sunday Guidelines
Lent begins Ash Wednesday, February 17, and ends Holy Thursday, April 1.
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross will take place atSt. John's Friday evenings throughout Lent at 7:30 PM
and will be live-streamed to our website as well.
Join our Live Streamed
Stations of the CrossStations will also be available every Friday at St. Charles at Noon.
Fasting and Abstinence
It is a serious matter to fast and abstain on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstain on Fridays in Lent. Here are the ways we follow this:- Fasting
- Every Catholic 18-59 is required to follow this.
- Fasting means only ONE full meal may be taken. Two smaller meals can be taken, but these must not equal one full meal.
- Snacking between meals is not permitted.
- If you suffer from a health issue and need food for it or to help digest medicine, you are not obliged to follow this. Please discuss this with your health care professional.
- Abstinence
- 14 or older obliged to abstain on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays in Lent, including Good Friday.
- No poultry or meat of any kind is allowed. You may eat fish. But if fish is your favorite food, then maybe you can go vegan for the day.
- Those who are not specifically obliged to abstain from eating meat are urged to join in the discipline of abstaining to the extent that they can.
Penance
All Fridays of the year are designated as days of penance, but this is especially true in Lent. The faithful are encouraged to participate in penitential acts and self-denial during the entire season of Lent. More than just giving up chocolate, we should be using these days to deepen our faith to a new level.
What are the ways we can live a self-denying and penitential spirit during these days? How about going totally alcohol-free, including all Sundays? How about taking up an exercise regiment of some kind even if only three times a week of walking. This takes discipline and is sacrificial. What about giving up one of our favorite TV programs. Maybe record it and then catch up beginning the Monday after Easter. What about reading Sacred Scripture. May I suggest the Psalms? There are 150 of them. If we average about 3-day, we'll be finished by Easter. Or take one chapter a day of the Book of Job or the Gospel of St. Mark. These are excellent scriptural reads during Lent. And then there's the rosary. Do we pray it? Can we start praying it as a family? Can we start? What other ways can you think of to gain a penitential and self-denying habit for Lent?
Conversion
Our hearts should always be ready to attack sin, bad habits, attachments, etc., during our entire life. But this is tried and true, especially during Lent. Lent is about converting our hearts back to the Lord. It’s a time for us to reflect on how we've been sinful by offending God and neighbor and returning the Lord of mercy. Find a way to get to the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation no matter how long it's been.
Holy Week
Holy week begins on Palm Sunday. This week ending in Easter Sunday is the ultimate and holiest days of our faith. Let’s do our best to have a good one this year by participating fully in the Church’s liturgies.Lent officially ends on Holy Thursday, which begins the most solemn days in the Church’s calendar. This is called the Easter Triduum. It is comprised of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday. Please see an upcoming weekly bulletin for the schedule of liturgies.
- Fasting
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Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take place at:St. John the Evangelist on
Fridays, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
&
St. Charles Borromeo on the
3rd Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM.
Special Adoration hours are being planned for Holy Week.
If you are interested in spending an hour with the Lord, please email Kristin Stevens
or call the Parish House at (845) 855-5488.
Monday, March 29th, 8 AM - 9 PM
Tuesday, March 30th, 8 AM - 4 PM
Wednesday, March 31st, 8 AM - 4 PM
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New Resources for your Lenten Journey
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Breviary with Father Palatucci
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Bp. Barron's Lent Reflections
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Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the crowds who seek a sign that they will only receive the sign of Jonah: “Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this...
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