Lent 2023 at St. Ignatius

Lent is about Easter. We believe Easter is so important that, like Christmas has Advent, we should have an entire season of preparation in order to celebrate it as it deserves. So the question is, how should we celebrate Easter? As people who have allowed God to make us clean, to give us a new heart, and live as God's people (see Ez 36:25-28).

How are we to go about doing this practically? Traditionally, the Church has given us three pillars of preparation for Easter that seek to renew our relationships: 

• with God (prayer)
• with ourselves (fasting)
• with our neighbor (almsgiving)

Through prayer, we bring our lives to God, drawing closer to Him and seeking him with hungry hearts and bodies, which leads into our second pillar. Fasting reminds us of our hunger for God, that it is God who we should desire above all else. When we fast from food or a particular form of commerce or entertainment, we end up with more time and money, which connects us to our final Lenten pillar. Almsgiving requires us to give to those who are in need. When we learn we can do without in our fasting, when we're relying more on God through prayer, we realize the true abundance we have in our lives and are called to be generous with those in need as we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers.

Below, you'll find a few ways that you can pray, fast, and give alms during Lent as part of the St. Ignatius community, as well as some helpful information on the Church's guidelines for fasting.

Let us all pray for one another as we undertake this season of conversion, this season of Lent, which will see us transformed more and more into the people God is calling us to be during our joyful Easter celebrations.

"Rise and do not be afraid: Lent and Easter in Everyday Life"

Fr. Ron Raab, CSC, will lead our annual parish Lenten mission. The Mission will begin on Sunday evening, March 5, at 7 p.m. and continue the following two evenings. Please plan on attending all or some of the Mission—It’s a great way to kick off your Lenten journey. 

The title comes from the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent. This phrase from Jesus speaks boldly about our following him to the cross and the empty tomb. We will speak of the wounds of life and the love of God to heal, forgive, and offer us mercy in our daily lives. We will renew our commitment to follow Jesus Christ in our baptism and call to serve others in the world.

Note: These sessions will be live-streamed: https://st-ignatius.org/live

Daily Mass
Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. and 12:05 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m.

Confession Times
Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
Saturday mornings immediately after 8 a.m. Mass.

Going deeper in prayer
Lent is a wonderful time to focus in on and go deeper into one particular prayer practice. It's also a great time to explore a new form of prayer within the rich tradition of the Church. This year at St. Ignatius, we're providing the opportunity to go deeper into two types of prayer practices---the Liturgy of the Hours (also called the Divine Office) and Stations of the Cross. We encourage you to commit to a regular schedule of attending one or more of these prayer times throughout the course of Lent. No prior preparation or experience is required and all materials will be provided.

Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours is the daily prayer of the Church, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. The Hours are a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, using scripture and prayer and they include several specified times of prayer. The most important times*, called the "hinge hours," are Morning Prayer (which takes place upon rising) and Evening Prayer (which takes place as dusk begins to fall). In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church fulfills Jesus' command to "pray always" (Luke 18:1; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Through this prayer, the people of God sanctify the day by continual praise of God and prayers of intercession for the needs of the world.

Morning prayer will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays during Lent at 7:30 a.m. (immediately after the 7 a.m. Mass) in the Mother's Chapel, beginning Monday, February 27.

Evening prayer will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Lent at 6:30 p.m. in the Mother's Chapel, beginning Tuesday, February 28.

Please make plans to join us for these prayer times regularly and allow yourself the time to experience and enter into the beautiful rythmn of the ancient, daily prayer of the Church.

* The other hours are the Office of Readings (a service with a biblical reading and a reading from the Fathers or Church writers or a reading related to a saint which may take place at any time of day), a Daytime Prayer (which may take place at Midmorning, Midday, or Midafternoon), and Night Prayer (said before going to sleep).

Stations of the Cross
Join us for Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. in the main church.

The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross or Via Crucis, commemorate Jesus's passion and death on the cross. There are 14 stations that each depict a moment on his journey to Calvary, usually through sacred art, prayers, and reflections. The practice began as pious pilgrims traced his path through Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa. 

Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in almost every church throughout the world. 

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting (see guidelines below) and abstinence from meat. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence from meat.

Fasting and Abstinence Guidelines:

• Fasting is obligatory from age 18 until age 59.
• When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal.
• Abstinence from meat is obligatory from age 14 onwards.
• Physically or mentally ill people, including those suffering from chronic illness such as diabetes, are excused from fasting and abstinence.
• Pregnant or nursing women are also excused from fasting and abstinence.

Friday Fish Fry Dinners
The Knights of Columbus will be preparing and selling fish dinners in the Family Center every Friday during Lent from Friday, February 24 through Friday, March 31.

Dine-in or take-out dinners will be sold from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and both fried and baked fish will be available. Costs for dinners (dine-in or take-out) are $11 for a regular dinner; $10 for a smaller dinner for seniors & children. All profits from the dinners help support the parish, so please make plans to join us on Fridays throughout Lent.

What are the needs of our local, regional, national, and international communities? Might there be a way for you to give your time, talent or treasure to help our neighbors?
 

Parish Service Day: March 11
We invite you to join our parish and school community on Saturday, March 11 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to serve together to help those in need. There are many different opportunities to volunteer! We know that serving others helps to bring us closer to Christ in all that we do to build the Kingdom of God. 

Visit the Parish Service Day scheduling page to view the available projects and to sign-up for a volunteer time slot. The page also includes a list of needed donation items we encourage you to bring with you on that date when you arrive for your volunteer time slot.

St. Ignatius Martyr Food Pantry
The St. Ignatius Martyr Food Pantry is a ministry of St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church and is supported by donations from parishioners and other generous benefactors. The Food Pantry has been serving those in need since 1978. Approximately 900 households are served each month, representing more than 2,000 individuals. Of these, approximately 35 – 45% are homeless.

You can help the food pantry by either donating (monetary or food/clothing/hygiene items) or volunteering. Complete details about what items are most needed or about volunteering opportunities are available on the Food Pantry page on the parish website.