Lenten Calendar 2022
Your pastoral team has put together a full calendar of prayer, reflection, and activities to inspire and support your Lenten journey. Please be in touch if we can help further.
Lenten Fast & Abstinence
❖ Ash Wednesday (March 2) & Good Friday (April 15) are days of fast and abstinence (from meat) in the universal Church.
❖ Every Friday of Lent – All Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence (from meat) in the Church in the United States.
❖ The Law of Abstinence (from Meat) – Binds Catholics aged 14 and older.
❖ The Law of Fasting – Binds Catholics aged 18 and over, until the beginning of their 60th year (through age 59).
Easter Duty
In the dioceses of the United States, the obligation to receive holy Communion at least once a year may be satisfied from the First Sunday of Lent (March 1/2) to Most Holy Trinity Sunday (June 6/7). For a just cause, the Easter duty may be fulfilled at some other time of the year. Church law states that once a person has attained the age of reason, he or she is bound to confess serious (“mortal”) sins at least once a year. The season of Lent is a particularly good time to receive the grace of the sacrament even if there is no serious sin involved.
Ash Wednesday Schedule Wednesday March 2
9 AM St. Brigid School Mass, 9 AM Mass (St. Pius) – Noon- Service of Word and Ashes (St. Joseph) 4 PM – Service of Word and Ashes (St. Pius) 7 PM Mass (St. Joseph).
Stations of the Cross
Every Friday during Lent at 7 PM – St. Pius X Church.
Living Stations of the Cross
Wed April 13th following 9 AM Mass at St. Pius
Lenten Retreat Opportunities
Our parish is offering several different types of “retreat experiences this year:
Lenten Scripture Study/Faith-sharing – Fr. Jack invites interested members of the community to reflect over the Sunday Scriptures. Each Thursday at 1:30 at the Parish Hall on Ocean Ave.
“Praying the Scriptures of the Lenten Season”
Join Fr. Vince Curtin, S.J. and Our Lady of Hope parishioners in personally praying for fifteen minutes or more over Lenten Scriptures for Mass. Using the website www.sacredspace.ie to guide us each day. In case you prefer a printed book, you may also use the booklet “Sacred Space for Lent” available online at Amazon, Target or from Loyola Press. Each week we are invited to share our feelings and insights about these readings together as we meet for six Wednesday evenings on Zoom. First meeting is March 9th at 7:00 PM and each subsequent Wednesday through April 13th. Call the parish office to connect with Fr. Vince to sign-up or get more information. (207) 797-7026
The Novena of Grace
March 4-12. The Novena of Grace has been a tradition in Jesuit-connected parishes and schools for many years and source of great blessing. We will observe the
Novena at all regularly scheduled parish Masses. Novena prayers will be made available for those who wish to pray the Novena at home. The Novena is in honor of St. Francis Xavier and ends on the day of his canonization (March 12, 1622), 400 years ago this year. The homilies this week will themselves be a mini-retreat covering such topics as “How meaningful is my life?” “How real is God for me?” “What does Jesus teach about how I should live?” Note: there will be a Saturday 9 AM Mass at St. Pius during the Novena of Grace (Saturday March 5 and 12th).
Lenten Sunday Homily Series
Each week the priests of the parish will preach on a common theme related to the season of Lent.
Reconciliation – ”The Light is on for you”
In addition to our regular Saturday times for Reconciliation (3 – 3:30 PM at St. Pius or by appointment), we are celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Mon-Tues-Thursday April 4,5 and 7 from 6:30-7:30 PM and Wed April 6 from 9:30-10:30 am at St. Pius
Parish Celebration of the Anointing of the Sick
This sacrament of healing will be celebrated at the 4:30 PM and 10 AM Masses on March 19-20.
A renewed look at “giving up for Lent”
Lent is a traditional time for fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Our Lady of Hope’s Social Justice and Peace Commission and the Jesuit Community are inviting you consider taking environmentally friendly actions that show care for “Our Common Home.” By prayerfully engaging in one or more of the following suggested actions, we can collectively steward our resources (a traditional reason for fasting). Details on these “Ecco-Lent” invitations are found in the bulletin and on our website.
- Holy Week April 5 – 12, 2020
- Palm Sunday April 10 – regular weekend schedule of Saturday/Sunday Masses
- Holy Thursday April 14 – 7 PM – Mass of the Lord’s Supper – St. Pius Church. Quiet prayer at the altar of repose (in the Hall) until 10 PM.
- Good Friday, April 15 – St. Joseph Church will be open for quiet prayer from Noon with Stations of the Cross at 3 PM. The Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion is at 7 PM at St. Pius X Church
- Holy Saturday, April 16 – The Great Easter Vigil – 8 PM at St. Joseph Church
- Easter Sunday, April 17 – Masses: 7 AM St. Pius X 8 AM St. Joseph 9 AM St. Pius X , 10 AM St. Joseph No 5 PM Mass on Easter Day