We are already in February and Ash Wednesday (2/22) will soon be upon us. Where did the time go? But as we journey into Lent, best-selling author Matthew Kelly in his book “Rediscover Lent,” encourages us to reflect on the seven (7) pillars of Catholic Spirituality. As he puts it, “these anchors of our faith combine 2,000 years of spiritual wisdom into a handful of spiritual exercises. They may be ancient practices, but don’t let that fool you into believing that they are not relevant to your life in the modern world. These practices are dynamic and ever fresh. A tree with deep roots can weather any storm. Sink these roots, the 7 pillars of Catholic spirituality, deep into your life, and you’ll weather any storm.”
The pillars are Confession, Daily Prayer, the Mass, the Bible, Fasting, Spiritual Reading and the Rosary. Our parish will have the following activities available to help us deepen our spiritual lives during Lent:
Lenten Weekday Masses – Although we have Mass everyday at 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., during Lent, we will add an 8 a.m. Mass for our students and faculty. They will begin their day with Mass at 8 a.m. In order to accommodate them, our regular 7:30 a.m. mass will be moved to 7:15 a.m. Saturday morning mass will remain at 7:30 a.m.
Wednesday Night Soup Suppers – It’s been a wonderful tradition for parishioners to get together on the Wednesdays of Lent for soup, provided by the different organizations of the parish. The idea is to eat simply, leaving room for God, and to reflect on a spiritual topic. This year, Sr. Catherine found a wonderful presentation on Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.” We will begin on the Wednesday after Ash Wednesday, 2/29 @ 6 p.m. for soup, and 7 p.m. for the spiritual presentation. At the last soup supper, Wed., 3/28, we will conclude with the Sacrament of Reconciliation at 7 p.m.
Lenten Retreat – from the last parish survey, the topic most respondents felt was needed in the parish was to grow spiritually. The Advisory Board and the Pastoral Staff recommended we do a parish Lenten Retreat. We found a dynamic, funny and inspiring speaker, Fr. David Pettingill to lead the retreat. He is a priest of the Archdiocese, has served as faculty member and principal of Marin Catholic High School, has been professor of Homiletics, Liturgical Celebration and Scripture at St. Patrick’s Seminary, as well as Pastor of St. Gabriel’s Parish. Our retreat will be on Saturday, 3/31 from 9 – 3pm in our parish hall.
Good Friday Meditation – the parish is also fortunate to have with us on Good Friday (4/6), San Francisco’s Auxiliary Bishop William Justice who will offer the meditation from 12 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. He has been a friend and mentor and we look forward to his presence on that special day.
We hope you will be able to attend one or all of these Lenten activities and that they will be for you, an occasion to grow spiritually closer to our Lord.
Fr. Dan
