Lent

2010 Lenten Spiritual Ministry
at St. John Cathedral

Lenten Lecture Series
The Passion Narratives
Wednesday evenings - 7:00 pm - in the Cathedral
Presented by Fr. Leonard Obloy
• Feb. 24	Background on the Gospels & The Passion according to Mark
• Mar. 3	The Passion according to Mark
• Mar. 10	The Passion according to Matthew
	The 3/10 Lecture will be held in the Lower Sacristy.
• No Lecture on March 17th
• Mar. 24	The Passion according to Luke
• Mar. 31	The Passion according to John
Listen to past lectures online.

Lenten Luncheon Lecture Series
Salvation and Redemption Mondays of Lent – 12:30 pm - in the Cathedral Presented by Fr. Rodel Angeles Listen to past lectures online.

Conversations in Faith
Reconciliation
March 14th – 6:30 pm - in the Cathedral
A panel of Diocesan Priests will discuss the Sacrament of Reconciliation
• Fr. Robert Kline – Retired
• Fr. Theodore Marszal - St. John Cathedral
• Fr. Jared Orndorff - Recently Ordained

Stations of the Cross
Fridays of Lent at 4:30 pm
Good Friday, April 2nd, at 2:30 pm

Eucharistic Adoration - Every Thursday afternoon
from 12:30 pm until Vespers at 4:30 pm

Rice Bowl Project in support of Catholic Relief Services - Please return by Palm Sunday. Boxes will be available in the East 9th St. vestibule. Your offerings enrich and support our brothers and sisters around the world who are living in hunger and poverty.

Operation Rice Bowl, the Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services, makes a difference in our faith community and in communities around the world. Lent begins this week with Ash Wednesday. As part of our community’s observance of Lent, we ask all families to participate in Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl. Please take home a Rice Bowl packet and follow this simple yet powerful Lenten practice. You are asked to participate in several ways:
• Pray and reflect on the lives of our neighbors around the world who struggle with hunger and poverty.
• Fast as a way to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters who do not have enough food.
• Learn about the joys and challenges in the lives of our global family through the stories highlighting CRS’ work around the world.
• Give - Seventy five percent of your Operation Rice Bowl contributions support CRS development projects overseas:
- Agriculture projects help farmers improve crop yields.
- Water projects bring clean water to communities.
- Micro finance projects encourage the growth of small businesses.
- Education projects provide resources and training.
- Mother and Child Health projects provide basic health and nutrition services
- HIV and AIDS projects support the local Catholic Church in communities around the world to assist those affected.
Twenty Five percent of your contributions remain in our diocese to fund local poverty and hunger alleviation programs - like the Bishop Cosgrove Center. Take a “RICE BOWL” from the E. 9th St. bookrack, fill the bowl with your change accumulated during Lent and return on Palm Sunday. If you wish to use a check, make it payable to “St. John Cathedral” and put “Rice Bowl” on the notation line. We’ll send one check to Catholic Relief Services. For more information, visit www.orb.crs.org.

Fast & Abstinence
Ash Wednesday, 17 Feb. 2010, and Good Friday, 2 April 2010, are days of abstinence from meat and also days of fast, that is limited to a single full meal. (One full meal, and two smaller meals which do not add up to the full meal. No foods between meals.) With regard to Good Friday, the teaching of the Second Vatican Council should be recalled. “Let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind.” (Constitution on the Liturgy, No. 110).

The law of abstinence binds all Catholics 14 years and older.
The law of fasting binds all Catholics from their 18th birthday until their 59th birthday
(Canons 97 and 1252).

The other Fridays of the season of Lent are days of abstinence from meat.

With regard to the obligatory days listed above, however, there is frequent question about the degree of seriousness of the matter. The teaching of the Holy Father may be simply paraphrased: The obligation to do penance is a serious one; the obligation to observe, as a whole or substantially, the penitential days specified by the Church is also serious.

People should seek to do more rather than less. Fast and abstinence on the days prescribed should be considered a minimum response to the Lord's call to penance and conversion.