Dear Parish Family,

Blessings to you as we begin this first week of Lent. How has the Lord called you to practice the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this year? All three disciplines work together like three wheels on a tricycle. Without one or two (or any) wheels, the tricycle just won't work. The Lenten disciplines work together to teach us truths about our relationship with God, others, created goods, and our self. 

Did you also know it's appropriate to take a dispensation on the Sundays of Lent from what you are fasting from (provided you aren't fasting from something sinful!) in order to celebrate Sunday as a day of rest and the day of the Lord's resurrection? So if you gave up desserts for Lent, you might consider having something sweet on Sunday to relax and remind yourself of the Lord's goodness and His love for you.

Sometimes I hear people say that instead of "giving up" something for Lent they will "take something up". For instance, in place of giving up chocolates (fasting), a person may instead want to volunteer some service hours or donate more to charity (almsgiving). I sense this is born from the desire to see our sacrifices make an impact in the lives of others, but there can also be a hesitation to fast from something concretely because it's difficult to go without the goods we love. Take the ALL IN strategy this Lent. Fast from what you love, give alms, AND take more time for prayer.

Catholic Charities Annual Appeal
Fr. Fabian and I look forward to celebrating our Catholic Charities Annual Appeal commitment weekend with you next weekend! Catholic Charities serves over 400,000 people in need annually right here in our Diocese of Cleveland. These individuals and families rely on the life-saving works Catholic Charities provides each year. Your donation also helps our parish budget by supporting services that would be cost-prohibitive for us to try to perform as a parish without the overhead and networking capacity that Catholic Charities offers. We also act on the Catholic principle of solidarity in supporting people in need whom our Church serves throughout our diocese. Please pledge generously to help us reach our parish goal of $48,479.

Lent Mission
Come to our 3-night Parish Mission "Walking to Calvary: A Eucharistic Journey" from Sunday, February 25 - Tuesday, February 27 at St. Mary Parish! Sisters Anna Rose and Sarah Rose from the Franciscan Sisters T.O.R. will lead the mission. Each night begins at 7 pm and will include sharing and music by the sisters, guided personal prayer, and time for fellowship and light refreshments. I look forward to seeing you there!

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow