I am grateful to be going through my first Lent with you all. Can you believe this week marks our midpoint through our Lenten journey? Stay strong with your fasting, prayer, and almsgiving with trust that the Lord will do great things through our small sacrifices. Thank you for your attention to a few updates below, as well as a continued examination of our parish themes identified in our November Listening Sessions.

Solemnity of the Annunciation: Friday, March 25, is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. Solemnities are not observed as penitential days. Therefore, by virtue of the law (can. 1251) and the liturgical nature of the day, penitential practices, like fasting or abstaining from eating meat, are not required on this day, even though it falls on a Friday in Lent. Enjoy the reprieve! For myself, I will still be eating fish this Friday simply because I enjoy it so much!

Fish Fry: St. Mary's Fish Fry has been receiving rave reviews! The Fish Fry is open on the Fridays of Lent from 4:30 - 7:00 pm, and you can come for all you can eat dine-in ($15) or take-out ($13). All proceeds benefit our Adopt-A-Student scholarship program for our St. Mary School students. I want to thank our volunteers who make the Fish Fry a success each week. A special shout-out to all our youth who volunteer each week - people who have encountered you have told me about your helpfulness and kindness. They are proud to support our parish and school, so thank you to all who have volunteered. We have three Fish Fry's left this Lent, so be sure to bring your friends and join us for a great meal!

Prayers for Catechumens and Candidates: Please pray for our catechumens and candidates who will be baptized and enter into full communion with the Catholic Church this Easter. We will celebrate the Scrutiny Rites with them for the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent. The Scrutiny Rites are meant to help purify their hearts and give them the strength and resolve to follow Christ more fully as they prepare for Easter Sacraments in the weeks to come.

Listening Session Second Theme: Worship: I am eager to continue sharing with you the fruits of our November Listening Sessions. This week we reflect on the second main theme that was highlighted, Worship, with its sub-themes of traditions, and being Eucharist-centered. The number in parentheses corresponds to the number of times that particular sub-theme was mentioned in parishioner comments.

• Traditions: Traditional gestures of reverence, offerings of devotion, and incorporating the youth into worship are important aspects of parish life. (9)
• Eucharist-centered: Believing in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the foundation al principle in our Catholic way of life. (4)

When Catholics gather and discuss matters of faith with one another, treasured acts of worship are invariably shared. That is because these acts are not restricted to the world in which we live, but rather are very much connected in a real way to our Creator and Father in heaven. Through the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are confident through faith that our gestures of love and praise reach into the life of God. The United States Bishops recently expressed this sentiment in their document, The Mystery of the Eucharist In the Life of the Church
 
Traditional gestures of reverence and offerings of devotion, therefore, are about something far greater than ourselves. They remind us, and put us in touch with, who and what we are called to be. Awareness of the depth of their effect places on our hearts an eagerness to pass them on to the next generation and to celebrate their meaning in the sharing of Eucharist. I encourage you to pray with these themes, and visit https://stpatrickthompson.org/worship-1 to read through the individual comments expressed at the listening session.