Dear Friends in Christ:
As we continue our journey of Lent…we should ask ourselves: “how is it going?” It is never too early to take stock of how we are doing with our Lenten practices.
Ask yourself: How am I doing with my fasting? Have I remained vigilant in fasting from whatever I promised God and myself that I would fast from?
How am I doing with my prayer? Have I increased the amount of time I give to God each day? Have I made room for God, or more room for God, in my heart?
How am I doing with my almsgiving? Have I sought out opportunities to help those most in need? Have I participated in the Parish Corporal Works of Mercy in these first days of Lent by bringing food for the hungry or drink for the thirsty?
By fasting, prayer, and almsgiving we all renew and purify our hearts and are led to the fullness of grace. So how are we doing?
Lent calls us to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we have done and what we have failed to do, and to be generous to those in need among us.
As Catholics we joyfully engage in these Lenten disciplines because we are disciples. We pray, we fast, and we give because we follow Christ, who loved us so much that He gave His own life so that we might share in Eternal Life.
This weekend we continue our homilies emphasizing the Sacraments…last weekend we spoke about Baptism and this weekend we will be focusing on the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Since the Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives as Christians it is central to who we are! We need the Eucharist. The Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, offered to us in the Holy Eucharist unites us more closely to Christ and provides us the spiritual nourishment we need to answer His call to Follow Me…more to come this weekend in the homilies I am sure.
As we focus on the Eucharist in our homilies, let me take this opportunity to remind you all that we have Eucharistic Adoration EVERY Friday from 1-4PM in Saint Bridget Church. As we continue this Lenten journey seeking to EncounterChrist #prayfastgive I ask every parishioner to consider joining us for an opportunity to experience this prayer opportunity to sit before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and offer Him our prayers. We do ask everyone who comes to visit the Blessed Sacrament during this time to say a special prayer for the intentions we are praying for during that hour.
Our transfer of the Stations of the Cross is NOW COMPLETED. What a project! I am so pleased that the Stations of the Cross are now up in front of our parish school and what better time than in this Season of Lent! The Stations of the Cross is a powerful prayer experience in these forty days as we contemplate the Passion of Christ and the suffering He endured on His way to the Cross.
I am grateful to Larry Richard and all those who helped him to move the Stations from the Church of the Epiphany to our Saint Bridget Church Campus. It was a huge undertaking and not without its setbacks, but it is now done. One major setback as I reported, was the theft of a few of the bronze stations while they were still on the Epiphany Church Campus. Thanks to insurance we were able to replace the Stations but that certainly took time. Bringing a piece of the history of the former Epiphany Parish to the Saint Bridget Campus is yet another example of incorporating the former parishes together as we continue to merge into one parish family. They really are quite beautiful as well. I hope you will utilize the new sidewalk and make the way of the Cross perhaps at least once during these weeks of Lent.
Parish Corporal Works of Mercy update…this past weekend the generous people of our parish family donated over 1,000 pounds of food to the Cheshire Community Food Pantry to give food to the hungry! Thank you! This weekend we are collecting beverages to give drink to the thirsty and next weekend we will be collecting white socks for men, women, and children to help the clients at Saint Vincent DePaul Shelter in Waterbury, and onesies for babies at Carolyn’s Place to help clothe the naked. Thank you for all you do to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate and for recognizing that in serving them we are serving the Lord.
Lenten Suppers…we had an amazing group gathered together for the first Lenten Supper. We had over 200 people! It was just wonderful to see the adults getting to know each other, the young people enjoying time in the gym, and our family of faith being nourished together by food and fellowship. It was awesome!
Please join us as we come together for our Friday Lenten Supper, great conversation, and some fun activities for the kids. Supper is served from 5-7 PM, cost is only $10 per adult, $5 per child and senior citizen, and a $25 max per family. The menu includes pasta with sauce, salad, bread, a variety of soups each week, beverages, and a weekly special. Then, following the Lenten Supper, come and pray the Stations of the Cross with us in Saint Bridget Church at 7 PM.
In this Season of Lent let us strive above all to live holy lives as we make this journey with the Lord. May our Lenten journey be holy, prayerful, and fruitful.
As always, remember to pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings as we build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.
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