Annunciation Catholic Church Lenten Program: 2015 Lent: An Invitation to Renewal and New Life Lent calls us to repent of sin, which obscures our understanding of God's divine will for us. Embracing the penitential season of Lent awakens the glorious destiny that is ours and empowers us to hasten towards it. This is the preeminent theme presented to us in the Scriptural readings that we will experience over the next forty days. Far from being a merely external act, the Church has retained the use of ashes to symbolize that attitude of internal penitence to which we are called during the season of Lent. Throughout these forty days, we journey with those who are to be initiated into the Catholic Church through the RCIA program. At the Easter Vigil, our very own Wendy Talley will be received into full communion with the Catholic Church. Lent is not so much about what we do for God. Rather, it is about what God wishes to do for us: that is recreating us in his life and love. Our sacrifices, our Lenten practices are important because they help us to focus on God. Our acts of self-denial create an opening for God's creative work in us. It is this new life - our life recreated in and by the risen Christ - that we will celebrate at Easter. Enter then, into these forty days with joy. We gather with our community to pray, to be nourished by the sacraments. We fast so our bodies and spirits may understand this is a sacred time. We give alms so we can recognize our solidarity with all of God's children. God promises life from death. Our vocation is to believe in his call. Lent is a time when we enter into the wilderness, when we journey into the desert with Jesus Christ, but journey where we experience Christ on the cross. We are encouraged to set aside time for PRAYER, FASTING, and ALMSGIVING. This Lenten Program offers helpful suggestions to assist you along your journey to spiritual growth and commitment to Christ's mission.
Opportunities for Prayer Prayer - Prayer places us, our needs and our concerns in God's care. Not only does it put us in God's presence, prayer has the power to transform our relationships with all the needs, people and situations for which we pray. Daily Eucharist - Mass is offered in the chapel at the Dobyns Center every Tuesday - Thursday at 8:00 a.m. as well as on the 1st and 3rd Saturday's of the month at 8:30 a.m. School Mass, every Friday at 8:00 a.m. in main church. Communion service on Mondays at 8:00 a.m. in Dobyns Center. Eucharistic Adoration - This devotion takes place in the chapel in the Dobyns Center every Thursday following the 8:00 a.m. Mass. Adoration concludes at 5:00 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration / Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena - Immediately following the 8 a.m. Mass on Tuesdays. Benediction at the conclusion of the novena. RCIA Prayer Partner - you are invited to become a partner in prayer with our RCIA candidate, Ms. Wendy Talley. She is preparing to enter into full communion in the Church at the Easter Vigil. You are asked to support her with your prayers during this time of immediate preparation. Sacrament of Reconciliation - Every Saturday, 3:00-4:00 p.m. or by appointment. Lenten Communal Reconciliation Service - Wednesday, March 25 th at 6:00 p.m. [Multiple confessors will be available.] Stations of the Cross - Every Friday, at 5:30 p.m. You are also welcome to join our parish school community for the Stations of the Cross on Friday mornings, immediately following the 8:00 Mass. Lenten Morning Prayer - 8:00 a.m. on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday. Morning Prayer or Lauds is celebrated throughout the world as a formal prayer of giving thanks to God through Scripture, Psalms, Canticles and hymns and silent reflection.
Opportunities for Almsgiving and Works of Charity Poor Box - deposit a monetary gift in the poor box which gives witness of a desired change in your life which will affect others (The Body of Christ) in a positive way. Second Collections during Lent - contribute to the collection for the Church in Eastern Europe February 22; Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, March 1; Annunciation Parish Building & Maintenance Collection, March 8; Catholic Relief Services, March 15; Archdiocese of New Orleans Seminary Collection on Easter Sunday, April 15 th. Annunciation Catholic School Annual Auction - Located at ACS on Saturday, March 14 th at 5:30 p.m. $30 per person / $ 50 per couple. Come out and support your school at our auction. There are many great auction items this year. Enjoy great food, drink and entertainment! Call school office for more information. St. Joseph Altar - honoring Greg Genco, located at the B&C Hall in Bogalusa, facilitated by the Italian American Society. Dates: Friday, March 13 th @ 6pm; Saturday, March 14 th @ 10am. Knights of Columbus Annual Parish Fish Fry - Friday, March 27 th at the KC Pavilion next to the school. Catfish dinners can be picked up between 4-8 p.m. Tickets cost $10, and can be purchased from any KC member. Tickets will also be sold on the weekend of March 21 & 22 after all Masses. 4 th Degree Knights of Columbus Fried Fish Lunches - 12 noon, every Friday during Lent, at the KC Pavilion (except on March 27). Tickets cost $9. Please see Bob Ricca for tickets. The Kathy Arlt Lyons & William Nielsen Sr. Memorial Golf Tournament - Saturday, March 28 th at the Bogalusa Country Club. Tee time at 12 noon, 2 person scramble. All proceeds benefit Annunciation Catholic School. For more information contact: Kevin Nielsen or Rob Lyons. 5 th Sunday Luncheon Sunday, March 29 th after the 10:30 Mass in the school cafeteria.
Lent / Easter 2015 Liturgy Schedule Palm Sunday: March 28 th Vigil Mass 4:00 p.m. March 29 th Mass 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Holy Thursday: April 2 nd Good Friday: April 3 rd Holy Saturday: April 4 th Easter Sunday: April 5 th Divine Mercy: April 11 th April 12 th Morning Prayer in church 8 a.m. Mass of the Lord s Supper 7 p.m. Adoration concludes in church 9 p.m. Morning Prayer in church 8 a.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy 2 p.m. Passion of the Lord 3 p.m. Confessions 5 p.m. Way of the Cross 5:30 p.m. Morning Prayer in church 8 a.m. Paschal Vigil 8 p.m. Mass 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Spanish Mass 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass 4:00 p.m. Mass 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Chaplet w/ Benediction 3 p.m. The Paschal Fast The 2 nd Vatican Council observed: Let the Paschal Fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday, and prolonged throughout Holy Saturday so that the joys of the Sunday Resurrection may be attended with uplifted and clear mind.
Abstinence from Meat is to be observed by all Catholics 14 years of age and older on Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of Lent and Good Friday. Fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are between 18 and 59 years old. Fasting means eating only one full meal per day. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to one's needs, but there should be no snacking in between. You should know by the end of the day that you have drastically reduced your normal eating habits. The obligation to observe penitential days of the church is serious. The faithful are encouraged to do more rather than less, since fasting and abstinence on these days is a minimal response to the Lords call to penitence and conversion of life. The United States Council of Catholic Bishops have asked us to truly enter into the spiritual purpose of the selfdiscipline that we take upon us during Lent. We have been asked to make the Fridays of lent a time of self-denial, almsgiving to the poor, and prayers for peace.
IDEAS FOR FASTING DURING LENT The Usuals 1. Give up candy/sweets 2. Give up television time 3. Give up eating snacks between meals 4. Give up or limit coffee or soda 5. Give up or limit video games 6. Spend more time with family 7. Give to the poor 8. Do an extra chore each day 9. Perform a random act of kindness. 10. Spend more time in prayer Prayer 1. Pray a particular book of the bible using lectio divina 2. Attend Mass on a weekday 3. Pray the rosary every day with your family 4. Pray the liturgy of the hours 5. Attend adoration weekly 6. Commit to examining your conscience every evening 7. Pray the Jesus prayer every day 8. Pray the Angelus at noon For those addicted to Popular Culture 1. Switch from regular radio to 690 AM 2. Avoid shows with sex and violence 3. Give up or limit television 4. Drive to work in silence each day 5. Read a work of classic literature 6. Read a story to a child 7. Spend 15 mins. in silent prayer every day 8. Write a letter to God every day in your journal For Internet Users / Bloggers 1. Set time limits of overall usage time 2. Limit social media time 3. Share a spiritual link/video via social media every week 4. Blog about the poor once a week 5. Add a spiritual blog to your frequently viewed sites 6. Subscribe to a prayer podcast like Catholic Underground. 7. Leave an encouraging or positive comment on social media each day For those who need to be more Grateful 1. Each week write a letter of thanks to clergy beginning with your bishop or parish priest 2. Write a thank you note to you parents 3. Get a stack of sticky notes and write one sentence of thanks each day. Stick it on the door of a family member for the entire season of Lent. 4. Find the psalms of praise in the bible and pray them
For those with Lives out of Balance 1. Go for a walk each day with a loved one and talk about life and faith 2. Take the kids to the park for some carefree time 3. Fast from lunch a couple of times per week; give the money to charity 4. Exercise each day 5. Spend at least half an hour each day in meaningful conversation with your spouse 6. Participate in a prayer group 7. Go on a Lenten retreat 8. Give up your most unhealthy habit For those who need Spiritual Nourishment 1. Read the documents of Vatican II, especially Gaudium et Spes 2. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church 3. Attend some of the many opportunities for prayer in and around your parish 4. Participate in the Stations of the Cross 5. Find a spiritual director 6. Read The Imitation of Christ 7. Listen to some of Archbishop Sheen s conferences on YouTube 8. Read the Introduction to the Devout Life 9. Read a spiritual autobiography (i.e. St. Augustine s Confessions, St. Therese s Story of a Soul, Pope St. John XXIII s Journal of a Soul, the biography of Pope St. John Paul II a Witness to Hope 7. Become part of Annunciation s prison ministry. 8. Make rosaries, and give them away For those who need to be more active in Annunciation Parish 1. Volunteer in our parish school 2. Join a ministry in our parish 3. Become a lector 4. Become an usher 5. Become an extraordinary minster 6. Become an altar server 7. After Mass, stay a while and introduce yourself to someone you don t know. 8. Assist with our parish CCD program 9. Join the choir Lagniappe 1. Receive the sacrament of reconciliation weekly 2. Give up foul language 3. Give up gossiping 4. Study the lives of the saints 5. Begin to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy 6. Carry extra food in your car to give it to street corner beggars 7. Give your spouse a break, cook dinner for them once or twice a week. For those who need to increase their Service to the Needy 1. Volunteer at Ozanam in or Covenant House in New Orleans for a day 2. Contribute to the Bogalusa Food Bank 3. Offer to visit the sick or bring them some food 4. Volunteer at Catholic Charities in Covington 5. Make visits to the residents at Resthaven 6. Become a hospital volunteer
Priest Knows Secret to Perfect Crab Cakes - Beth Donze, Clarion Herald 2013 Last year, while perusing the racks of a Metairie uniform store, Father Daniel Brouillette spotted a fellow shopper wearing the chef s whites of the restaurant that made his favorite crab cakes. Ever the curious cook, the priest, known to his parishioners as Father Bru, approached the man with a burning question: What made the restaurant s crab cakes so incredibly light? The secret: Add puréed shrimp to the mixture, and not the usual suspect bread. Crab cakes are ruined with bread, said Father Bru, 30, currently in his first year as parochial vicar of St. Peter Church in Covington. Bread makes them too heavy. And oftentimes, if they re deep-fried, they soak up a lot of the grease because of the bread. The resulting recipe, devised by Father Bru after a brief period of trial and error, is shared in this issue of Holy Smoke. Lightly fried in olive oil, topped with a spicy homemade remoulade sauce, and teamed with a spring-mix salad, crab cakes are a simple and satisfying Lenten dish, said the New Orleans-born priest, who abstains from eating meat on Fridays year-round. You don t deep-fry these crab cakes they re light, they re fluffy, and they re more enjoyable. I put panko (Japanesestyle bread crumbs) on top, so they get nice and brown, Father Bru said, noting that his cornering of the crab cake chef illustrates his overarching approach to cooking: Don t be bashful. Don t feel like you have to be stuck to a recipe, he said. You know what tastes good together, then you go from there. Crab Cakes ½ cup celery, finely chopped ½ cup onion, finely chopped ½ cup bell pepper, finely chopped 6 ounces Louisiana shrimp tails, peeled and deveined (scallops may be used instead of shrimp for those with allergies) ¼ cup heavy cream 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 heaping teaspoon Creole mustard 1½ teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice Creole seasoning, to taste 1 pound lump crabmeat 1½ cups panko bread crumbs, toasted in open skillet and seasoned with salt and finely crushed black pepper Directions Sauté celery, onion and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter, until onions are clear. Place sautéed vegetables in bowl and cool to room temperature. Purée shrimp in food processor. Add cream. Transfer shrimp purée to bowl holding cooled vegetables. Add minced garlic, mustards, hot sauce, lemon juice and Creole seasoning to shrimp puree and vegetables, stir until well combined. Add lump crabmeat to mixture, folding gently with spatula (be careful not to over mix or break up the lumps of crabmeat). Divide mixture into eight balls. Press firmly into ½-inch-thick patties. Place patties on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. After the patties have chilled, coat each one in toasted panko. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet at medium heat. When the pan is heated, place 4 cakes in the skillet. Cook without moving them until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip cakes, adding an additional 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet and reducing heat to medium-low. Cook until second side is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer cakes to platter, and repeat steps with second batch of crab cakes after wiping down skillet. Squeeze fresh lemon over the crab cakes and top with remoulade sauce.