St. Theresa Catholic Church & School

St. Theresa Catholic Church & School

2 LENT, A TIME OF PRAYER, FASTING AND ALMSGIVING Prayer Always be joyful; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks; this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Opportunities Lenten Daily Reflec on Booklets (available in the church ves bule) Parish Retreat, pg. 3 Eucharis c Adora on, pg. 6 Reconcilia on, pg. 6 Sacrament of the Sick, pg. 7 Seder Dinner, pg. 5 Sta ons of the Cross, pg. 7 Fasting: This, rather, is the fas ng that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Se ng free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Isaiah 58:6-7 Opportunities Lenten Soup, pg. 4 Almsgiving: Set aside part of your goods for almsgiving. Never turn your face from the poor and God will never turn his from you. Measure your alms by what you have; if you have much, give more; if you have little, do not be afraid to give less in alms. Tobit 4:7-8 Opportunities: Immigra on & Global Refugee Project, pg. 8 Opera on Rice Bowl, pg. 9

Parish Lenten Retreat February 29 - March 3 7pm in the Church During this Year of Mercy come and experience the one thing that never fails, never gives up, never runs out..god s Love. Monday: Identity Who do you say that I am? Mark 9:18-20 Tuesday: Trust Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid Mt. 14:22-33 Wednesday: Gratitude Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be given unto you Mt. 25-34 Thursday: Love And over all these, put on love. Col 3:12-17 All are welcome...because all belong! Bring a friend, bring a neighbor, bring yourself. Rest ~ Recover ~ Renew ~ Retreat 3

L S FASTING WEDNESDAYS DURING LENT 6:00 PM IN MEETING ROOMS 1 & 2 Join fellow parishioners for a simple evening meal of soup, salad and bread on Wednesday Evenings at 6:00 pm during Lent, followed by a Lenten Prayer opportunity. The soup will be made and served by various organizations, groups and families in the parish. February 17 - Soup: Parish Choir 7:00 pm, Listening Session February 24 - Soup: School Parent s Club 7:00 pm, Stations of the Cross March 2 - Soup: WING S 7:00 pm, Parish Retreat March 9 - Soup: Parish Staff 7:00 pm, Sacrament of Reconciliation 4

PRAYING Seder Dinner Tuesday, March 15 6:00 PM Meeting Rooms 1 & 2 In the tradition of our ancestral family in faith, the Hebrew people, we gather for a Seder dinner. Seder means order, the order of the ritual followed at the celebration. This is a wonderful event for the whole family. All who attend will be asked to prepare a side dish or dessert (recipes provided) for the meal, and to bring a bottle of wine or grape juice to drink during the ritual. The parish will provide the main dish. Sign-up for the dinner and pick up a recipe following all Masses during Lent. Reservations required, seating limited. 5

PRAYING Eucharistic Adoration! THIS IS WHAT IT S ALL ABOUT! Sunday, February 28 th 6:00 pm in the Church All are welcome to join us on this special night WITH MSYM (Middle School Youth Ministry) AND St. Theresa Legion of Mary to learn more about the practice of Eucharistic Adoration! Come and experience Christ s love in a profound way, maybe for the first time? Ukulele Worship Music will be led by Chay Tanchanco! S R C P S Wednesday, March 9, 7:00 PM This service is one of the key parts of our Lenten journey. It offers us as a parish community an opportunity to come together in prayer to acknowledge the great grace of forgiveness and spiritual healing extended through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Please make an effort to join in this special evening 6

PRAYING S C Stations of the Cross have been a long standing tradition during Lent. The school invites you to join the school children in the church to pray the Stations of the Cross. February 19, 26, March 4, 11, 18 9:50 am - Kindergarten - 5th grade 2:30 pm - 6th - 8th grade S S Is any one among you sick? Let him bring in the presbyters of the Church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15) On Sunday, March 13 at the 11:00 am Mass the Sacrament of the Sick will be administered to all those who suffer from a serious, acute or chronic illness. Caregivers are also encouraged to attend. 7

ALMSGIVING IMMIGRATION & GLOBAL REFUGEE PROJECT St. Theresa School 2016 Lenten Project In a desperate plea for jus ce, Pope Francis reminds us that migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a be er life, one in which poverty, hunger and the unjust distribu on of the planet s resources is overcome. Refugees are a people who have le his or her country of na onality and is unable or unwilling to return to that country due to persecu on or a wellfounded fear of persecu on based upon race, religion, na onality, membership is a specific social group, or poli cal group. An es mated 80% of the world s refugees are women and children, with children and youth cons tu ng approximately half of the worldwide refuge popula on. Referring to the Bible, the Holy Father reminds us that in welcoming the stranger we welcome God, and that in the faces of others we see the face of Christ. As such, he stresses that the Church cannot fail to be inspired to ac on and to the realiza on that the response to the Gospel is mercy. In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, both St. Theresa School and Parish will take ac ve interest in refugees through educa on and fundraising. Some of the fun and interes ng fundraising projects that our students will run are: R R : Buy a ribbon and e on the school fence B : Hear our Plea, help a Refugee baked goods. H S : new and gently used items for kitchen, bathroom, general household, personal hygiene, bedroom, cleaning supplies, furniture. Items may be dropped off in the ves bule. A R : Grade level teachers/students, compete against other level teachers/students. Focus on Global world 7 ac vi es represen ng 7 con nents. Students pay $1.00 to get a chance to par cipate and/or watch. 8 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome.

ALMSGIVING O R B Pick up a Rice Bowl in the church vestibule! As Jesus disciples, we have a responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters in all na ons. Our community will par cipate in Catholic Relief Services Opera on Rice Bowl this Lent as a sign of solidarity with our global family. Opera on Rice Bowl invites us to: Pray together. Fast in solidarity with those who hunger. Learn about the joys and challenges in the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world. Give sacrificial contribu ons to support those in need. Once a week we ask that you eat a simple meal and give the money you saved to your Rice Bowl. This is an opportunity to become evermore aware of the needs of others through your par cipa on in this program. W R B M P S. D. Visit orb.crs.org to watch videos and learn more about the difference your prayers, fas ng and almsgiving make in the lives of our brothers and sisters in need. 9

RCIA Rite of Sending and Enrollment The Rite of Sending will be celebrated on February 14, at the 11:00 AM Mass. The Rite of Election will be celebrated with Bishop Barber the same day at 4:00 PM at the Cathedral of Christ the Light. These celebrations mark the beginning of the period of final preparation for the sacraments of initiation. In the liturgy and liturgical catechesis of Lent the reminder of baptism already received or the preparation for its reception, as well as the theme of repentance, renew the entire community along with those being prepared to celebrate the paschal mystery, in which each of the elect and candidates will share through the sacraments of initiation. Dawn Warriner Saralyn Sheehy Heather Thornsley Dana Ly 10 Scrutinies The scrutinies, which are solemnly celebrated on Sundays and are reinforced by an exorcism, are rites for self-searching and repentance and have above all a spiritual purpose. They are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, broken, or sinful in the hearts of the elect and candidates; to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good. The Scrutinies will be celebrated on February 28 at the 9:00 AM Mass, March 6 at the 11:00 AM Mass and March 12 at the 5:00 PM Mass. Prayer Cards In the vestibule there are Prayer Cards with the names of the RCIA Elect. Please pick up a prayer card and keep that person in your prayers throughout the season of Lent.

W M! Liturgies will begin outside of church where we will gather for the reading of Luke s Gospel of Jesus entry into Jerusalem, the Solemn Blessing of Palms and Procession into church. The palms recall Jesus entrance into Jerusalem for the Passover, and the proclama on of the Passion recalls his death. 11

The These three days are the high point of our Church year, it is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ. It begins with the evening Mass of the Lord s Supper on Thursday; reaches its high point with the Easter Vigil and concludes on Easter Sunday. There are practices we experience during the Triduum that we see at no other time during the year: the washing of the feet, the veneration of 12 Holy Thursday March 24 th M O L S 7:00 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament following the Liturgy, ending at 10:00 PM This evening s celebra on begins the Triduum. The Holy Oils that were blessed at the Diocesan Chrism Mass will be received and placed in a place of honor in the sanctuary. These are the oils that will be used throughout the year. Jesus command to serve others is recalled this night with the Washing of the Feet. Everyone is encouraged to par cipate by having their foot washed and in turn washing the foot of a fellow parishioner. Please wear shoes and socks that are easy to remove. The liturgy does not end. We will solemnly process the Eucharist to the altar of repose where there will be adora on un l 10:00 PM.

Triduum the cross, the service of light, the singing of the Exsultet, the baptism of the elect, and the reception of the candidates into full membership in the Catholic Church. Therefore the Easter Triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the entire liturgical year. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, #18 Good Friday March 25 th 12:00 PM Stations of the Cross 1:15 3:00 PM Liturgy of the Word ~ Veneration of the Cross Communion 7:00 PM Evening Service This is the second day of the Triduum. It is a con nua on of the liturgy begun the night before. Good Friday is a day of fast and abs nence. This is not a Lenten fast, as Lent ended at dusk on Thursday, but a fast of an cipa on. At noon there will be music and reflec ve readings on the Sta ons of the Cross, followed by the Celebra on of the Lord s Passion, Venera on of the Cross and distribu on of Holy Communion (mass is not celebrated this day; the Eucharis c Bread was consecrated on Holy Thursday). At 7:00 PM there will be a Evening Service. There will be a collection for the Shrines in the Holy Land and Missionary work during the 1:15 pm service. 13

14 Easter Vigil March 26 th 8:00 PM The Easter Vigil is the high point of the Easter Triduum celebrating the passion and resurrection of Jesus. The four parts of the Easter Vigil move us through a gradual unfolding of its mystery. THE LITURGY OF LIGHT, where the fire is blessed and we are led through the darkness by the light of the Paschal Candle. THE LITURGY OF THE WORD, where through the scripture we listen to the stories of God s interaction with the human race from creation to the resurrection. THE LITURGY OF THE RITES OF INITIATIONS, where water is blessed, we baptize those desiring to be Catholic and confirm those seeking full membership in the Catholic Church. T E (to Baptized) Saralyn Sheehy T C (to receive Confirmation & Eucharist) Dawn Warriner Dana Ly Heather Thornsley THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST, where we gather around our table to give thanks, and are strengthened with the spiritual food of Christ s body and blood and the newly confirmed receive the final Sacrament of Initiation, the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Easter Sunday Mass Schedule March 27 th 7:30 am 9:00 am 11:00 am 15

Holy Week Schedule H T March 24 7:00 PM T M O L S Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament following the Liturgy, ending at 10:00 PM G F March 25 12:00 PM Stations of the Cross 1:15-3:00 PM Liturgy of the Word Veneration of the Cross Communion 7:00 PM Evening Service H S March 26 8:00 PM Easter Vigil E S March 27 Masses: 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM 16 P M H T, G F H S.