THE LENTEN SEASON 2010

FEBRUARY 17 — ASH WEDNESDAY TO APRIL 1 — HOLY THURSDAY

Ash Wednesday, Feb 17, marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period when the Catholic Church asks the faithful to give themselves to prayer and to the reading of the Scripture, to fasting and to giving alms, in an effort to sharpen their senses and focus mind and heart on the reign of God.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS — FINAL EVENING THIS LENTEN SEASON

Please join us on Friday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel for the final evening recitation of the Stations of the Cross this Lenten season.

Parishioners who cannot attend Stations of the Cross at St. Mark on the Fridays of Lent should set aside some time which is convenient to recite them, whether it be individually or with family. EWTN provides the Stations of the Cross, with reflections written by Mother M. Angelica, P.C.P.A.

How Did the Stations of the Cross Begin?

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

LIVING STATIONS	The 4th grade students of St. Mark School will present Living Stations of the Cross on Wednesday, March 31 at 2:00 p.m. in the Church. All are welcome!
PRAYER SERVICE	There are no morning Masses on Holy Thursday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday; instead, Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours will be held at 8:00 a.m. in the Chapel on those mornings.
HOLY THURSDAY	Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper and Washing of the Feet will be held at 7:30pm in the Church on Thursday, April 1. At the conclusion of Mass, the Holy Sacrament will be taken in procession to the Chapel.
GOOD FRIDAY	Good FridayCelebration of the Lord’s Passion will be held at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the Church on April 2.
There will be no confessions heard on Saturday, April 3.
EASTER VIGIL	The Easter Vigil will be celebrated on Saturday, April 3 at 8:00 p.m. in the Church.
EASTER SUNDAY	Easter Sunday Masses will be celebrated at 7:30, 9:00, 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the Church and at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel on April 4.

Lenten Guidelines for Fast & Abstinence

All persons who have reached their 14th birthday are bound by the law of abstinence. All adults are bound by the law of fast up to their 60th year.

The current canonical discipline of penance for the United States, in addition to the general character of the Lenten season, may thus be summed up:

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of abstinence from meat and also days of fast; that is, limited to a single full meal.
The other Fridays of Lent remain days of abstinence from meat.
The Fridays of the year outside Lent remain days of penance, but each individual may substitute for the traditional abstinence from meat some other practice of voluntary self-denial or personal penance; this may be physical mortification or temperance or acts of religion, charity, or Christian witness.

Fast & Abstinence Article

Read the Article titled What is it to do fasting and abstinence? And, when do I do it? regarding information on fast and abstinence for the Lenten season.

Resources to Help You Observe Lent

Visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website to find resources to help you observe Lent: http://www.usccb.org/lent/

The Light is ON for You Banner

St. Mark will be participating once again with other parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore with the program called The Light is ON for You, suggested by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the Lenten Season.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we acknowledge our sins before God and His Church and look to be reconciled. Confessions at St. Mark will be heard by Fr. Whatley and Fr. Bowen during the Five Wednesdays of Lent in the Chapel between 7:00 & 8:30 p.m. to confess your sins and to receive the Gift of Sacramental Absolution.

Feb 24, Mar 3, Mar 10, Mar 17, Mar 24

Please look for the guides in the vestibules of the Church and Chapel.

Lenten Prayer Booklets

Each family in the parish is encouraged to take one “Little Black Book of Lenten Prayers” from the vestibule of the Church or Chapel this weekend. The idea behind the prayer booklets is to get all of us into the good habit of spending a minimum of six minutes a day in prayer. The booklets facilitate this by giving interesting historical facts about Lent and Easter and providing a focus for meditation and prayer.

More information will be forthcoming soon