Dear Parishioners and Visitors, 

Lent is forty days long because Jesus fasted in the wilderness forty days and forty nights before embarking on his public ministry.  But Jesus did not select the length of his fast at random. Throughout the Old Testament, a stretch of forty days (or years) has always carried a deep meaning often related to punishment, penance, and/or preparation.  When the time came for Jesus to begin his public ministry, he utilized this tradition.  His time in the desert—reminiscent of the Israelites’ forty- year sojourn—proffers the idea that he is deliberately taking on the punishment due to our faithlessness, which otherwise would keep us away from the Promised Land of Heaven. Lent is our great opportunity to enter into the desert with Christ. Do you have a plan for how to approach these days and gain the incredible graces they offer us? 

With prayerful best wishes, 
Fr. John Mahoney 

Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

Lent is about one simple thing: turning to Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  Lent is our time to journey with Christ, to set our own faces to Jerusalem and accompany him to the cross.  Lent is our time to be with the crucified Lord, and to wait quietly with him for the brilliance of the resurrection.

These words are from the Introduction to the daily reflections booklet, “Not by Bread Alone,” that our parish will be using as a daily prayer guide during this Season of Lent 2022.  Each day you will hear the voices of two friends – one a seasoned Jesuit priest and the other a married mother of four children – whose different walks of life intersect in a mutual love of God’s word and a shared desire to explore that word with you. 

Will this Lent be like all the others?  Or will the meditations and prayers offered by Amy Ekeh and Fr. Stegman change your relationship with God and with your family and friends as you journey toward Easter and beyond?

Please take a copy as you exit the church building today.  Treasure it.

With prayerful best wishes that you experience a deeper relationship with Christ this Lenten Season,

Fr. John Mahoney