Lenten Opportunities for our PCA 2017
Ash Wednesday is March 1 and Easter is April 16.
Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule:
· 6:30 am St James
· 7:00 am St. Patrick’s
· 8:00 am Holy Trinity
· 8:45 am St. Thomas Aquinas
· 9:00 am St. James
· 12:05 pm SS. Cyril & Methodius
· 12:10 pm St. Patrick’s
· 5:20 pm St. Thomas Aquinas
· 5:30 pm SS. Cyril & Methodius
· 5:30 pm St. James
Daily Masses
· 6:45 am St. James, Monday – Friday
· 7 am St. Patrick’s, Monday – Friday
· 8 am Holy Trinity, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
· 8:45 am St. Thomas Aquinas, Monday – Friday
· 12:05 pm SS. Cyril & Methodius, Tuesdays and Thursdays
· 5:20 pm St. Patrick’s, Monday – Thursday
· 5:20 pm St. Thomas Aquinas, Fridays
Confessions
· PCA Penance Service - Sunday, March 26,
4 pm at St. Thomas Aquinas
· Saturday’s
o 11:30 am St. Patrick’s
o 3:00 pm St. Thomas Aquinas
o 3:30 pm SS. Cyril & Methodius
o 3:00 – 4:30 pm St. James
The Light is On, Confessions, April 10, 4:00 – 7:00 pm all Churches
Simple Suppers
· Wednesday’s, 6:00 pm – March 8 - April 12, 6 pm, Holy Trinity
· Friday’s, 6:30 pm - March 3 – April 7, St. James
Prayer Fasting Almsgiving
Stations of the Cross
· Wednesday’s, 5:30 pm –March 8 - April 12, Holy Trinity
· Friday’s, 9:15 am – March 3 – April 7, St. Thomas Aquinas
· Friday’s, 3:00 pm - March 3 – April 7, SS. Cyril and Methodius
· Friday’s, 5:20 pm - March 3 – April 7, St, Patrick’s
· Friday’s, 6:00 pm - March 3 – April 7, Spanish, St. James
· Friday’s, 7:30 pm - March 3 – April 7, St. James
Triduum
Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:00 pm: Holy Trinity, St. James and St. Patrick’s: Adoration to 11 pm
Good Friday Liturgy,
· 12:00 – Stations of the Cross – St. Patrick’s
· 3:00 pm - Veneration of the Cross, Holy Trinity, St. James and St. Patrick’s
· 7:00 pm - Taizé Service, St. James
Holy Saturday,
· 11:00 am - Blessing of the Food, St. Thomas Aquinas
· 12:00 noon - Blessing of the Food, SS. Cyril & Methodius and St. James
Easter Vigil, 8:00 pm,
St. James and St. Thomas Aquinas
The weekend of February 25-26 the following will be available:
· Little Books
· Rice Bowls
Adult Education
Open to all adults, (18+) from any of our parishes.
From Dynamic Catholic: who provides the opportunity of our books for the Book Club there is an online Lenten reflection available: Don’t Give Up Chocolate for Lent; Best Lent Ever. This is a FREE e-mail program designed to have a life-changing Lent. Sign-up at: BestLentEver.com
I Learned the Story: 8 Sunday Mornings 10-11:10 am March 5-April 30 (Excluding Easter, April 16); St, Patrick’s Parish Hall
Discovering Christ
Encounter Christ and His love and mercy this LentthroughDiscovering Christ,a seven week experience –Monday evenings from6:00 – 8:30 pm–March 6 – April 17. Participants will experience a welcoming setting, a wonderful three course meal beautifully served, a thoughtful half hour video and an opportunity for socializing in small group discussion along with relaxed, joyful music of praise and worship. All 18 and over are welcome. Special retreat on Saturday, April 8th. There is no charge. Register through St. Patrick’s or St. Thomas Aquinas by calling the rectory 722-1060 or 797-4015; or . Thank you!
Catholicism by Bishop Robert Baron:
Mondays 7pm St. James McDevitt Room
· March 6: Amazed & Afraid – The Revelation of God Become Man
· March 20: Happy are We: The Teachings of Jesus
· March 27: A Body of Suffering & Glorious – The Mystical Union of Christ in the Church
· April 3: Word Made Flesh – The True Bread of Heaven – The Mystery of the Liturgy & Eucharist
Epistle of James
A study of the Epistle of James with Deacon Ed Blaine and Margit Mayberry, St. James McDevitt Room;
Thursdays: March 9, 16 & 23, 7-8 pm.
First Friday Club
Intentional Intercessory Devotional Prayer Group to the Sacred Heart. Fridays, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, St. Thomas Aquinas, Cebula Room, March 3- April 7.
Movie Night: St. Thomas Aquinas Cebula Room
· Friday February 24, 6:30 pm, Bakhita: From Slave to Saint
· Friday, March 24, 6:30 pm; Joseph of Nazareth
· Friday, April 28, 6:30 pm; Life for Life – Maximilian Kolbe
St. James Parish Mission: will begin with the weekend Masses of March 11-12 and continues through Monday-Wednesday evenings March 13-15. The Mission Director will be Father John E. Collins, CSP. With the following themes:
· Monday: What Good is God?
· Tuesday: Why Prayers Don’t Work
· Wednesday: Ten Kinds of People We Don’t Have to Love
Fr. Collins has led more than 300 parish missions throughout the United States and Canada, as well as more than 30 retreats for Catholic priests and members of religious orders. To learn more you may visit paulist.org.
Friday Fish Fry’s: Proceeds to Benefit the Broome County Parishes Ministry to the Homeless
Fridays, March 3- April 7
4:00 – 6:30 pm
St. Patrick’s Parish Hall
Rules of Fast & Abstinence:
· Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of universal fast and abstinence. Fasting is obligatory for all who have completed their 18th year and have not yet reached their 60th year. Fasting allows a person to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may be taken, not to equal one full meal. Abstinence (from meat) is obligatory for all who have reached their 14th year.
· If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection.
· Fridays in Lent are obligatory days of complete abstinence (from meat), (March 17, 2017 is exempt) for all who have completed their 14th year.
(Taken directly from the United States Catholic Conference
of Bishops, USCCB.org)