Stations of the Cross is canceled for this evening, February 19, 2021 due to inclement weather. Below is the information for future Fridays during Lent:
STATIONS OF THE CROSS AND BENEDICTION
FRIDAYS OF LENT, 7:30PM
Stations and Benediction will be in-person and you do not need to sign up. Enter at the Main Entrance and the Usher will help you find a seat. Station booklets will NOT be handed out. Please download the Worship Aid here to participate on your electronic device or print the Stations and bring it with you each week! Unfortunately, Stations will NOT be live-streamed.
Dear Friends,
On Ash Wednesday we began our Lenten journey of renewal. We come each year to these 40 days embracing opportunities to be more devoted to the practice of our faith so as to be more open to the gifts of God and his work of saving us. This is an important distinction: this is about God’s work more than it is about our own work. What we do during Lent—our devotion, our sacrifices, and our offerings— is helping us to be more receptive to what the Lord desires to share with us. It is his work of saving us in his offering of himself on the Cross that saves us.
We have all experienced a lot of sacrifices in the past year, so the season of Lent might not seem so difficult. Nonetheless, it is a welcome time to recommit ourselves to be more faithful. We have much to offer this Lent for reflection, prayer, and service, much of which you can do from the comfort of your home. We invite you to please check out our special landing page on our website here especially the EZine for all our Lenten offerings to find out how you can get involved.
This weekend we will be inviting you to participate in the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries. Many of you have recently received an invitation by mail from Archbishop Lori and myself to support the 2021 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries, Joyful in Hope. Because the success of the Appeal is vital as we continue to minister to God’s people, as your pastor, I echo his invitation. In addition to the opportunity to participate at your convenience this weekend, there will also be an online drive throughout the Archdiocese this Tuesday, designated as “Giving Tuesday” for the Appeal. This past year, more people than ever turned to the Church for spiritual and physical needs and to the many ministries the Appeal supports. As we enter into the second year of this pandemic, these needs will remain and likely grow. If you have already made a gift or pledge to the 2021 Appeal, I thank you. The Appeal benefits our own parish as much as it benefits the ministries of the Archdiocese, as our parish share (the rebate portion of each gift) supports funds for our maintenance reserves and tuition assistance. Last year we raised more than $137,000, and I am grateful that so many are committed to this important charitable effort. Please prayerfully consider making a sacrificial pledge or gift by sending in the envelope you received in the mail or by going online to www.archbalt.org/appeal/give/. When making a pledge or gift online, you will need to designate “St. Elizabeth Ann Seton – Crofton” as your parish.
We are beginning week six of our video series, Elements of the Catholic Mass. I would invite you to watch Episode 6 this week titled Signs and Symbols, and reflect on how this might help you in your faith. Here is the link to the episodes page.
Here is this Sunday’s Worship Aid
A reminder....
I encourage you to sign up for weekend Masses through the parish website or FaceBook page. The link is available after the 9:30 Mass each Sunday UNTIL Wednesday evenings at 10:00pm.
Don’t forget to wear your mask, use hand sanitizers in the Narthex and keep your social distance as you approach the Main Entrance of the Church!
Please Note: I have decided to extend the no walk-in seating policy through the end of February in light of the more contagious strain of Covid-19.
As usual, we will continue to live-stream Mass (Mon—Thurs at 9:00am and Sunday at 9:30am) on the parish Facebook (link) and uploaded on YouTube (link), and our parish website, https://www.seaseton.org/Resources/Media. If you do not have Facebook but wish to watch our livestream, click here for instructions.
Best wishes during this season of renewal.
Fr. Paul