This week from Monday February 22nd to Wednesday February 24th we are privileged to sponsor a Lenten Parish Mission presented by Dr. Allen Hunt.  He is a well-known Catholic author and radio host, who converted to the faith in 2008. He is also a dynamic speaker and conference leader who will speak about encountering Jesus in our lives.  He will focus on people in scripture who have encountered Jesus including Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the woman caught in adultery, and how their lives were changed by the encounter.  The theme of the Mission is based on 2013 apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, “The Joy of the Gospel” in which Our Holy Father invites all to encounter Christ and evangelize.

As many of us know, a Parish Mission can be viewed as an opportunity for spiritual healing, renewal, and reconciliation.  With an emphasis on love and mercy, it also can provide an opportunity to change hearts and transform lives as we renew and strengthen our relationship with Our Lord.

In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, we are challenged in a special way to acknowledge our sins and shortcomings and seek God’s mercy.  When we sin, it does not necessarily mean that we are bad people.  It means that we are missing the mark spiritually. As a way to get back on the mark, and follow the light of Christ, our Church places a special emphasis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We are invited to use this time of Lent as a time to reflect on our choices, failures, and shortcomings, and address them. To this end, we will have our Penance Service on Wednesday February 24th, following the Mission.  At the Penance Service we will have priests from various backgrounds, priests of various ages, priests with various perspectives but having some common purposes: to serve as instruments of the Lord’s pardon, mercy, and forgiveness, and to help us experience spiritual joy in our hearts.  Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can cleanse our souls as we prepare for the commemoration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Details concerning the Mission and the Penance Service can be obtained from the Parish Bulletin, as well as from the parish office and website.  I hope that you will prayerfully consider participating in the Parish Mission and in the Penance Service, and avail yourself of these special times of grace.