The glory of these forty days

Lent is always a busy time in the Church. It comes with obligations, but also opportunities to grow in friendship with Jesus Christ, love for the Catholic Faith, concern for our neighbor, and in our self-mastery. It is a blessed season. Its forty-day length can make it a slog, but thankfully it is a grace-filled slog.

We will have a number of opportunities for you to receive our Lord’s Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our additional Confession times (in addition to our normal weekly Confessions) are Mondays from 5:00-6:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart, Fridays at Holy Angels from 7:45-8:15 a.m., and Fridays after the 8:25 a.m. Mass at St. Michael. We will also have three days of Grace in Lent in which Confessions will be available from 6:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. The three dates and locations are: Monday, March 6 at St. Michael, Tuesday, March 14 at Holy Angels, and Thursday, March 30 at Sacred Heart.

Please also remember to be merciful to those around you, your priests, and others in your life. We are only human. We cannot do everything and will fall short and need some time for recuperation, preparation, and time to pray. Lent is exhausting for us; and, with Beacons of Light, this has only increased. We love you and want to do our best for you, but we need energy in order to serve you best. So please be patient and understanding as we try to figure Beacons and parish life out.

Please check your bulletin for a number of Adult Faith opportunities. It is wonderful that we have so much to offer in St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parishes. I hope you can find something to help you out in Lent, even if it is something outside of parish offerings. I simply want you to grow as a disciple, father, mother, son, daughter, grandparent, employee, employer, and whatever other duty you fill. I have no doubt you are already doing great in these roles; but, I know that, as a priest, there are many things I need to grow in this Lent. One day at a time we ask the Lord and our Lady to help us to become a little better.

On Monday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Michael’s, we will have a special Mass for the feast of St. Joseph to honor the new patron of our Family of Parishes: St. Joseph, Pillar of Families. This is an amazing opportunity for us to unite and come together for an evening of prayer and celebration of the guardian and guide for our Family of Parishes: St. Joseph, Pillar of Families.

Thank you to those of you who have been there for anyone struggling in our community and in your family. The care and compassion people pour upon each other in their need is always beautiful to see. Whether it is pulling together a prayer service for someone, providing a meal for a family in need, stopping in to just say “hi,” and/or caring in other awesome ways, our community is truly a place where members are cared for, loved, and looked after.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn