Intentional Catholics consider Lent a season of penance, not celebration
WHITESTONE — Claire McKenna gazes lovingly at her 2-month-old daughter Leah as the little one rests snugly in her arms. Nearby, McKenna’s husband, Jesus Bravo, is supervising snack time for their daughter Chloe, 2, and son Paul, 1.
It’s a busy time in the family’s Whitestone home. And it’s about to get busier.
Claire and Jesus are preparing to baptize Leah at their church, St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother Church in East Elmhurst, on Easter Sunday. The couple chose the date on purpose, preferring to wait until Lent is over.
Claire and Jesus, who are followers of the Neocatechumenal Way at St. Gabriel, are intentional Catholics — people determined to live out their faith in practical ways in the modern world — and they are aware that Lent is meant to be a season of penance and reflection, rather than one of celebration.
The celebration comes at Easter, when Christians mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
While the Catholic Church doesn’t have an outright ban on sacraments like marriage and baptisms during Lent, Claire said she and Jesus would not feel comfortable doing it. “It’s really not what Lent is supposed to be about,” she explained.
Waiting for Easter to baptize a baby is nothing new for Claire and Jesus. They baptized Paul on Easter Sunday last year. Chloe’s christening two years ago also took place on a day of significance to Catholics: the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Jesus, an operations director for an architectural technology firm, and Claire, a nursing school graduate who recently took her licensing exam, put a great deal of thought into how they would spend Lent this year.
Rather than give up something, they decided to give something of themselves. “I’m trying to be a more patient parent,” Claire said. As for Jesus, his goal also revolved around family life. “I want to be fully present for my kids,” he explained.
Faith is at the center of the family’s life. Clare and Jesus pray with their children every day. And the couple was delighted when Chloe recently started to pray by herself without prompting.
On Saturday evenings, the whole family attends the celebration of the Eucharist at St. Gabriel with fellow Neocatechumenal Way followers. Jesus plays guitar at the Mass and Claire is a lector.
Once a month, the couple goes out to the streets to evangelize. They knock on doors and talk to whoever answers about God’s love.
Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for evangelization and catechesis for the Diocese of Brooklyn, has known Claire since she was a child and her family attended Holy Trinity Church in Whitestone, where he was the pastor for 15 years. “To see her grow as a person and grow in her faith has been very inspiring,” he said.
The dedication Claire and Jesus have for teaching the faith to their children “shows the fruits from our family catechesis here in the diocese,” he added. Under family catechesis, parents are playing an increasing role in the faith formation of children, rather than leaving the process entirely up to religious education directors and catechists.
The determination of Claire and Jesus to put faith at the center of their lives has been there from the beginning of their marriage. They were married in July of 2020 at St. Gabriel Church during the pandemic. It was a time when church attendance was restricted and only 50 people were present for the wedding.
“There was a lot of uncertainty but we felt it was important not to wait until COVID was over,” Claire recalled. Jesus was even more blunt. “Even if there were zero people there, we were going to be married,” he explained. “We knew that marriage was for us and for God, not so you could have a party.”
The couple first met through their involvement in the Neocatechumenal Way at St. Gabriel Church. Their relationship was solidified in 2017 by their participation in Two By Two, an evangelization program in which members are dispatched to different parts of the U.S. to knock on strangers’ doors and talk to people about faith — just as Jesus sent his disciples out two by two.
Claire was sent to St. Petersburg, Florida, while Jesus traveled to Manchester, Vermont. When they returned, they compared notes and both found it had been a fulfilling experience. It made them realize they were meant to be together.
