My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, The season of Lent is a time of reflection and, for most of us, it means that we can frequent the sacrament of reconciliation at least once during this season. One might say that the sacrament of reconciliation has fallen on hard times. Long ago were the days when long Saturday confession lines were a normal feature in our Church history. Although the frequency of confession has greatly diminished among our Catholic people, the need for confession remains.
Lent
Father’s Love Is Always Available
Alcoholics Anonymous is a program of recovery from alcoholism based on principles that form the foundation for a new way of living. Reflecting on these steps, Msgr. Joseph Calise invites readers to see the parable of the Prodigal Son in a new light.
Priest-Chef Serves Up Special Lenten Menu
For Father Leo Patalinghug, faith and food go hand in hand, or in cooking terms, they blend; there is no trick to folding one into the other.
Pope Begins Lent by Sending Out ‘Missionaries of Mercy’
Pope Francis marked the beginning of the Church’s Lenten journey by sending off several hundred religious and diocesan priests on their own special path as “missionaries of mercy” in local parishes.
Humility and Lent
One of the great Roman traditions is the Station Church Masses each day during Lent. Coming out of the traditional Mass calendar, those of the North American College, the priests of the Casa Santa Maria and the priest faculty and seminarians on the Gianicolo go each day to a different Roman church as a pilgrimage […]
An Invitation to a Roman Lent
This week, George Weigel writes about the best Lent of his life in Rome, where he participated in the city’s ancient Lenten station church pilgrimage.
Returning to God
Christians have embarked on another 40 days’ journey through the wilderness of their own humanity. Sister Karen Cavanagh, C.S.J., invites readers to ask if this will be a time of healing, mercy and transformation.
Reading Recommendation
Dear Editor: Lent has begun. Many ask what they might give up for Lent or what they might do during Lent.
Lent Has Begun
Carnival, better known in the U.S. as Mardi Gras, is the traditional period of revelry that precedes Ash Wednesday and Lent, a time of sacrifice and penance that prepares the Church for Easter.
Examining the Roots of Addiction
Just as society needs to be aware of the injustice of inadequate mental health services and mental health outreach and education, people need to open their eyes to the numbers of early adolescents who are lost “to the street,” that is, introduced to drug use early-on.