Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I can hardly believe that we have arrived to the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Next Sunday will be Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. These past several weeks are meant to be a time of preparation for Easter and the Resurrection of Christ who conquered even death. Throughout Lent, Our Lord calls us to offer sacrifices, prayers, and penances. These 40 days are meant to be a special time to reconnect us with God and to clear out the clutter that has accumulated through our sinful decisions. It is never too late to reconnect with Our Lord's mercy and love. Prayerfully consider making a good confession. A good confession can bring peace to the soul and strength to deal with future temptations.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I can hardly believe that we have arrived to the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Next Sunday will be Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. These past several weeks are meant to be a time of preparation for Easter and the Resurrection of Christ who conquered even death. Throughout Lent, Our Lord calls us to offer sacrifices, prayers, and penances. These 40 days are meant to be a special time to reconnect us with God and to clear out the clutter that has accumulated through our sinful decisions. It is never too late to reconnect with Our Lord's mercy and love. Prayerfully consider making a good confession. A good confession can bring peace to the soul and strength to deal with future temptations.

On another note, each year on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the statues, crucifixes, and crosses in the Church are covered with purple veils until the end of Good Friday. Good Friday is when the Lord's Passion is celebrated and the priest or deacon solemnly unveils only the cross of Jesus for all to venerate. All present will be given a chance to venerate a relic of the true cross. Although the cross is revealed on Good Friday, the images remain veiled until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.

Why do we cover all the statues and crucifixes? These are days of mourning. The time of the Passion is consecrated to the memory of Christ's sufferings through which we have obtained redemption. This ancient custom of covering religious images is intended to help us focus on the penitential aspect of this liturgical season. It reminds us visually that our faith in all its glory is only possible through Christ's work in His suffering and death on the cross.

Finally, I invite you to offer the Stations of the Cross for the remaining Friday's in Lent at 7:00pm in the church. We will also have Stations of the Cross in the church at 7:00pm on Good Friday. Consider praying the Holy Rosary next Friday, March 27th, the last Friday of Lent, traditionally called the Friday of Sorrows, for all mothers suffering the loss of their child(ren). This day is also dedicated to meditating on the sufferings of our Mother Mary. Mary begins Her painful journey with Her Son, Jesus, on Good Friday.

Thank you for your active participation and dedication to our church family. May you have a fulfilling week as we approach the holiest week of the year. I invite you to please mark the Holy Week schedules on your calendars. You will find a detailed schedule of our Holy Week activities in the bulletin, but it doesn't hurt to remind yourself how important it is to participate in all the activities we will have at our parish.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline

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