The Compendium of the Catechism teaches us that “Penance can be expressed in many and various ways but above all in fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. These and many other forms of penance can be practiced in the daily life of a Christian, particularly during the time of Lent and on the penitential day of Friday.”
This year, Ash Wednesday falls on 2 March 2022. There will be Mass at 10am (with St Dominic’s School) and Mass at 6pm, both with the imposition of ashes to mark the start of the holy season of Lent. This year, in particular, we join Pope Francis on this day in praying and fasting for peace in the Ukraine. Why not pray the Rosary, and then take it up every day in Lent?
We remind you that Confession is heard every day in our church: Mondays to Fridays (5-5:30pm) and Saturdays (5-6pm) and Sundays (9:45-10:15am; and 11:45am-12:15pm). This Sacrament is a great gift to us from our Saviour Jesus Christ. As the Compendium says: “The effects of the sacrament of Penance are: reconciliation with God and therefore the forgiveness of sins; reconciliation with the Church; recovery, if it has been lost, of the state of grace; remission of the eternal punishment merited by mortal sins, and remission, at least in part, of the temporal punishment which is the consequence of sin; peace, serenity of conscience and spiritual consolation; and an increase of spiritual strength for the struggle of Christian living.”
On Fridays in Lent, we invite you to join us for the meditation on the Stations of the Cross, and the Canticle of the Passion by St Catherine de Ricci OP. This takes place at 5:15pm. Therefore, on Fridays in Lent, there will be no Adoration.
Otherwise Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place at 5pm every day in our church (except Fridays in Lent; see above). The Lord Jesus is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist so that, as the Compendium affirms, “the worship due to the sacrament of the Eucharist, whether during the celebration of the Mass or outside it, is the worship of latria, that is, the adoration given to God alone.”
Finally, during Lent, we invite you to come to our Lent Parish Talks. This will be a series of talks on Sacred Art and the Lenten Journey that will take place in the Parish Hall at 6:45pm on Thursdays in Lent. The first talk will be on 10 March (1st Week of Lent). Fr Toby Lees OP will speak on ‘The tree, the vine, and the Cross – Christian Life in the San Clemente apse’. All very welcome.
