February 23, 2020

My Dear Parishioners,  
   Are you ready for Lent?  40 days of Lent will begin this Ash Wednesday, February 26th, with Holy Masses at 8am, 12noon and lastly 6:30pm in English and Vietnamese.  Yes, everyone can receive ashes on their forehead after the homily.  On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we are not to eat meat and can only eat one full meal and two lesser meals. 
   On all Fridays during Lent, please make every effort to join us for our Stations of the Cross at 5pm in English.  Our Knights and Altar Society will help lead the Stations.  I will have a handheld microphone for the leader to use.  Please read slow and loud with the microphone by your mouth so that everyone in the church can hear you and follow along with you.  If you cannot hear yourself through the speakers, you are not holding the microphone correctly.     
   We would love to have three people, adults or older children, carry the cross and the candles during Stations.  Trained servers can put on their albs, everyone else can wear their normal clothing or put on an alb if he/she knows how.  The cross bearer, servers with candles and the leader are to start in front of the Altar.  Once the leader finishes the opening prayer, they will move to the First Station. 
   At 5:30pm the Vietnamese parishioners will lead the Stations of the Cross in Vietnamese.  Booklets will be available for everyone to follow along.  Praying the Stations of the Cross is an old Catholic tradition of remembering the sufferings and love Jesus had to endure for all of us sinners.  It’s the best way during Lent to grow spiritually for you will love the one who loved you first, Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  Please pray the Stations of the Cross as much as you can during Lent, at home or at work, in the chapel or in the church.  We are also blessed with Stations of the Cross in the Chapel so that you can pray to Jesus in front of the Blessed Sacrament, with your eyes seeing Him in His Passion.  Of course, everyone is encouraged to spend some time with Jesus in front of the Blessed Sacrament for personal adoration in the chapel.  Jesus would love to be with you, to touch you and to heal you.  Invite your spouse and children or friends to be with you too.  If you or your group are the only people in the chapel, you can sing and pray out loud or you can always go to the church and pray out loud there.  Jesus can be your joy, peace, happiness and salvation.  If you don’t know the door’s code to the chapel, please contact the church office.  Happy Holy Lent Everyone, Fr. Hien