Thursday, February 18, 2021 LENTEN CONFESSIONS & STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that began on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. Lent is the perfect time to renew and restore your relationship with Jesus and with the Church through the sacrament of Confession. Wednesday evenings during Lent, Little Flower will have Confessions from 6:30 - 8:00 pm and Stations of the Cross will be at 7 pm.
MSGR VAGHI'S ASH WEDENESDAY HOMILY
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the solemn season of Lent-- 40 days and 40 nights of our annual pilgrimage to Easter—a time of more intense fasting, prayer and works of charity, especially in this time of pandemic. As your pastor, I truly hope this will be your best Lent ever despite the challenges of the pandemic. Know that it can be. Lenten Prayers for Vocations During the Lenten season, we invite parishioners to pray each day for vocations. As a parish community, let us take these forty days to pray especially for those discerning a call to the religious life with the Archdiocese of Washington and the IHM Sisters. Please take a brochure at the back of church so you can follow along each day. You can also find the complete list and prayers to use on our website. We pray especially for:
Feb 18 - Louis McHale, Carlos de Rodrigo Gutierrez Feb 19 - David Valencia, Elmer Rodriguez Saenz Feb 20 - Federico Mariano, David Nikhil Feb 22 - Chukwuma Odigwe, Isaac Sagastume Feb 23 - Gerald Andrews, Sean Skahen Feb 24 - Marcus Lloyd, David Narváez Feb 25 - Kyle Vance, Grzegorz Okulewicz
PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED – Please pray for the repose of the souls of Kathleen Annarella, Michael Bradshaw, Madeleine Brown, Jeremiah Collins, Thomas Dimond, Agnes Donahue, William Gildea, Kathleen Kelley, Robert Keyes, Daniel Klug, Beatrice Larson, Christopher Lent, Deacon John McGinness, Grace Mulvihill, Jean Ostmann, Ed Padelford, Shane Potts, John Sweeney, Joan Wells, J. William Whitty.
FOR THE SICK- Please pray for the sick members of our parish and for all who are in need. Keep these and all the intentions of our parish in your prayers.
GUIDELINES FOR MASS
The Church of the Little Flower is open for Sunday and weekday Masses.
The seriousness of this pandemic, however, dictates that we follow strict guidelines and important safety measures. Please carefully read the guidelines HERE.
Masks are required to be worn at all times when in church.
Dispensation from the Sunday and Holy Day obligation remains in effect. Many options are available for participating in Mass when we cannot be present at the liturgy. View the Archdiocese of Washington list of live-streamed (and recorded) Masses and Prayers.
SPRING INTO VOLUNTEERING! Commit to service in 2021! Share your talents and time as a mentor, pro bono professional, or in special project support. Apply by March 31, 2021! Catholic Charities is recruiting volunteers for ongoing roles with a weekly commitment to service. During COVID-19, most volunteering is done remotely via video chat, phone calls, email, and regular mail. Please join us for a 1-hour, virtual Volunteer Open House Thursday, March 18 at 6:00 PM. Also, check out the current volunteer roles and apply for one on Catholic Charities' Volunteer
STEWARDSHIP CORNER As the month of February is dedicated to the Holy Family, a quotation from the Manual of the Holy Catholic Church (1909) is still very timely and appropriate: "Our Lord, His Mother, and His foster-father, St. Joseph, together formed one family which should be the model and veneration of all Christian households." Stewardship and Lenten Practices "In today's culture, there is a seductive tendency to privatize faith, to push it to the margins of society, confining it to people's hearts or, at best, their homes, while excluding it from the marketplace of ideas where social policy is formed and men and women acquire their view of life and its meaning. Jesus invites us to respond to the challenge of stewardship: to cherish, proclaim, and foster the gifts of all, while using our personal gifts to serve the community of faith. Let us pray that throughout Lent, by means of the sacrifice of our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the Holy Spirit may enlighten us all and help us to renew our commitment as the Lord's disciples and as stewards of His bountiful gifts." (Bulletin, Cathedral of Mary, Our Queen, Baltimore)
Saints as Model Stewards – On Tuesday the Church commemorates St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (Turkey), who was burned at the stake in 155 for his faith. He was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist and a man of great faith and holiness, who led the churches under his stewardship with gentleness and skill. May he be an inspiration to us as we strive to be good stewards of our faith in the face of hostility.
Poor Box Donations – February donations will go to St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth and Families. The Center provides safe housing and supportive services to young mothers, children and families who are affected by abuse, neglect, teen pregnancy and homelessness. St. Ann's offers health services, secondary education, parenting classes, life and job skills training and developmental child care. Sister Mary Bader, St. Ann's Administrator, is a graduate of Little Flower School.
ONLINE OFFERTORY We appreciate your continued financial support during Lent. Our preferred method of giving is through our online provider, Faith Direct. The secure enrollment process is simple and takes less than 3 minutes to complete. Please consider enrolling in Faith Direct or increasing your level of giving. You may also make a safe and secure one-time gift online. God bless and many thanks.
A SWEET WAY TO SUPPORT LITTLE FLOWER SCHOOL! Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream and Treats has created a special flavor, Cardinal Crunch, to celebrate Little Flower School and to represent our red and white colors! Cardinal Crunch is house-baked red velvet cake pieces in vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips!! Sarah's will donate 15% of the proceeds to Little Flower School now through the end of February. Sarah's is located at 5241 River Road (next to Ledo's.)
MEN'S DISCERNMENT RETREAT
Cardinal Gregory invites men in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, who are interested in learning more about the priesthood, to attend a discernment retreat led by priests and seminarians of the Archdiocese of Washington. The retreat will be held March 26 to March 28 at Saint John Paul II Seminary and the Washington Retreat House in Washington, DC. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. For more information, contact Fr. Mark Ivany at 202-636-9020. Please note that COVID-19 protocols will be in place.
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