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From the Desk of Msgr. Gregory E. S. Malovetz
Dear Friends,
I still remember the sights and sounds of the season. As a young child, I realized there was something different about Lent. We did not eat meat on Friday, statues in the church were draped in purple and we went to confession. We “gave up” something for Lent and television watching was minimal. (Even then, with only 11 channels, it was still a huge sacrifice.) Despite my youth, I understood these were serious weeks and church was the center of our lives in a special way during the season of Lent.
Perhaps you have similar memories. As Lent 2010 now approaches, I am hoping that we can, as a parish family, live this season in a new and exciting way. In a busy culture, with so many things demanding our attention, the sad truth is that Lent often does not look any different in our daily life than the rest of the weeks of the year.
Taking as a guide our Bishop Paul Bootkoski’s pastoral letter, The Family You Have Gathered, our staff and lay leadership are united in seeing Lent as a time to gather the family of St. Charles Borromeo. In the early Church, Lent was the final preparation for those who would receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. In the final weeks of spiritual preparation, they were brought more closely into the life of the community. It is that spirit of Lent we hope to embrace.
So here is the plan and the hope: we are asking all our parishioners to see Lent as a time to be with the parish family. I have included here all the Lenten events and service opportunities. I am asking you to take out your calendar and write down as many of the prayer services or activities you will attend. In looking at your calendar, the great challenge might be: what am I willing to cross off my calendar, so that being with the parish family in Lent can become a priority?
The focus of Lent is often “giving up” something. This year, we are asking you to perhaps forgo the “giving up” and see Lent as a time of “showing up.” I want us to see this season as a time of praying together, serving together, and being with each other so that when Easter comes, we will not only be stronger personally, but stronger as a parish family.
And here is the second part of the challenge: who will you bring to these events? A neighbor, a family member, a friend? As followers of Christ, we are called to reach out to others and bring them more closely into the life of the Church. I urge you to think about inviting someone to Stations of the Cross, and then going out for coffee afterward. Or perhaps find a neighbor to donate blood with you or come with you to a Palm Sunday at the Cross home. We are on this journey together. You have the power to bring someone closer to the Lord. All you have to do is have the courage to ask. Let us join together in a new way this Lent, so that when Easter arrives we may truly say that we have become the family He has gathered.
Msgr. Gregory E. S. Malovetz
