This week from Monday February 23rd to Wednesday February 25th we are privileged to sponsor a Lenten Parish Mission presented by Fr. Emmerich Vogt. He is well known Catholic author and a priest for 35 years. He is also a dynamic speaker and conference leader who states that he will focus on the healing “… that comes from a deep immersion into our Catholic Eucharistic faith.” He further states that those attending the mission “…can expect to come away from the mission knowing themselves better and how to live their Catholic faith more deeply, by drawing upon the wisdom of sacred Scripture and the lives of the saints.”
Our Parish Mission, as presented by Fr. Emmerich, will help prepare us for our Penance Service which will take place on Thursday, February 26th. One of our leading Catholic scholars reminds us that sin has a personal and communal dimension. Sin clouds the mind in moral confusion and closes the heart to God’s love and truth. But in God’s light, we see sin for what it really is. When we sin, it does not necessarily mean that we are bad people. It means that we are missing the mark and refusing to listen to God’s word and obey his will. As a way to get back on the mark and follow the light of Christ, our Church places a special emphasis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are invited to use this time of Lent as a time to reflect on our choices, failures, and shortcomings, and address them. To this end, we will have our Penance Service. At the Penance Service we will have priests from various backgrounds, priests of various ages, priests with various perspectives but having some common purposes: to serve as instruments of the Lord’s pardon, mercy, and forgiveness, and to help us experience spiritual joy in our hearts. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can cleanse our souls as we prepare for the commemoration of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.
Details concerning the Mission and the Penance Service can be obtained from the Parish bulletin and website as well as from the Parish office. I hope that you will prayerfully consider participating in the Parish Mission and in the Penance Service, and avail yourself of these special times of grace.