Dear Friends in Christ,

          Athletes who compete in the Olympics must train long and hard to achieve their goal. As Christians, we must also strive for our common goal, friendship and union with Christ. Lent is our time of spiritual “training”.

How can we take advantage of Lent 2010? Contact the parish office for a Little Black Book of daily meditations or click on the LENTEN GUIDE icon on our homepage to access a detailed list of all the parish activities happening during Lent, but let me point out a few:

Mass and Holy Communion: this is our greatest prayer and greatest moment of union with Jesus. In addition to the 8:40 a.m. daily Mass, we have added a 6:30 p.m. Wednesday-evening Mass during Lent. I hope many of you will give God this extra half-hour during the week.

            Reconciliation: conversion requires turning away from sin and turning toward the Lord. The best way to do this is through the sacrament of reconciliation. In addition to the normal times, I will be available for this every Wednesday, from 6:00– 6:30 p.m., and every Friday after the 6:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross. The parish reconciliation service will take place on Monday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m.

            Faith-formation opportunities include a talk by theologian Dr. Tom Curran on Confession on March 3^rd at 7:00 p.m., a new parish Bible study on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., and Adult Catechesis on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m.

            Retreats and Missions: A retreat is a time of more intense reflection on the spiritual life. I will offer spiritual exercises for men (Feb 27-29, there’s still room!) and for women on Palm Sunday Weekend. There will also be evenings of reflection on March 11 and March 23. Our parish mission during Lent will take place on three successive evenings, from March 14-16, and will not feature a single speaker, but rather testimonies of faith from our fellow parishioners.

            Service opportunities: In addition to prayer and fasting, almsgiving is a traditional Lenten practice. Service opportunities abound at Christ the King. During Lent, you will hear about a renewal of the CHORE ministry, which we have renamed “On Eagle’s Wings” in honor of Pat Eagle. You might also consider making a meal for Tent City, making sandwiches for the Martin de Porres shelter, donating clothing items to Mary’s Place, or supporting service mission to New Orleans by donating a Home Depot card.

            Once again, I want to thank you for your wonderful and constant support of our parish.

God bless you all,

Fr. Raymond Cleaveland