Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

With the season of Lent now beginning, I would like to highlight some efforts and opportunities, both at the Diocesan and local levels.

1. Today the Diocese launches the Called By Name campaign. This is an effort to invite young men in our parishes, schools, and families, to consider a vocation to the priesthood. If you know a young man you think would be a good priest, please take one of the Called By Name flyers and fill it out. You can return it to the parish office or drop it in the collection basket at Mass next weekend. You can also nominate a man directly at www.bridgeportpriest.org/called.

2. The Station Church pilgrimage is an ancient Roman tradition. Centuries ago, the pope would visit a different church each day during Lent, and people would gather at that church to pray with him. In the 1970s, American seminarians revived this tradition, and Fr. Brendan and I both had the opportunity to participate in this pilgrimage during our seminary formation. Bishop Caggiano is bringing something of the Station Church Pilgrimage to Fairfield County. Throughout the season of Lent, different churches around the Diocese are designated as the station church of the day. For example, on Friday March 6, St. Pius X is the church for the day. If you would like to add a small pilgrimage to your Lenten practice, I encourage you to visit www.bridgeportdiocese.org/lenten-pilgrimage-schedule to see the entire calendar of churches and Mass times.

3. Our parish St. Patrick’s Day party is Saturday March 7. It’s a great time, and a nice celebration even as we dive deeper into the penitential season of Lent. Tickets are still available so get your soon! If you’d like to donate a raffle prize, please contact Liz at lizbyrnefeeney@hotmail.com.

4. On Fridays in Lent, the Stations of the Cross are prayed as a special devotion, helping us walk with Jesus on the road to Calvary. On most Fridays, we will pray the Stations at 7 PM in the Church. However, on March 6, we will pray them at 6 PM, and on Friday March 13, we will pray the Stations at 6:30 PM, followed by the last night of our Lenten mission.

5. Mark your calendars for March 11 – 13, when, through our parish partnership with Hallow, we are excited to host a Lenten mission. On March 11, 12, and 13, we have an opportunity for prayer and an inspiring talk at 7 PM. There will also be an option for discussion in small groups at the end of each evening. I encourage you to join us!

6. Our partnership with Hallow extends beyond the Lenten mission, of course. You will find great prayer resources and inspirational content on the Hallow app, which you can access and use throughout these forty days. Visit www.st-pius.org/hallow for more.

7. This season is a call to repentance for all of us. In a particular way, this means participating in the Sacrament of Confession. During all of our regularly scheduled confession times (Wednesdays 7 – 8 PM, and Saturdays 4 – 5 PM), we are endeavoring to have two confessors available to make your wait time shorter. In addition, on Reconciliation Monday – March 30 – multiple confessors will be available from 3 – 9 PM at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. There’s no reason to wait until March 30 to go to confession, but please know that the opportunity is there. Additionally, Fr. Brendan and I know that for some it might be hard to go to confession with a priest you know. Fortunately, there are numerous parishes in the area, and the sacrament is readily available to you. Please take advantage of this great gift of God’s love and mercy!

Peace,

Fr. Sam