Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lent and Holy Week at St. Benedicts 2011

LENTEN MASS SCHEDULE

Beginning March 9
For the weekdays of Lent the weekly Mass schedule will be:
1.Monday through Friday 7:00 am and 8:15 am
2.Friday afternoons at 5:30 pm followed by Stations of the Cross.
3.Saturday at 9:00 am

Please consider making daily Mass or Stations of the Cross a part of your Lenten resolutions.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
Wednesday Reconciliation 4:30 & 7:00 pm
Holy Thursday Supper 5:00 & Liturgy 7:00 pm
Good Friday Service noon & Stations 7:00 pm
Holy Saturday Blessing of the Baskets 3:00 pm
Easter Vigil Saturday at 8:00 pm
Easter Sunday Masses 8:00, 10:00, 11:30 am



PARISH ACTIVITIES FOR LENT
Weekly:
Daily Mass  - Monday thru Friday 7:00 & 8:15 am
Every Monday - Bible study at 5:30 pm

Every Monday
Vicariate Lecture Series (See the bulletin or website for information)

Every Friday
5:30 Mass followed by Stations of the Cross

Every Saturday
9:00 am Mass


Special Events
Saturday, April 2
Fr. Paul’s Steak Dinner

Sunday, April 3
Tour of the windows with Deacon Bill at 4:00 pm

Weekend of April 3
1st Sunday of Month Food Drive (bring food to Mass)

Wednesday, April 6
Parish Reconciliation 2:00 pm (St. Ben) and 7:00 pm (St. Leo)

Saturday, April 9
Diocesan Men’s conference at Cardinal O’Hara High School  8:00 to 3:00

Monday, April 11
Rosary Altar Society meeting with Deacon Bill as guest speaker
at 7:00 pm

Wednesday, April 13
Praying before the Blessed Sacrament in church 6:00-9:00 pm

PENANCE SERVICES IN LENT
At St. Benedict & St. Leo the Great

Wednesday, April 6 is our Lenten Penance Services. Again this year we will collaborate with St. Leo’s Parish to offer two services: an afternoon service at 2:00 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Church and an evening service at 7:00 p.m. at St. Leo the Great Church. Please plan to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation an essential part of Lent for you and your family.


WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR LENT?
The 12th Annual Lenten Series presents five North American Saints – their lives, their spirituality and what they might say to us today!

All sessions will take place at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, March 28 Fr. Nelson Baker
Msgr. Paul Burkhard will present the life, the spirituality, and the cause for canonization of the beloved ‘Padre of the Poor’ from Lackawanna.
Infant of Prague, 921 Cleveland Drive, Cheektowaga 634-3600
Monday, April 4 The North American Jesuit Martyrs
Fr. Fred Betti, S.J. will tell the gripping story of the life and spiritualities of six
Jesuit priests & their two lay companions who died for their faith.
St. Christopher Church 2660 Niagara Falls Blvd., Tonawanda 692-2660

Monday, April 11 Mother Cabrini
Spiritus Sanctus Players will present a one-woman dramatization of the life of
St. Frances Cabrini who dedicated her life to helping Italian immigrants.
(There will be a free will offering following the performance.)
St. Leo the Great Church, 885 Sweet Home Road, Amherst 835-8905


Why give up something for Lent when you can do something positive for your spiritual life?
No cost. No reservations required. Come and bring a friend.
Sponsored by the parishes in the Northern Erie Vicariate


LENTEN REGULATIONS
We are about to begin the season of Lent. Often there is confusion about what Catholics should or should not do during Lent. We hope the following descriptions will help you plan your Lenten journey for 2011.

ABSTINENCE: All Catholics who have celebrated their 14th birthday are bound to abstain totally from meat on the following days: Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent, including Good Friday.

FASTING: All Catholics who have celebrated their 18th birthday but have not yet celebrated their 60th birthday are also bound to observe the Law of Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This practice involves limiting oneself to a single full meal and avoiding food between meals. Light sustenance may be taken on two other occasions in the course of the day.


EASTER DUTY: All the faithful who have received their First Holy Communion are bound by the obligation to receive Communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year. This obligation may be fulfilled between March 13 (First Sunday in Lent) and June 19 (Trinity Sunday).

THE FOLLOWING SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED:
OTHER FRIDAYS OF THE YEAR: Catholics should be reminded that all other Fridays of the year remain as days of penance, in prayerful remembrance of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

OBLIGATION: The obligation which we have as members of the Church to do penance is a serious one. Furthermore, the obligation to observe, as a whole or “substantially”, the penitential days specified by the Church is a serious one.

While no one should hold himself or herself lightly excused, one should not become unduly scrupulous. Failure to observe individual days of penance is less serious than the failure to observe any penitential days at all or a substantial number of such days.

Stations of the Cross
Every Friday of Lent after 5:30 Mass we pray the Stations of the Cross. We are hoping you will join our church organizations in prayer.

1.March 11: RAS and Ladies of Charity;
2.March 18: Ushers
3.March 25: Holy Name Society
4.April 1: Lectors/Eucharistic Ministers
5.April 8: Respect Life
6.April 15: Home School Association
7.April 22: St. Vincent DePaul Society

Please come and join us.