Entering the Season of Renewal: A Parish Journey Toward the Cross

02-15-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Fred Adamson

Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday brings us to the threshold of Lent, a sacred season when the Church invites us to return more deeply to the heart of God. Ash Wednesday is this coming week, February 18th, and I invite you to join us for one of our four Masses with the distribution of ashes. As we begin this holy season together, you will find a special bulletin insert outlining many opportunities for deeper prayer, reflection, study, and community, all meant to help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Our parish journey for Lent and Easter 2026 is "Love In and Through the Cross." Guided by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and his wisdom on the four degrees of love, we will reflect on how Christ's Cross becomes our school of conversion, teaching us to love as God loves. The center page of the bulletin each week will offer reflections and practical ways to grow in this call to deeper love.

This year we are also inviting you to participate in our parish prayer challenge, "The Return," through the Hallow Prayer App. Parishioners may join at no cost and receive access to the basic parish subscription as we journey together in prayer throughout Lent. Our Lenten Fridays will again include Soup, Grilled Sandwiches, and Stations of the Cross, simple evenings that unite prayer, community, and sacrifice. Soup begins at 6:00 pm, followed by Stations at 7:00 pm. On the first Friday, February 20th, we are honored to welcome the University of Mary's Cappella Choir. They will lead us in Sung Vespers at 6:30 pm before Stations of the Cross. This promises to be a beautiful and prayerful beginning to our Lenten journey together.

Please also remember our special Lenten event, "Called to the Big Leagues: Faith, Discipline, and Discipleship," on February 24th. This Spring Training-themed evening will help us return to the basics of Christian living and embrace the spiritual discipline that shapes authentic disciples. Details and tickets are available in the bulletin and on our parish website.

The forty days of Lent, followed by the fifty days of Easter, are a sacred invitation to renewal, restoration, and deeper conversion. The Cross stands at the center of this journey as our true School of Love, revealing God's mercy, justice, and compassion. We remember that we are created by Love, in Love, for Love, and called to love in return. This is the deepest longing of the human heart and the source of lasting joy.

I encourage each of you to prayerfully develop a plan for Lent and Easter. Do not fill your calendar simply to stay busy; instead, discern what will truly help you grow closer to Christ. Every person, every family, and every Lent is unique. Trust that the Lord is calling you in a particular way this year. Offer Him your heart, allow Him to work within you, and walk forward with confidence in His grace.

Let us enter this sacred season together, ready to be renewed, ready to be transformed, and ready to love more deeply in Christ.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Fred