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As we began our Lenten journey, we asked the friars what spiritual blessings they’re hoping to receive, or the prayers and practices that are meaningful to them during this time of drawing closer to God. Here are their responses:
Br. Vince Delorenzo, OFM
Vince Delorenzo, OFM
Since I had this knee replacement one week before Lent began, my Lenten journey will be with the healing of the knee, dealing with some pain and learning patience. This will be a somewhat lived experience of the Way of the Cross.
(Br. Vince is the guardian of the St. Anthony Shrine in Cincinnati, Ohio.)
Fr. Carl Langenderfer, OFM
Carl Langenderfer, OFM
We friars in Oldenburg (Carl, Mike Chowning and Joe Nelson) are having our usual daily Masses at 8 a.m., our regular Morning and Evening Prayers, daily Eucharistic Adoration Monday thru Friday, plus Friday evening Stations of the Cross for the parish. We are distributing the “Lent with Dorothy Day” booklets and planning a parish penance service for March 29. All of these things are our traditional Lenten practices. I don’t know what the other friars are planning for their personal prayers and penances. I’m going to try to spend more time in personal prayer and perhaps do some fasting. Nothing exotic or unusual!
(Fr. Carl is the pastor of Holy Family Church in Oldenburg, Indiana.)
Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM
Jeff Scheeler, OFM
In light of the recent events in Ukraine and the many requests for prayer, I have pledged – to myself – a very simple action. Each day of Lent I will pray the Peace Prayer of St. Francis. I hope that will help me be a more of an “instrument of peace” in my day to day life.
I am also asking people to allow me to video them praying the prayer, which I will post each day on the Transfiguration Parish Facebook page. That way others may join in this simple activity, and as we pray for peace, we can encourage others to join in this simple prayer.
(Fr. Jeff is the pastor of Church of the Transfiguration in Southfield, Michigan.)
Fr. Mike Haney, OFM
Mike Haney, OFM
Here are some of the things that the friars (Mike, Dan Barrett, Juniper Crouch, Joe Hund) and the faithful of St. Mary of the Angels Church in New Orleans are doing:
• Half an hour of Adoration, followed by Stations of the Cross, every Friday evening of Lent.
• Everyone received a small steel nail on Ash Wednesday as a reminder of Jesus’ Passion, to be placed in pocket or purse, or on nightstand or kitchen table. They will then drop their nail in a metal bucket during the Veneration of the Cross at the Good Friday service.
• A Lenten tradition here is that the parishioners provide and serve a homemade hot breakfast for the police department at our local precinct as a sign of our appreciation for their dedicated service to our area of New Orleans. This took place on Feb. 26.
• Friars and parishioners will be participating and assisting in the Revival at our neighboring Corpus Christi Church from March 5-9, with Fr. Maurice J. Nutt, CSsR, as the preacher.
• The friars are “giving up” our customary Saturday night dinner out. Instead, we’ll be eating a simple dinner at home together and making a weekly friary $100 donation to one of the relief agencies assisting the people of Ukraine.
• Our priests are cooperating with the Archdiocese in offering an extra 90-minutes of the Sacrament of Penance on each of the final three Wednesdays of Lent.
(Fr. Mike serves at St. Mary of the Angels in New Orleans, Louisiana.)