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40 Days of Lent
Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection, returning to God and preparing ourselves for Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, we remember Christ's fasting and prayer in the desert. Lent is marked by both feasting and fasting, fasting from something or taking on a new practice.
Click here to view our lenten brochure (PDF)
See below for Lent at Home resources and our Lenten Calendar of Events
Adult Series
Click here to register
Register for one of the following online series and join us in study and reflection for all five Wednesdays in March from 7-8pm. To sign up and receive additional details visit: tinyurl.com/lentseries23
The Book of Hosea
Study the Book of Hosea with Mother Sara to deepen your connection with God and wonder at God's immeasurable love for us.
Courageous Conversations on Becoming Beloved Community
Using curriculum from the Episcopal Church on racial reconciliation, we will study the Lenten gospel lectionary and how it ties to our baptismal covenant to live in beloved community with all people.
Creation Care
Please join us in Lent for a program on exploring the wonder of God's creation and discussing ways we can help preserve it, offered by the St. Mary's Creation Care Ministry. We plan to read and discuss the many scriptural references to God's creation and caring for our environment, share the various ways we see God in nature, and develop ideas and suggestions for celebrating and caring for God's creation. The group will meet on Tuesdays starting February 28 through March 28, at 8pm; locations may vary depending on space availability, but will likely involve some combination of meeting in person at St. Mary’s or at a home near St. Mary’s, or via Zoom. For more details please contact David Palmer (silasdaddy@yahoo.com) or Nancy Brooks (nancy_smith_brooks@hotmail.com).
Reading the Gospels in Lent
Click here to sign-up
Consider adding daily Bible reading to your Lenten practice. Reading only two or three chapters a day, it is possible to read all the Gospels by Palm Sunday. During Holy Week, we will return to the Gospels to read about the events that occurred on that day. You will have the schedule for reading in advance. There will be some background information about the Gospels provided. Additionally, reflections on some of the readings may also be shared. If enough people are interested, then a zoom or in person meeting good also be arranged. Come and find some Good News during Lent. Click here to sign-up.
Parish Lenten Activity Guide
Download our St. Mary's Activity Guide
Many of the activities link up with our three parish priorities: (1) Caring for one another; (2) Caring for God's creation; (3) Promoting racial reconciliation and justice
Lent at Home
Families with children in Pre-k to 5th grade, especially!
Pick up a copy of “This is My Body,” an Illustrated Devotional for Families. Email Jackie Ly, Family Formation Minister if you would like a digital copy, and stay tuned for a reflective conversation in April during Easter Season to share how the devotional worked for you and your family!
Download a free guide from author and professor Kate Bowler that includes 40 Daily Prompts to Reflect,
Pray and Bless our Imperfect Days.
From Episcopal Relief and Development
Download “Who Is My Neighbor?” “The 2023 Lenten Meditations provide an opportunity for supporters to reflect deeply on Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as we love ourselves,” said Josephine Hicks, Vice President, Episcopal Church Programs, Episcopal Relief & Development. “Everything Episcopal Relief & Development does is inspired by our call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being. The meditations ask us to reflect on what that means in practice.”
Life Transformed – The Way of Love in Lent
These resources offered by the Episcopal Church help you to consider the Way of Love principles in new
ways.
Book Recommendations
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Purchase a copy of Mother Kate Sonderegger and Peggy Parker’s Book “Praying the Stations of the Cross: Finding Hope in a Weary Land” and explore the stations of the cross through art and reflection.
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Purchase a copy of Traci Smith’s book, “Faithful Families for Lent, Easter and Resurrection” to explore family-friendly ways to practice Lent at home.
Events Calendar