From the Desk of Father Tharp

Pastoral Region (St. Ann / Sacred Heart) Penance Service

The Lenten Penance Service for St. Ann and Sacred Heart (many priests available to hear confessions) will be Wednesday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Church location.   We will have numerous priests available to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  This is the week before Holy Week.   During Holy Week lines are sure to be long.  Multiple priests will be available to hear confessions.

CMA

St. Ann has reached 90% of our assigned CMA goal, but only 20% of the families have made a donation or pledge.  If the other eighty percent of parish families would make even a very small donation; as a parish, we would achieve our goal.  Please consider even the smallest gift. 

Divine Mercy Sunday

Because of First Communion at St. Ann on Sunday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m., the pastoral region (St. Ann and Sacred Heart) Divine Mercy Celebration will be at St. Ann but moved to 4:00 p.m.

Sacred Heart Parking Lot next Saturday

On Saturday morning, April 6, shortly after the 8:00 a.m. Mass has begun at Sacred Heart, the aforementioned parade will be organizing in our parking lot.  The senior lot will be kept open as will the lot between the church and school on the Nilles Road side.  Since we have a number of St. Ann people at this Mass, I wanted to be sure this appeared in both bulletins.  Please be aware of this when you arrive; and you may be delayed when you leave.  The lot should be clear by 9:30 a.m.

Stations of the Cross

Fr. Tharp will pray the Stations of the Cross with Benediction at St. Ann on the Fridays during Lent (not Good Friday) at 7:00 p.m.   and Stations of the Cross and Benediction at Sacred Heart during Lent (not on Palm Sunday) on Sunday Afternoons at 3:00 p.m. 

The lay presiders at Sacred Heart will have Stations of the Cross lead by the Laity on the Friday evenings during Lent (not Good Friday) at 7:00 p.m. (No Benediction) 

Reflection on Scripture

The parable of the prodigal son is always a crowd favorite from the Gospel of Luke.  We see God the Father’s mercy in his forgiveness of the rebellious son.  We see our hopelessness without God in the prodigal son.  We see our own unwillingness to forgive others in the elder son. 

But reconciliation is more than cessation of punishment or being excluded.  Reconciliation means being brought back into the fold (the family).  In the first reading, the Israelites are restored to their land, and they can survive off of it.  In the gospel, the prodigal son is restored to his family.  Jesus Christ does not simply remove the penalty for sin.  He restores us to sanctifying grace.  This means God’s life lives in us.  By the Cross of Christ we are forgiven.  By the Resurrection and Pentecost, we are restored.

Next Weekend: Fifth Sunday of Lent

Is 43:16-21

Phil 3:8-14

Jn 8:1-11

Theme: The Woman caught in Adultery