Ashes
On Ash Wednesday, we receive ashes on our head as a reminder of our mortality and the seriousness of the Lenten journey we are beginning. The ashes are made by burning the previous year’s Palm Sunday palms and are a sign of sorrow for our sins and a desire to repent. Visit Teaching Catholic Kids to learn more about ashes and Ash Wednesday.
Prayer
Prayer is one of the three pillars of Lenten practice. During Lent, we are asked to recommit ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and through reading Scripture.
- Learn more about prayer and find prayer resources at the USCCB website.
- Pray with the St. Anthony parish community.
- Mass
Fasting and Abstinence
Fasting is one of the three pillars of Lenten practice. Fasting means to reduce the amount of food we eat; abstinence means to refrain from eating meat. Fasting and abstinence remind us that we have a spiritual hunger that only Christ can fill.
- Read about why we fast and abstain on Simply Catholic.
- Find the Lenten guidelines for fasting and abstinence here.
- CRS Rice Bowl is another way Catholics can enhance their Lenten fasting practice, by giving up meals and donating the cost of those meals to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in order to help those who do not have enough to eat. Learn more on the CRS Rice Bowl website.
Almsgiving
Almsgiving is one of the three pillars of Lenten practice. Almsgiving means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. Read more about it at the USCCB website.
- CRS Rice Bowl is one way Catholics can practice almsgiving, by donating the cost of the meat they skip during days of abstinence, or the cost of meals they skip on days of fasting, to the Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Those donations help those around the world who do not have enough to eat. Learn more on their website.
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross is a Catholic devotion which commemorates Jesus’ Passion and death on the Cross. Each station represents an event which occurred during Jesus’ Passion and death at Calvary on Good Friday. Learn more about the Stations of the Cross here.
Pray the Stations of the Cross with our parish community on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. during Lent.
CRS Rice Bowl
Each year, our parish participates in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl program during Lent. The program provides resources to help us learn about and support our sisters and brothers around the world through our Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Rice Bowl donations help Catholic Relief Services provide emergency relief such as food and shelter, as well as development programs including education in farming practices, to those in need. On the CRS Rice Bowl website, you can do the following:
- Print a label to decorate a box or can to use for your donations.
- Access a Lenten calendar with daily ideas for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
- Find simple meatless recipes to use each Friday.
- Watch the Stories of Hope videos which introduce families from Madagascar, El Salvador, and Timor-Leste and the work CRS is doing in those countries (click on the Stories of Hope tab).
Please turn in your Rice Bowl donation by April 18. There are several ways you can do so:
- Mail a check to the church office (put Rice Bowl on the memo line).
- Put your donation in an envelope marked Rice Bowl and drop in the collection basket at Mass.
- Make a secure donation on our Parish website.
St. Anthony Catholic Church 