First Sunday In Lent

~ We have entered the holy season of Lent; during these weeks we strive to grow in holiness and closeness to Christ through heightened attention to our prayer, fasting, and works of mercy.  In our Lenten calendar published last weekend, and in the bulletin and online over the coming weeks, I invite you to participate in all the Lenten activities at St. Margaret of Scotland. There will be Stations of the Cross most every Friday; special meals including our Parish Fish Fry this March 14; the Lenten Men’s Night on March 23; Compline on March 30; special rites and prayers for our catechumen and candidates; opportunities for Confession, especially our Parish Lenten Penance Service on April 8.  

We often tend to focus on those things that we do personally or privately during Lent; that is, what we are going to give up, or that time we want to spend in prayer, or this fault or sin that I want to work on, but we must also realize that Lent is not just a private journey of faith, it is a communal journey that we undertake together – all of us proceeding up the holy mountain toward the celebration of the Paschal Triduum. That is but one of the reasons that I have introduced our Parish Lenten Project since I have been here at St. Margaret – to give our whole parish family a focus for our prayer, fasting, and works of charity, a program that all of us can enter and participate in.

In past years, our Parish Lenten Project has been for the benefit of our Mandeville Multi-Cultural Scholarship Fund, and last year for the benefit of the St. Joseph Housing Initiative. As we announced last weekend, our Parish Lenten Project for 2025 is for the benefit of Assisi House, which provides housing for unhoused or housing insecure individuals in small, communal settings where each person is treated with dignity and respect. As their Mission Statement says, Each individual is of infinite value and deserves the opportunity to live in a place where they have respite from the devastating effects of being unhoused. Living in the city of St. Louis, we are all aware of the great need to care for and provide for those who are unhoused. We may feel guilty when we pass by someone asking for assistance on the exit of the highway; we may be angry that the unhoused are often used as pawns by civic officials; we may be frustrated that we cannot do more or that there are so many people in need of assistance. As I like to remind folks, we cannot do everything, but each of us can do something. Supporting Assisi House as our Parish Lenten Project is something that each of us can do.

First, pray. Pray for those who are unhoused, that they find the resources they need. Pray for changes in policy and our society that will mitigate their needs. Pray for the success of Assisi House. Pray for those working there and those who are housed there.

Second, give. Assisi House needs financial assistance so they can continue their mission to house those in need. There are envelopes in the pews for you to give, or you can donate online through our website, or the Assisi House website.

Third, volunteer. Assisi House is always in need of volunteers for many things, including acquiring and rehabbing buildings; cleaning, painting, and refreshing rooms; providing toiletries or other household items; visiting and speaking with residents; accompanying residents to doctor appointments or the grocery store; and many other tasks.  

Check out the Assisi House website – www.assisihouse.org – for more information about this organization and ways you can assist.  May our support of this Parish Lenten Project bring us together as a parish in love and charity as we grow into the Body of Christ!  

Let us pray for one another as we journey through this Lent!