The Sacred Heart Parish Family wishes everyone a happy and healthy new year! The month of January is that “catch your breath” month when the Christmas Season comes to a close, and we prepare for Lent and Easter. It is not without a few activities in addition to our regular worship through the Mass and devotions. If you made a new year’s resolution to strengthen your faith life, consider joining us for Mass on the weekends or weekdays if your schedule will allow it. Our adult Bible study has resumed after a Christmas break. The group meets every Tuesday in Fr. Ted Hall at 6:30 p.m. Our young families can enjoy the annual Winter Carnival hosted by our Religious Education department. This was held on Sunday, January 25 in Fr. Ted Hall. This event provided families with an opportunity to come together and enjoy some games, refreshments and most importantly, time together as family and parish family.
As January passes, we enter February and get ready for a good Lenten experience. We will once again hold our Mardi Gras the Sunday before Lent begins. February 18 is Ash Wednesday and once again, we will begin with Mass at 8:00 a.m. and the distribution of ashes. From noon until 4:00 we will be open for anyone wishing to receive ashes and take the opportunity to spend some quiet time in prayer and reflection. There will be another Mass at 6:00 p.m. As a reminder, Catholics are asked to fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as well as not eat meat on Fridays in the Lenten Season as a small sign of sacrifice and repentance.
We will pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent beginning at 6:30 p.m. Our young people will present a Living Stations on Friday. March 6 also at 6:30 PM. Just as a reminder to anyone who wishes to pray the stations on their own, the church is open during the day, and we are now blessed to have an outdoor display of the stations in the Meditation Garden between the church and Fr. Ted Hall. This new addition to our campus is the fruit of an Eagle Scout project that was completed in the fall of last year. The stations were originally in St. Joseph Church and moved to Sacred Heart. They were repainted and coated for protection against the elements and are a welcome addition to our parish grounds. Weather permitting, we will pray the outdoor stations of the cross on Good Friday.
As a reminder, our daily Masses and two of the weekend Masses are live streamed and available on our website http://www.sacredheartct.com as well as our Facebook and YouTube pages. In the event of snowy and/or icy winter weather, please use caution when coming to any event at Sacred Heart. Our plowing crew does a great job but there are always slippery spots on the campus or local roads. Prudence and common sense are our best tools in bad weather.
For a complete listing of winter and Lenten activities, please visit our website or pick up a bulletin in the church. Have a blessed new year!