Dear Parishioners,

I would like to invite you to the Stational Mass that we are hosting this coming Thursday, March 12th at 5:30 PM, Bishop Lohse will be celebrating the majority of these weekly Stational Masses throughout the Lenten season and will be joining us at St. Catherine.

Many of you are probably now thinking: What is a Stational Mass? It’s probably something that many of us are not all that familiar with. A Stational Mass is something that happens during Lent in Catholic Churches. The original practice of a Stational Mass started in Rome where the Pope would lead pilgrims from a particular meeting place to the Stational Church where Mass was being celebrated. Each day in Lent a Church was designated as the place where the Mass was celebrated. This tradition continues today in Rome throughout the Lenten season. Our version of the Stational Mass is a lot simpler. The Bishop is planning to be at the majority of these Stational Masses as the main celebrant and these are being done only once a week instead of every day. It offers us all a chance to go to Mass at several different parishes during Lent and in many ways is meant to be a mini pilgrimage and part of our Lenten spiritual journey. If you are able, please join us for Mass this coming Thursday or perhaps attend one of the other Stational Masses that are scheduled during the next few weeks.

This weekend we are entering into the final weeks of preparation for our Catechumens and Candidates before they receive the Sacraments on the Easter Vigil. They will be having the Scrutinies, the prayers over those who are preparing to receive the Sacraments. These final weeks of prayer and preparation are very important to them and also for all of us as a Church community, as we too pray for them in their spiritual journey before receiving the Sacraments. We look forward to the very near future where they will be able to join us around the table of the Lord.

As we find ourselves at the 3rd Week of Lent, this might be where we “stall” out for a bit. In this coming week, renew yourself with these days of Lent through prayer and acts of kindness. Also, don’t forget about the Lenten penance services throughout our Kalamazoo area parishes or confessions that are available every Saturday morning here at St. Catherine.

Thanks for reading!

Fr. Mark