The following parishes informed the Catholic Courier of their special Lenten activities:
* St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Irondequoit will display works by Christian artist Georges Roualt (1871-1958) for parishioners to meditate and reflect upon during Lent. Prints of six plates from the French artist’s famous "Miserere" series will be displayed at the church, 4536 St. Paul Blvd.
* St. Anne Parish in Rochester and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Brighton will host a series of soup suppers and talks this month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at St. Anne’s social hall, 1600 Mt. Hope Ave. On March 4, Patricia Corcoran will speak about refugee resettlement; on March 11, Sister Grace Miller will explain her work with the House of Mercy; on March 18, Sister Kathleen Wayne will speak about Blessed Sacrament Church’s supper program; and on March 25 Jean Galofaro will speak about interfaith jail ministry. Each evening begins with soup, followed by the presentation and evening prayer. Cost of admission is a can of soup or a paper product.
* Church of the Assumption, 20 East Ave., Fairport will host a "Scripture Speaks Today!" series presented by Sister Karlien Bach. Sister Bach will speak about the Gospel of Mark on March 4, the Gospel of John on March 18 and the Book of Revelations on March 25. The talks will be held at 7 p.m. in Assumption’s living room. Stations of the Cross will be offered every Friday of Lent at 7 p.m., with a Living Stations of the Cross led by the parish youths at 7 p.m. March 13. A youth-ministry pasta dinner will be held at 5 p.m. March 7 in the great hall; a soup mix and baked-good sale after Masses March 14-15 will benefit poverty projects; Music Director Mary Van Houten will reflect on "From Ireland to Iona to Here" at 3 p.m. March 17 in the parish’s living room; a St. Joseph’s Table will be held March 22 after the 11:30 a.m Mass; and penance services will be held at 10:15 a.m. and 7 p.m. April 6.
* Peace of Christ Parish is offering a series of spiritual-enrichment opportunities each Tuesday during Lent. At 7 p.m. March 10, evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours will be offered at St. James Church, 130 Brett Road, Irondequoit. At 5 p.m. March 17 at St. James, Father Robert Schrader, pastor, will celebrate a teaching Mass in which various vestments and parts of the Mass will be explained. At 7 p.m. March 24 at St. Ambrose Church, 25 Empire Blvd., Rochester, Father Robert Werth, parochial vicar, along with a parish prayer group and rosary leader, will facilitate an instruction and celebration of a scriptural rosary. A Lenten celebration of the sacrament of penance will be held at 7 p.m. March 31 at St. John the Evangelist Church, 549 Humboldt St., Rochester. On April 7 at 6 p.m. there will be a soup supper at St. James, followed by a trip to Sacred Heart Cathedral for the Chrism Mass. Stations of the Cross will be held at the church for those not attending the Chrism Mass.
* At 4 p.m. March 8, the four parishes in the Webster-Penfield Catholic Connection will offer a Lenten program titled "Journey to the Cross," which is a presentation of the Stations of the Cross. The program will be held in Murphy Hall at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Road, Webster. The event includes a history of the stations and will be followed by a potluck soup supper.
* St. John of Rochester Parish, 8 Wickford Way, Fairport, will host two special programs during Lent. At 7 p.m. March 11, Father John Cusick, director of young adult ministry for the Archdiocese of Chicago, will present "An Adult Meaning of the Passion Story." At 7 p.m. March 23-26, Father Simeon Gallagher will present a Lenten mission. The priest also will preach at Masses March 21-22.
* The University of Rochester’s Newman Community will host several Lenten activities. Father Brian Cool will preside at Masses at 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Interfaith Chapel, where a penance service will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 19. On March 24, Thomas Wood, author of How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, will speak in the chapel at a time to be announced. A fish fry will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. March 27 in a location to be announced. The annual Newman Cup soccer tournament, which will raise funds for migrant farmworkers, will be held March 28. Holy Thursday and Good Friday Masses will be held in the chapel at 7:30 p.m. April 9 and 12:10 p.m. April 10, respectively. Also on Good Friday, a Taize prayer service will be held in the chapel at 7 p.m. The Easter Vigil Mass will be held t 9 p.m. April 11, and Easter Sunday Masses will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. April 12.
* The Our Lady of Lourdes/St. Casimir/St. Charles Borromeo cluster in Elmira is planning several special events during Lent. A living rosary will be held at 7 p.m. March 12 at St. Charles Borromeo, 130 Oakwood Ave.; Living Stations of the Cross by the youths of the parishes will be held at 7 p.m. March 20 at Our Lady of Lourdes, 1100 W. Church St.; the Women of the Well group from Rochester will present "Certain Women" at 7 p.m. March 27 at Our Lady of Lourdes; a soup and Scripture series will be held following the 11 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes on Fridays through April 3; a women’s evening of reflection, "Bloom Where You Are Planted," and a supper will be held in Our Lady of Lourdes‘ church hall at 5:30 p.m. March 29; and a Tenebrae service will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes‘ church hall at 7 p.m. April 8.
* St. Joseph Parish, 43 Gebhardt Road, Penfield, is offering new faith-sharing Bible-study groups to study the Liturgy of the Word and Lenten Scriptures using a five-part DVD series featuring lectors, deacons and cantors sharing insights on proclaiming the word. Groups meet weekly during Lent on different days of the week and at different times of day. For more information or to register, visit www.stjosephspenfield.org and click on the "40 Day" icon, or call 585-586-8089, ext. 115. There is a $25 per person materials fee for the DVD and workbook. The parish also is hosting evenings of prayer at 7:30 p.m. on the Tuesdays of Lent. March 10 will be Stations of the Cross; March 17 will be meditation on Psalms through music and movement; March 24 will be prayer with Benediction; and March 31 will be Taize prayer.
* The youths of Blessed Trinity/St. Patrick parishes in Tioga County will perform their annual Living Stations of the Cross on the following dates: March 6, 7 p.m., Immaculate Conception Church, Ithaca; March 13, 7 p.m., St. Ambrose Church, Endicott; March 20, 7 p.m., Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton; March 27, 7 p.m., St. Joseph Church, Deposit; April 3, 7 p.m., St. James Church, Waverly; and April 10, 7:30 p.m., St. Margaret Mary Church, Apalachin. At 7 p.m. March 31, Frank Runyeon will perform "Afraid — The Gospel of Mark" at St. Patrick Church. On April 7, a bus will transport parishioners to St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Pittsford for supper and a tour, then to the Chrism Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
* The Cathedral Community will host various Lenten offerings at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 296 Flower City Park, Rochester. At 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. March 16-18 Father Ed Salmon, SJ, will lead a retreat titled "God’s Transforming Gifts during Lent — Love, Light and Life"; a prayer labyrinth will be installed at the cathedral March 23-25, and will be available for use from 1 to 7 p.m. March 23 (with presentations at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. March 24-25; Father John Mulligan will offer Scripture reflections on the Gospel of Mark at 7 p.m. March 24 and after the 7 p.m. penance service March 31; Scripture reflections will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays during Lent, except for March 18; and the concert "All Saints-Halloran Organ Sings with Chorus and Orchestra" will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 21.
* The parishes of St. John the Evangelist in Spencerport, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Brockport, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hamlin and St. Leo in Hilton will host a retreat at St. Leo, 167 Lake Ave., March 8-11. The presenter, Father Thomas Barrett, CSsR, from Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua, will explore the Gospel of John. The retreat will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 9-11, and will begin at 6 p.m. March 8. The March 8 installment is teen oriented, and begins with a LIFE TEEN Mass, followed by a witness talk by Trent Doughtery, a young-adult convert, and ending with a question-and-answer session.
