Lent - St. Louis Catholic Church

Lent 2025 at St. Louis and St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - Thursday, April 17, 2025

Graphic summarizing some Lent 2025 practices, opportunities and devotions available for the parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi - Fulton and St. Louis Catholic Churches. Extra opportunities for Confession, Stations of the Cross, special Adoration Encounter with Stations, 40 Hours, and Lenten Small Groups.

Lenten Resources

USCCB 2025 Lent Calendar [English] – calendar with daily lenten reflections.
USCCB 2025 Lent Calendar [Spanish] – Inspiración diaria para tu caminar en Cuaresma.
FORMED 2025 Lent Calendar – calendar with daily lenten reflections.
FORMED Lent – A collection of curated content from FORMED to help journey through this Lenten season
Holy Heroes – offers a free Lenten Adventure for children. The series will include videos, activities, and coloring sheets.
Best Lent Ever by Dynamic Catholic – Catholic speaker Matthew Kelly provides daily emails with videos and reflections to help you “Rediscover Jesus” this Lent.
Celebrate the Feasts – Katie Warner, known as Catholic Katie, provides emails to help you celebrate feasts and better understand Church traditions.
“Living Lent Daily” by Loyola Press – This will be a daily email based on the book Grace-Filled Days by Amy Andrews.
The Vigil Project - Series 1 – a live-recorded album of original songs for the sacred seasons of Lent and Easter from The Vigil Project community of artists, musicians, and filmmakers that produce multimedia resources for deep prayer and authentic encounter with God.
40 Songs for 40 Days by Steubenville Conferences – An amazing list of 40 contemporary songs to help guide your prayer time this Lent. There is a direct link to Spotify so the work is done for you!
Suggestions for apps that can assist your lenten journey:
- Hallow
- Laudate (Apple Store) Laudate (Google Play)
- IBreviary
- Amen
- Ascension

Lent 2025 Lenten Meals Fridays in Lent Before Stations of the Cross at 7:00 pm March 7th | St. Louis Social Hall 6:00 pm Soup & Sandwich Dinner Sponsored by: Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Louis #2579 March 14th | St. Louis Social Hall 6:00 pm Fish & Chips Dinner Sponsored by: Knights of Columbus Saint Louis the King Council #11898 March 21st | St. Louis Social Hall 6:00 pm Soup & Sandwich Dinner Sponsored by: Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Louis #2579 March 28th | St. Louis Social Hall 6:00 pm Fish & Chips Dinner Sponsored by: Knights of Columbus Saint Louis the King Council #11898 April 4th | St. Francis Social Hall 6:00 pm Fish & Chips Dinner Sponsored by: Knights of Columbus Saint Louis the King Council #11898 and St. Francis of Assisi Council #12524 April 11th | St. Louis Social Hall 6:00 pm Fish & Chips Dinner Sponsored by: Knights of Columbus Saint Louis the King Council 11898

Picture: Blessed Sacrament exposed in a monstrance. Text: This Lent Experience STATIONS OF THE CROSS in Eucharistic Adoration Every Friday in March, 7:00 pm at St. Louis Catholic Church. Accompany Jesus alive in the Eucharist! Pray - Witness - Accompany - Adore

ST LOUIS AND ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI PASTORATE Lenten Small Groups Come explore the book "Rebuilt Faith" by Fr. Michael White & Tom Corcoran with our Lenten Small Groups. TWO OPTIONS: Mondays, 7:00-8:00 pm. Howard Bishop Room, St Louis School Building March 10, 17, 24, 31 & April 7, 14 Wednesdays, 9:45-10:45 am. Room 106, St Francis. March 12, 19, 26 & April 2, 9, 16. Registration online at osvhub.com/stlouisparish/forms/lenten-small-group-2025 or scan the QR code.

Click image to register

Picture: Christ crucified on the cross. Text: FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2025. 7:00 PM. ST. LOUIS Catholic CHURCH. 12500 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, MD 21029. LIVING STATIONS. Stations of the Cross in Tableau form will be performed by adult and student parishioners. Tableau form has each station depicted by costumed actors in still scenes with narrators describing each station. This is a wonderful presentation for the whole family on the Friday evening just before Palm Sunday and Holy Week. This presentation has been ongoing for over 20 years. Reflect on His sacrifice.

Picture: Empty tomb on Easter morning. Text: Seeking adults to plan/create our Easter Children's Mass preface, teens as lectors, youth (Grades 3 - 6) to be angels, Jesus, Women, Guards for our Children's Easter Mass. 11:00 am at St. Louis School Evans Gym. Rehearsals on April 9th & April 16th from 6-7 pm in the Evans Gym. Contact Mary Kolb at mkolb@stlouisparish.org if interested.

Pictures: Woman and man praying. Text: PLAN FOR DAILY PRAYER PRAY 3 TIMES A DAY! 1. Morning Prayer. • Think ahead to all of your responsibilities for the upcoming day, whether with your job, your family, or your friends. Dedicate the day to God, making an intentional choice to do your work in a way that pleases Him, and beg for his grace to do it well! • Here is a suggested Morning Offering prayer: Lord Jesus, I worship You. I offer You all of the prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day as a sign of my love for You. Help me to keep You in mind throughout this day, and give me the grace to serve You well. Holy Mary, pray for me. 2. 10 Minutes of Lectio Divina. The word means "divine reading" or "holy reading". This is a way to use the Bible in your prayer. Don't just read the Bible; pray the Bible! Ask God to speak to you through the very words of Jesus in the Gospels. • Carve out 10 minutes in your day to slowly read the Gospel from Mass that day (use a phone app such as Laudate or Breviary, a website, Magnificat or daily Missal). By using the Gospel of the day, you are praying along with the Church. • Slowly read it again, looking for a word or phrase that catches your attention. Then stop and think, "What does God want to tell me today through this word/phrase? How does it apply to me or my situation?" Don't simply try to understand meaning of the whole reading, but rather focus on words and phrases. After you have reflected for a few minutes, look for another word or phrase. • Sometimes God will give ideas or memories. Other times He will quiet us down and give us peace. Other times He will give us quiet strength to fight temptations. God will have something different to tell us every day. 3. Night Prayer. • Before bed examine the past day. - Remember the good things that you experienced and thank God. - Admit the sins that you committed, or times you were not generous, and ask God for forgiveness. - Think of people you encountered that day and ask God to bless them. • Pause for 2 minutes and ask the Holy Spirit of God to enter your soul. Sit quietly with Him. Enjoy His presence within you; let Him calm you and encourage you. • Say some formal prayer. You might pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

Image of a Examination of Conscience for Lent

Pray

Pray 3 times a day! Everyone is encouraged to follow the plan above for praying at least three times a day. The St. Louis Stone Chapel is open daily from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm for private prayer.

Come to Adoration. Adoration with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance is on Sundays from 8:30 am - 6:30 pm in the St. Louis Stone Chapel. We close Adoration with Vespers (Evening Prayer) at 6:00 pm followed by Benediction.

Dedicate 10 minutes of your day to Lectio Divina.

Night Prayer, also known as the Compline, is a traditional Catholic prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours that can be recited before bed. It consists of various psalms and prayers that help calm the mind and bring a sense of peace and tranquility before sleep.

Attend Stations of the Cross. This devotion invites us to reflect on Jesus' suffering, draw strength from His example, and deepen our understanding of redemption and love.

Fasting & Abstinence

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

Fasting is obligatory from age 18 until age 59. Abstinence from meat is binding for ages 14 and up. Individuals who are pregnant, nursing, or ill are excused from these norms.

Meatless Meals & Other Sacrifices

During the Fridays of Lent, embracing meatless meals becomes a practice of simplicity and sacrifice, urging us to be generosity to those less fortunate through acts of charity. While the traditional fasting approach involves abstaining from food or drink, choosing to forego distractions that consume our time allows us to cultivate positive habits and regain control over our lives – a control essential for saying "Yes" to God. Instead of indulging in television, video games, or social media consider redirecting that time towards meaningful moments with loved ones, quiet prayer with God, or engaging in acts of service to others.

Ways to Give

Almsgiving is not only an offering of money to those in need but an attitude of generosity and a willingness to share in the burdens of others.

Almsgiving is closely tied to fasting – whatever we save (money or time) should be offered to the needy. For ideas on ways to serve, visit our Ministries & Groups and Outreach sections of the website.

Help support those in need by contributing to our Poor Box during Lent. The pastorate receives numerous requests each day for help. Your donations support the great works of St. Louis and St. Francis of Assisi pastorate in meeting the needs of our brothers and sisters. Thank you for your continued generosity!

Graphic outlining the 2025 Lenten Weekly Challenges for the Pastorate of St. Francis of Assisi - Fulton and St. Louis - Clarksville. Week 1 March 9 - 15 Fast from social media Refrain from using social media (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, & TikTok) on ALL devices - smart phone or a computer - this week. Week 2 March 16 - 22 Attend daily Mass Endeavor to attend daily Mass once this week. This way you will receive Communion twice this week. Week 3 March 23 - 29 Fast once this week We fast - eating one main meal and two smaller ones - on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This week, we challenge ourselves to intentionally fast as we continue the journey of Lent. Week 4 March 30 - April 5 Go to Confession Going to confession prepares our souls for Easter, the holiest of all seasons. We also prepare ourselves for the indulgence associated with Divine Mercy Sunday by going to confession 3 weeks before or 3 weeks after the day. Week 5 April 6 - 12 Attend Stations of the Cross We encourage everyone to attend Stations of the Cross in Tableau form as we approach Holy Week. The stations are acted out beautifully.

Holy Week 2025 at St. Louis and St. Francis of Assisi Pastorate

Click here for a PDF of the Holy Week Schedule 2025.