On Ash Wednesday February 14th we will hold mass at 7:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Penance is indeed important in the Catholic Church. It is a means of receiving the gift of divine mercy and experiencing the superabundant love of the heavenly Father. The Church teaches that prayer, penance, fasting, and generous aid to others are the means to enter into the atmosphere of authentic interior and community renewal. Lent exists to help us prepare our spirit to receive the gift of divine mercy and to reconcile with God through authentic conversion. Without times of penance we are in danger of neglecting this gift through which we receive the Mercy of God. Lent is a time for us to return into ourselves, renounce whatever prevents us from faithfully following the Gospel, and contemplate the image of the Father embracing the prodigal son who returned to his paternal home and to receive fruitfully the sacrament of Reconciliation. It is a time for profound conversion and a sincere confession of sins, which reawakens our conscience to the regenerating action of God’s grace.