Dear Friends,

If you have been a Catholic for a while, you have lived through many Lents. For most of us, the success rate is a mixed bag. Some Lents have been very fruitful and have prepared us for a joyful Easter; others, less so. Many of us are stuck in a pattern of doing the same things every Lent, even if they don’t have a very deep impact on us. Father Mike Schmitz, the popular priest from Minnesota was recently interviewed to get some tips on how best to approach Lent. Below are the questions and his answers.

Dear Friends,

Lent begins this Wednesday with the imposition of ashes, which throughout the Bible symbolize mourning, mortality and penance. In the early Church, repentant sinners who were required to do public penance had ashes sprinkled on their heads before leaving confession. In the Middle Ages (at least by the time of the eighth century), those who were about to die were laid on the ground on top of sackcloth sprinkled with ashes. The priest would bless the dying person with holy water, saying, “Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return.” After the sprinkling, the priest asked, “Art thou content with sackcloth and ashes in testimony of thy penance before the Lord in the day of judgment?” To which the dying person replied, “I am content.”

Dear Friends,

The primary role of the pastor is to foster an environment where the flock can encounter the Lord in the reverent celebration of the sacraments and to foster unity in the community. But because he wears many hats, with the counsel of qualified advisors, he must see to it that the temporal goods of the parish are carefully and wisely stewarded.

I think it is important for the community to have a basic understanding of the financial condition of the parish. Below is a summary of the income and expenses for the first 6 months of the fiscal year. Because of your generous tithes and donations, we are able to stay on budget as we carry out our mission.

Dear Friends,

The Bishop’s annual Charity and Development Appeal (CDA) campaign begins this week. If you are new to the Church, each year the Bishop seeks to raise funds that will support many of the charitable outreaches of the Diocese, provide assistance to schools and parishes in very poor circumstances and train seminarians for the priesthood. For a number of years, I was part of the CDA Allocations Committee, which assigns CDA funds to organizations seeking grants. From that experience, I can assure you that each and every dollar raised is used to support over 70 ministries and charitable organizations such as St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, Maggie’s Place, Aid to Women’s Center, First Way, the Nazareth House (our seminarian formation center), outreach to the elderly and our schools on the Indian Reservations. Your generous donation makes it possible for these groups to continue their spiritual and corporal works of charity.