The season of Lent is really a “40-day spiritual journey.” This is a sacred time for prayer, sacrifice and reflection that is specifically designed to deepen our faith. Lent gives us the opportunity to draw nearer to God who always loves us.
ICSJ Parish invites all of you to travel with us this Lent on our 40-day journey to Easter! We have prepared several Lenten opportunities to guide us along the way which you will find below. Allow Jesus to show you new experiences that can bring renewal and reveal God’s presence to you.
We hope you can join us on this adventure of drawing near to God’s great love for us. Let this Lent change your life!
Join Us on Our Lenten Journey
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Ash Wednesday Services
We invite you to start your Lenten season in a meaningful way and receive your ashes at one of our two worship sites—whether at our Ash Wednesday Masses or during a simple ash distribution “open house”.
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Lenten Small Groups
Experience our Lenten small group series, Draw Near, on Tuesday evenings from March 11th to April 15th, from 6:00–7:15 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church. Enjoy free food and drinks as we dive into powerful Gospel stories and hear the inspiring faith journeys of fellow parishioners. It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow closer to God and each other during this holy season.
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Lenten Food Drive
This Lenten season, we invite you to make a difference by supporting our annual Lenten Food Drive, organized by our Knights of Columbus. On Saturday, March 29th, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., drop off your donations at the Immaculate Conception parking lot to help support local food pantries.
Most Needed Items
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Cereal
Oatmeal
Canned fruits and veggies
Canned meats
Dry Ramen
Individually packaged multigrain bars, cookies, rice krispie treats, Hostess cupcakes/twinkies
Brownie Mix
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Parish Mission Days
We invite you to join us for our Parish Mission Days on April 7th and 8th at 6-7 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, featuring dynamic talks from Fr. Tom Hickey and Msgr. John Canary. With the theme Draw Near and Receive God’s Love, these evenings will be a powerful opportunity to deepen your faith and grow closer to Christ this Lent.
Unable to make our evening time? Join Fr. McBrady at IC Church for noon sessions on the 7th and 8th.
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Holy Week at ICSJ
Join us at ICSJ to experience the beauty of Holy Week through our Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday services. Each liturgy offers a unique opportunity to draw near to Christ. We invite you to embrace these sacred moments and experience them in their fullness—something you'll want to do at least once in your life! description.
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Morning of Reflection
Join us for a peaceful Easter Morning of Reflection on April 26th from 8:30–11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, hosted by Fr. McBrady and Elly Rodriguez. Continuing with the theme Draw Near, we will reflect on receiving God’s love in light of the resurrection. This time of prayer, reflection, and renewal will be a beautiful way to deepen your Easter joy.
Additional Lenten Opportunities
Pray Along With the Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross will be prayed on the Wednesdays of Lent at 6:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church.
▶︎ Wednesday Evenings
During Lent
6:00 p.m. at I.C. Church
Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Sometimes we act in ways that make us feel distant from God and the love He is trying to offer us. One great way to draw near to God and God's love is through the sacrament of reconciliation. Even if it has been awhile since you last celebrated this sacrament we invite you to try it this season. Reach out to Fr. Larry to schedule an appointment for reconciliation at pastor@icsjparish.org.
Little Black Books
A small Lenten daily devotional is available for all parishioners in the back of each church free of cost. Follow along with the Little Black Book this season to deepen your personal prayer life.
What are you Giving up for Lent?
The point of giving something up, of fasting, is to cultivate the inner life. When we fast, we realize how truly dependent on God we are. We open our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to God’s love in our lives. We look at the ways that we need to grow, and dedicate ourselves to becoming a-better-version-of-ourselves. And when we make ourselves available to God, incredible things can happen. That’s what can make Lent so powerful.
Lenten Regulations on Fasting and 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.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59.
When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal.
The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection.