+ASH WEDNESDAY+...

    "Jesus, I give You my whole heart and my whole will.  

They once rebelled against You, 

but now I dedicate them completely to You…

Receive me, and make me faithful until death.” 

 St. Alphonsus Liguori

____________________________

ASH WEDNESDAY*

"Give me, good Lord, a full faith and 

a fervent charity, a love of You, good Lord, 

incomparably above the love of myself; 

and that I love nothing that displeases You

but everything for the sake of You.

Take from me, good Lord, this lukewarm -- 

or rather cold-hearted -- way of meditation and 

this dullness in praying to You.  And give me 

warmth, delight, and life in thinking of You.

And give me grace to long for Your 

holy Sacraments, and specifically to rejoice 

in the presence of Your Blessed Body, sweet 

Savior Christ, in the holy Sacrament of the altar, 

and duly to thank You for Your precious 

visitation through it; and at that high Memorial, 

may I have grace to remember and consider 

Your most bitter passion with tender compassion."

St. Thomas More

________________________________

*ASH WEDNESDAY is solemnly observed by the Church to mark the beginning of the forty days of penance in the Lenten season. The faithful who attends the Mass on this day will be marked on the forehead with a CROSS of ASHES as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality.  

Ash Wednesday in Iraq. DoD Photo (Spc Daniel Schneider)

"The ashes create a bond of solidarity between us.

They make it easier for us to help each other choose the 

right way, to offer a word of support, an arm to lean on, 

when we see each other falter." - Bishop Erik Varden, O.C.S.O.

And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him;
and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. - Ecclesiastes 4:12

During Lent, we are called to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. They are the "three-fold cord" spoken of in Ecclesiastes 4:12. Satan will not prevail against us if we follow Christ's call to use this three-fold cord as a basis for our Christian walk.

"Act, and God will act. " -  St Joan of Arc

 

Prayer is good when accompanied

by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness.

A little with righteousness is better than much 

with wrongdoing.  It is better to give alms 

than to treasure up gold. - Tobit 12:8

Click here: Ash Wednesday & Lent in Two Minutes - YouTub

Pope Leo’s Message for Lent 2026

_______________________________

Let us pray - one for the other - 

for perseverance, fidelity and conversion
in this Lenten season!

Understanding the work...

   "The Eucharist is supremely effective for 

the transformation of the world into a world of

justice, holiness, and peace." - Pope St Paul VI

Érica Viana | Cathopic

"Since we began this adoration

of the Blessed Sacrament,

we have not reduced our work;

we devote just as much time to it as before,

but with more understanding.

People accept us better. They are hungry for God.

They have need, no longer of us, 
but of Jesus." - St Teresa of Calcutta

Let Adoration fuel your holy endeavors this Lent.

See what God will do through YOU!

He is seeking partnerships!

Lent begins TOMORROW!

Communion rail: place of exchange...

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, 

continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, 

strengthened in the faith as you were taught, 

and overflowing in thankfulness. - Colossians 2: 6,7

“The communion rail is a place of exchange. 

The people give time and receive eternity; 

they give self-denial and receive life; 

they give nothingness and receive all. 

Holy Communion commits each to a closer union 

not only with Christ’s life, but also with His death – 

to greater detachment from the world, 

to surrender of luxuries for the sake of the poor, 

to death of the old Adam 

for rebirth in Christ, the new Adam.”

Ven Fulton J Sheen 

From The Priest is Not His Own

(Excellent read for Lent!)

______________________

Consider daily Mass attendance 

during the season of Lent -

and become a daily Communicant!

Ash Wednesday is Feb 18th.
Expect blessings!

Wise counsel, wise living...

The Lord's Day is the lord of days,

but also remembering today... 

St Claude de la Colombiere

"God is more honored by a single Mass 

than He could be by all the actions 
of angels and men together, 

however fervent and heroic they might be. ...
If we only knew the treasure we hold in our hands!" 

St Claude de la Colombiere

 

"If you are sinful, repent

so that you can Communicate often.

If you are imperfect,
go often to Communion

that you may amend your faults."

St. Claude de la Colombiere

Jesuit priest ~ France ~ 1641 - 1682 
Eloquent speaker and writer
Exemplary life of holiness
Spiritual Director of St Margaret Mary Alacoque
Motto: "Trust in God"

Feast Day - Feb 15

"It is in vain that Your enemy and mine (the devil) sets new traps 
for me all the time.  He can make me lose everything, except
my hope in Your mercy.  Had I fallen a hundred times, and my
crimes were a hundred times more horrible than they are,
I would still hope in You." -  St. Claude de la Colombiere

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous 

to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us 

from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9

____________________________

Click here: St. Claude de la Colombière - YouTube (2 mins)

including BEAUTIFUL prayer.

Click here: St. Claude de la Colombiere
Click here: Written By Saint Claude De La Colombiere | CatholicSaints.Info

______________________________________

"The happiness of the person whose will is entirely submitted 

to God's is constant, unchangeable and endless. 

No fear comes to disturb it for no accident can destroy it."

St. Claude de la Colombiere

  St Claude de la Colombiere, pray for us!

The greatest love story...

"All that we do is a means to an end, 

but love is an end in itself,

because God is love." - St Teresa Benedicta 

"The greatest love story

of all time

is contained

in a small white host."

Ven Fulton J Sheen

____________________

Sts Cyril and Methodius

9th century

Byzantine Greek brothers

Bishops, missionaries

"Apostles to the Slavs"

Translated Liturgy into Slavic language

using an alphabet devised by Cyril

Feast Day - February 14 

Click here: Discovering our Saint's - Sts. Cyril and Methodius (2 mins)

Sts Cyril and Methodius, pray for us!

Also remembering...

St. Valentine of Rome (c. 270) was a priest in Rome during the reign of Emporer Claudius II. Not much is known about his life with certainty, but according to legend he gave aid to martyrs imprisoned for their faith, and it was for this work, along with his own Christian beliefs, that he was arrested. One account has it that the emperor banned all marriages and engagements in Rome believing this was the reason Roman men were unwilling to serve in the army. Valentine defied this unjust decree and continued to perform marriages for lovers in secret. He was arrested, and while in prison he restored sight to the jailer's blind daughter, causing the jailer and his entire extended family, all 46 of them, to immediately convert to Christianity. Upon hearing this, Emperor Claudius II ordered his execution. St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine." He was beheaded on February 14th. St. Valentine is the patron saint of bee keepers, betrothed and engaged couples, lovers, love, happy marriages, and young people. His feast day is February 14th.

Click here: Saint Valentine - YouTube (6 mins)

St Valentine, pray for us!