Parishes pull together to host events
for the holy season
Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published March 24, 2006
Warren – "Lent is a time to purify."
Fr. Mark Hamilton, associate director of college seminarians at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, continued to explain that for nearly eight weeks Catholics try to better themselves, to raise their minds and bodies to God.
"In the larger context, we rid ourselves of that which is unholy," he said – with the idea that we're all preparing for the resurrection of our Lord at Easter.
"The point is holiness, period," he said. "To be holy, to find holiness."
While previous generations might have focused on giving something up for Lent, people today tend to also try to mix in works of charity for their Lenten observances, as the Church suggests praying, fasting and almsgiving to mark the season.
And for the Lenten seasons, many churches have scheduled activities that offer different opportunities for prayer or to raise money for various causes.
For example, St. Dorothy in Warren has been hosting a Wednesday evening soup supper for years, which is followed by a Mass. Money from the suppers' free-will offering is split between the St. Vincent de Paul Society and various other charities at the end of Lent, explained pastoral associate Cathy Gasowski.
Different parish groups sponsor the soup nights for the five-week program.
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Pastoral associate Cathy Gasowski slices homemade beer bread, a popular item at Wednesday Lenten soup suppers at St. Dorothy Parish in Warren. | Gaskowski said as many as 100 people will come for supper each Wednesday, which usually brings in about $200 per evening in donations. This allows the parish to make pretty generous donations at the end of Lent, she said.
Some people have at least two bowls so they can try all the soup offered, Gasowski said. "People will ask me at Mass, 'What kinds of soup are we having this week?'" she said.
Fish fries and fish bakes are more the norm for churches across the Archdiocese of Detroit who have food-related activities. Many churches, some with a large Polish community, also have pierogi sales, such as St. Sylvester, in Warren, St. Sabina, in Dearborn, and St. Linus, in Dearborn Heights.
Other common parish Lenten events have nothing to do with food. Various churches schedule blood drives, others have special food collections, and youths at some parishes take part in an extended fast. Most have Friday Stations of the Cross presentations or times for reflection.
Sacred Heart of the Hills, in Auburn Hills, was one church whose youths took part in a 24-hour fast and retreat to mark the Lenten season. The church selected the theme "Walk With Me to the Cross and Beyond" for its Lenten activities.
Another activity was for both adults and young people to write on a card a burden they are carrying, to be put in a basket for another member of the church to draw. People pray for the person they drew and the difficulty that person is going through.
And there may be a case for the power of combined prayer at Sacred Heart, too – people have come up to the pastor and told him they found the job they were looking for, or someone in their life who is ill is doing better after the sharing of burdens, said Ann Meyers, the parish's high school youth minister and facilitator for worship.
"We're sharing each other's burdens," she said. "We've found over the years that, truly, prayer works.
"It rings true to all our hearts. It's another way we become closer as a community."
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Volunteer Joe Coppola serves up a bowl of soup at St. Dorothy in Warren. The parish collects a free-will offering, which is donated to charity, at each soup supper. | The church's peace and justice committee organized a film series for Lent. Already shown were films about the environment and AIDS, and upcoming films will address slavery and Wal-Mart. Meyers said learning about global issues helps unite the parish "with those struggling with injustice, poverty, hunger."
"We are all a part of this body of Christ," she said. "Lent is a time to think of others and the suffering that Jesus did for us."
St. Blase, in Sterling Heights, scheduled a blood drive and a weekly fish fry, and also special events for several Friday nights. On March 31, Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, OSB, a Camaldolese Benedictine priest based in California, will perform at a parish concert.
Pastoral associate Mary Dumm, who has seen Fr. Consiglio in concert previously, said the music was a blend of traditional and contemporary style.
"They blend the two nicely," she said of Fr. Consiglio and his percussionist, John Pennington.
The St. Blase concert will be $10 for adults and $5 for children. Fr. Consiglio is also coming to St. Cyprian Parish, in Riverview, April 2.
St. Blase's concert and other activities offer a variety of methods of worship to try to reach all members of the parish.
"God speaks to us in very different ways," Dumm said. "It's important to hit everyone from different angles. That's how God acts – in different ways."
In addition to a regular fish fry, one of the Lenten activities at St. John Vianney, in Shelby Township, is Wednesday evensong, or vespers. A few dozen people have been coming, and the parish priests, choir and assembly all sing for the 25-minute-or-so service, said pastoral associate Fritzi Bohlmann.
"It's an opportunity to come together and pray – worshiping as a community in a whole different way," she said.
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