By Fr. Kevin Magner
Ah, the beginning of a new month! I don’t know about you, but I’m always glad to turn the page on February. Once we get into March it seems like the worst of the winter doldrums are over. I found the image to the right in a Google search for the idiom of, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Whether or not that will be true, this picture seems to encapsulate the current mood of this year!
Actually, it looks like there will be plenty of things this month to look forward to. In March we celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick, which is a special day for all of us of Irish heritage. It doesn’t fall on a Friday this year so corned beef is definitely on the menu.
Two days later is the Solemnity of St. Joseph. Although this celebration does occur on a Friday the obligation to abstain from meat is lifted because it is a solemnity, the highest level of liturgical celebrations.
The second week in March is National Catholic Sisters Week, which I will write about more next week. The following week is spring break for our school students, who will be very happy about that. Their parents? Hmmm…maybe not so much.
During the next few weeks at various Sunday Masses, we will be celebrating the Scrutinies for our RCIA candidates as they get closer to being received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass. The three Scrutinies are rites celebrated during the Mass on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent. They are celebrated in order to deliver the elect from the power of sin and Satan, to protect them against temptation, and to give them strength in Christ. Please continue to pray for our candidates during this month.
By the end of the month we come to Holy Week, which leads us into the Easter season and the beginning of another brand new month!
Have a blessed week!