QUINQUAGESIMA was the name for this Sunday on the old Liturgical calendar. It was the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday and 50 days before Easter. Purple vestments were worn and like Lent, the Glory to God and Alleluia were omitted from the Sunday Liturgy. It served simply as a reminder for the faithful to prepare themselves for Lent: that season of prayer, penance and good works intended to prepare us for EASTER.

ASH WEDNESDAY is this week. There will be three services: 9 a.m. Mass, a 5:15 p.m. Word Service and 7 p.m. Mass. Ashes will be distributed at all three, but Eucharist will be celebrated only at the 9 a.m. & 7 p.m. Liturgies.

LENT MEANS SPRING! So how will you use these forty days as a means of spiritual growth toward Easter? I hope you will give some thought to "doin’ something extra" during Lent. Penance is more than just giving up, it is about growing in our faith, our understanding and in our commitment to follow the Lord.

There are the small Faith Sharing groups, the Scripture study of the Psalms and the Catholic Catechumenate to help deepen our understanding of the Scriptures and our Christian way of life. The Catholic Catechumenate meets on Monday evenings from 7:30 to 9. It provides the opportunity to ask questions and to experience Lent as a call to conversion and deeper faith. The Scripture study meets on Thursday morning from 10 —11:30 (babysitting is available). The small Faith Sharing groups meet at various times (sign up sheets are in the gathering area or call Marilyn at the office).

I have also mentioned the two booklets we have available for you. One is a family handbook: Ashes to Exultation. It has been prepared by our Worship Team to help families grow together in faith during Lent and develop family faith traditions. For teens and adults, we will have a Little Black Book, prepared by Bishop Untener. It offers a daily reflection and "prayer starters".

Besides the Sunday Liturgies, we will also have three additional opportunities for people to come together in communal prayer and reflection.

Daily Mass with its gift of the Word and Holy Eucharist to sustain our Lenten journey is a very nourishing and nurturing experience for many Catholics. The weekday Liturgy is celebrated in our chapel near the office at 9 a.m. on Monday & Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings. On Wednesday evening the Liturgy is celebrated in the church at 7 p.m.

Evening prayer, which is an ancient form of communal prayer, will be celebrated on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. Using the psalms, Scripture readings and prayer, it has a wonderful rhythm sung, spoken and silent prayer that is very peaceful and reflective.

Each Friday during Lent, we also gather to pray the Way of the Cross 7 p.m. It was originally created by St. Francis of Assisi to help people experience and understand that last journey of the Lord Jesus which led to His death and rising.

I realize most people won’t have the time or the ability to do all of this, but I hope you will make every effort to do something extra to make your Lent a time of growth!

Fr. Dave Howell

9:00 am V Mrs. Mary Kudla

9:00 am V Holden Triplets

9:00 am V Fr. Bill Carolin

Please pray that the sick will respond to God’s healing will, especially: Vi Hibbeln, Louise Churches, Ken, Matthew Holthus, Mary Beth, Margo Twork, Mary Lou Colgin, Dennis Seefelt, Jason Summers, Ann Proffitt, Ayla Hill, Jerry Veatch, Ray White, Thomas Dimaggio, Debbie Carlton, Yvette Lagimodiere, Beverly Spiess, Joey Boyd, Bill & Anne Hare, Merrick, Jack Bitterle, Julianne Camilleri, Tony Pasienza, Diana Jox, Bill Janke, Vladimir Jandasek, Ken & Erin Colombo, Jack Mekjian, Martha Rushak, Laura Matthews, Paul Duff, Carol, Gregory, Norman VanDerBrouck, Kateri Sullivan-Golbiw, Toni Brenneman, Derrick Day, Dante, Bonnie Doty, Lottie Machowski, Frank Gondek, Lane Combs, Ralph Helmer, Joanne Fournier, Bev Zizka, Barry Wilkinson, Tyler Ward, Lee Alstott, Mike, Linda Nagle, Thomas Payne, Danielle Snowgold, Bud Newberry, Bishop Povish, John Pepa, Margaret Resconich, Joanna Bloese, Maureen, Russ Gardner, Ann Polcyn, Pete, Cornelius Smits, Matt Even, Ellen Columbo, Adeline Smith, Karen, Laurie Deirlein, Jeanette Wood, and Donovan.

Please remember in your prayers Renee Tolen and family in the death of her mother, Rheda Kane.

Monday, Feb. 26 Joan Monforton, Emma Aiello,

Donna Jones

Tuesday, Feb. 27 Kathleen LaTarte, Chris Reid,

Cindy Bisoski

Thursday, March 1 Tom Askew, Josie Doucette

Saturday, March 3 Theresa Wolterman

9:00 am Catechumenate Dismissal

9:45 am New Parishioner Meeting (Social Hall)

10:30 am RCIA Session Adult Ed. (Room 3)

6:00 pm 9^th Grade Parent Meeting

7:00 pm Youth Group

Show Me the Way: Readings for Each Day; Nouwen, Henri J.M. Psalm Journal for Lent; Chittister, Joan, O.S.B. Turn to Me: Lenten Reflections on Discipleship; Groeschel, Benedict J., C.F.R. Lenten Journey with Jesus (A): Prayerful Steps for Each Day; Cole, Joan. Biblical Meditations for Lent; Stuhlmueller, Carroll C.P. The Lenten Labyrinth: Daily Reflections; Hays, Edward.

This Wednesday, is the beginning of a very reflective season. Consider talking with your family about what Lent means to everyone. There are many opportunities offered to help you experience Lent in a meaningful way. Time is precious and so is your family, so why not take time as a family and attend Wednesday, Liturgy-7pm. On Monday evenings there will be prayer service at 7pm. Stations of the Cross Friday, evening 7pm. In the gathering area are family handbooks "Ashes to Exultation" please take one and use as a reflection whenever your family members gather together in prayer.

FIRST PENANCE RETREAT March 10, Saturday from 10am-2pm. All students and parents are invited to attend this retreat. First Penance will be celebrated Thursday, March 15 at 7:00pm and Saturday, March 17 at 10:00am.

What an absolutely wonderful weekend we had last weekend on our ski trip. We met again with the same youth group we met last year and had a great time. We shared in friendship, games, and food. God was surely present with us that night in all of the silliness. We spent part of the night on a nice snow covered beach looking up into the black night sky watching fire works!

Tonight we will be sharing pictures and stories of the fun we had with those who were unable to make it. Please join us. It will be fun. We are also going to be celebrating the miracle of birth with Bill Ross and his wife, Jen. They are soon expecting twins. We are happy for them both.

Being a good disciple of Jesus is not easy and sometimes is really difficult in today’s world. If you struggle with God’s call for you, plan to attend our Outrageous Request Retreat April 6-8 with special guest speaker, Phil Leonard. The cost is $20 for two nights stay, food, and an evening at the Family Fitness Factory swimming and playing basketball. I will be available at all the Masses the weekend of March 9 & 10 for sign up.

Margaret Callaghan

"Journey to the Center" is a day of retreat presented by Fr. Tom McDevitt at St. Francis Retreat Center on Saturday, March 31, 2001, beginning at 10:15 am and ending after Mass at 4:30 p.m. Cost for the day is $30; a luncheon is included. To register or for more information, call the Retreat Center toll free at 866-669-8321, ext. 10 or 11.

Step back; slow down; notice your life. Small Christian Communities help us help each other to connect everyday life and faith. Lent is a wonderful time to take stock of our lives and spend sometime with other members of St. Mary Magdalen in a small group setting. Beginning this week, our small faith communities will once again gather in each other’s homes to share and reflect on the Lenten readings.

These "SFC" are not just about meeting individual needs, they are also about building up the parish community and strengthening the life and mission of the parish. "The key to building a parish that makes a difference in the world around it is to build a parish where people regularly make a difference in each other’s lives and faith." Join a Lenten Small "Faith Community today. Sign up sheets are in the gathering area or call me at the parish office.

Yours on the journey, Marilyn

This weekend at the 9:00 a.m. Liturgy, our parish community will be provided the opportunity to give witness to the formation and readiness of the catechumens and candidates for the Rite of Elect (March 3). Their sponsors, members of this community, give testimony stating evidence of "conversion in mind and action, development of a sufficient acquaintance with Christian teaching and a spirit of faith and charity". We, the assembly, affirm this testimony with the promise of our own continued prayer, guidance, support and lived example of the faith.

Together, we join our journey of faith, with our catechumens (those unbaptized), Trina Clark and Dave Pomerville, our candidates (those baptized), John Dorset, Deb Happley, Dennis Hextall, Sandy Hill, Maryanne Kelly, Theresa Kight, Bob Sexton, Bob Shepard, Ginger (Jennifer) Smith-Hauck and our children catechumen, Adam Bell and Matthew Bell.

Anne Williams

Who Will Decide? You will!! The St. Mary Magdalen Parish Nurse Ministry is hosting a panel discussion/ workshop on Advanced Directives / Durable Power of Attorney on Sunday, March 11th at 7:30 PM. In the event that you are unable to make or communicate your own health care decisions, this program will assist you to begin to discern and legally document your personal health care choices. Our panel will include Fr. Dave Howell, Dr. Mark Zawisa M.D. and Mrs. Erin Mulvihill MSW. This truly is an issue we are called to consider personally and as families. We hope you will join us! Please sign up in the gathering area.

The annual appeal is a vital part of the Church for the year 2001. The funds are needed to continue present Evangelization programs/to begin or upgrade programs for the New Evangelization era stressed by Our Holy Father.

National Collection for Black & Indian Missions in the U.S. will be at all Masses next weekend. Because of the generosity of the people of this parish/parishes around the U.S., last year, over $8 million were contributed to the Collection and — 98 cents of every dollar was distributed. The support went to some of the neediest people across the U.S.; from the inner cities of the rural South, from the deserts of the Southwest to Alaska’s cold wilderness.

133 Dioceses received assistance from the collection. Through your gifts, you will join your sacrifice to Christ’s by helping those who sacrifice daily to lead others to Christ. Please be generous.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK

Schoolhouse Family Dentistry

In March members of the Charity and Justice Ministry Team will be in the gathering area after all Liturgies with petitions to put the Concealed Weapons Bill on the November ballot.