Lent 2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the season of Lent, Jesus calls us to enter into the traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving with renewed zeal and commitment. Far from being just obligations of Lent, these great Biblical practices are a powerful means of healing for us.

Sr. Miriam James, SOLT, in her Lenten book Restore speaks of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as pathways to deep inner healing and restoration in Christ. She frames these disciplines as ways to mend relationships with God (prayer), oneself (fasting), and others (almsgiving).

Prayer brings healing to our relationship with God as we move from superficiality and shallowness to a deep, honest conversation with God, allowing His love to enter broken areas.

Fasting heals our relationship with self as we discipline our desires to overcome addictions or comforts. Fasting helps us to find true sustenance in God rather than in temporary fixes and passing escapes.

Almsgiving brings healing to our relationships with others. Freely giving of time, resources, or love to others helps break and overcome the selfishness that isolates us.

As we begin this season of Lent, allow it to be a time of tremendous healing for you! Rather than seeing prayer, fasting, and almsgiving merely as obligations the Church or the Lord imposes on us, may we see them as true opportunities for healing in the relationships that are most important in our lives.

God Bless,

Fr. Erik

Lent and Easter 2026

DAILY MASS
See special schedule below for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, & Holy Saturday)
6:30a.m. — Monday, Wednesday, & Friday
8:30a.m.* — Monday—Saturday

STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Fridays 12p.m. & 7p.m.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION DURING LENT
Wednesday mornings: 7—7:30a.m.
Wednesday evenings: 6—7:30p.m.
Friday mornings: 9—10a.m. (except Good Friday)
Friday afternoons: 4:30—6p.m. (except Good Friday)
Saturday afternoons: 3:30—5p.m. (except Holy Saturday)

PALM SUNDAY – March 29
Palms will be blessed and distributed at all the regularly scheduled weekend Masses

HOLY THURSDAY – April 2
8:30a.m.* — Morning Prayer
7p.m.* — Mass of the Lord’s Supper, then Eucharistic Adoration until Midnight in the School Auditorium

GOOD FRIDAY – April 3
(No 6:30a.m. or 8:30a.m. Masses. No Confessions.)
8:30a.m.* — Morning Prayer
10:30a.m. — Children’s Living Stations of the Cross
12p.m. — Stations of the Cross
3p.m.* — Service of the Lord’s Passion, including
Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion
7p.m. — Stations of the Cross

HOLY SATURDAY – April 4
(No 8:30a.m. or 5:15p.m. Masses. No Confessions.)
8:30a.m.* — Morning Prayer
10a.m. — Children’s Easter Egg Hunt
1:30p.m. — Blessing of Easter Foods in the Church

THE EASTER VIGIL – April 4
8p.m.* — Easter Vigil Mass

EASTER SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE – April 5
6:30a.m., 8:30a.m.,* 10:30a.m., & 12:30p.m., Church
9a.m. & 11a.m. at Severna Park High School Auditorium
(No 5:15p.m. Mass)
*denotes the event will be livestreamed to our website

LENTEN PRAYER—Mending Our Relationship With God

Prayer brings healing to our relationship with God as we move from superficiality and shallowness to a deep, honest conversation with God, allowing His love to enter and heal broken areas.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

We all fall short in loving God and neighbor. Rather than getting used to it, or suffering through the shame or guilt, what if there was a way to start over? What if there was a way to be strengthened so that you could break out of your patterns of sin and live differently? God offers us his mercy to give us that new start.

Visit our website at stjohnsp.org/mercy for resources on how to go to confession. And see the last page here for our Lenten schedule for the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Remember, no matter how long it has been, the priest is ready to help you! Come and meet Christ in the Sacrament of his mercy.

Sunday and Daily Mass

“In the Eucharist is all the power that created the universe and all the love that redeemed it,” William Cardinal O’Connell. At the heart of our faith is the Eucharist, the source and summit of everything. This Lent, make Sunday Mass the anchor of your week and join us for daily Mass as well. Receiving the Lord’s power and love in the Eucharist and in His Word helps us meet the challenges and trials of each day. The Mass readings throughout Lent are specially chosen to help draw us more deeply into this special season. Please join us!

Prayers From the Heart of the Church – A Lenten Devotional

Every Mass begins with an opening prayer called the collect. It is called the collect because the priest is
“collecting” the hearts and prayers of the whole congregation into prayer at that moment, with the invitation, “Let us pray.” The collect sets the tone for the entire Mass and gives us a focus for our prayer.

The collects are unique each day of Lent. Each is rich in spiritual theology. They take us deep into the mystery of our relationship with God, our spiritual life, and our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Over the course of Lent, the collects offer us an intensive course in spiritual theology in the form of short daily prayers.

These prayers, drawn from the heart of the Church in the Mass, will become the heart of our Lenten devotional this year. Beginning Ash Wednesday, the collect for that day and an accompanying reflection will be emailed to those who subscribe. (They will also be available on our parish website.) Plunging into these prayers offered from the heart of the Church will give us the chance to go deep this Lent. And for those who are able to attend daily Mass, the Lenten devotional will serve as a helpful companion as you participate in Mass each day.

To sign up to receive the daily Lenten devotional emails, click here: https://stjohnsp.org/flocknote-lent-signup

Eucharistic Adoration

At Mass, the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus. We feed on this gift at Mass, but we also adore His Real Presence in Eucharistic Adoration.

Adoration takes place at St. John in the Oratory every Thursday morning, following the 8:30a.m. Mass, until Saturday morning at 8a.m. Come and enjoy quiet time in the presence of the Lord! It is a great time of peace, healing, and spiritual refreshment.

Stations of the Cross

Join us every Friday of Lent at 12noon and 7p.m. in the church as we pray the Stations of the Cross. Early in the life of the Church it became common for pilgrims to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in Jerusalem, remembering His Passion and Death. Later, Stations of the Cross were added to local churches as an alternative to making the long pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Stations commemorate Jesus’ journey to Calvary, where he died. Originally prayed outdoors, the Stations of the Cross gradually moved inside churches where they became a familiar feature. Join us for this beautiful Lenten devotion.  

ADORE Lenten Evenings of Worship

Join us Fridays, Feb. 20 and March 20, following Stations of the Cross for our monthly ADORE evenings of worship beginning at 7:45p.m. In the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, we have the opportunity to draw near to Jesus in prayer, praise, and worship. Join us for these moving and powerful times of prayer with Jesus. All are welcome!

LENTEN FASTING—Mending Our Relationship With Self

Fasting heals our relationship with self as we discipline our desires to overcome addictions or comforts. Fasting helps us to find true sustenance in God rather than in temporary fixes and passing escapes.

Fasting is the voluntary giving up of food, drink, and other material things that expresses our desire to bring a healthy balance back to our relationship with ourselves, God, and others. The wounds within our hearts, together with poor choices in daily life, can lead us to seek escapes that cause us to become slaves (addicted) to certain material things such as food, drink, devices, etc. In fasting, we admit that we are not as free as we would like to be. In fasting, we exercise the gift of our free will (aided by God’s grace) to say ‘no’ to certain things (which are not necessarily bad in themselves) in order to allow us to say ‘yes’ to the Lord and to others. Fasting mends our relationship with self.

The Benefits of Fasting
Fasting encourages more serious reflection about the priorities in our lives. What really matters? What is most valuable?

· Fasting reveals where we are not as free as we would like to be.

· Fasting awakens the heart to the intimate presence of God in one’s soul.

· Fasting strengthens our sense of dependence upon God.

· Fasting sharpens our sensitivity to the spiritual dimension of life.

· Fasting strengthens our ability to say ‘yes’ to God and ‘no’ to sin.

· Fasting develops a greater appreciation for the gifts of God, especially food and drink.

· Fasting purifies us, spiritually as well as physically.

Ways to Fast
The season of Lent already comes with some “built-in” fasting: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence, while each Friday of Lent we abstain from eating meat. Remember, though, that meatless Fridays don’t mean we choose lobster instead. Meatless meals on the Fridays of Lent should be simple, sacrificial, and lead us to reach out in generosity to those who are less fortunate through some act of charity.

The classic form of fasting involves giving up food or drink. As children, we may have given up candy during Lent – this classic approach can be just as valuable for adults. Any time we exercise our free will in a deliberate way over and above our cravings and desires we gain control over our lives – the same control and power that is needed to say “yes” to God and “no” to sin.

We can also fast from an entire meal (lunch on the Fridays of Lent, for example). The money normally spent on that meal could be placed in the Poor Box at church.

We can also fast from media, music, or our devices. While not always bad in themselves, these forms of entertainment, especially mindless scrolling, can so occupy our lives that we have trouble hearing God. Instead of our phone, we can spend time with those we love, in quiet prayer with God (reading Scripture, reflecting on the Sunday Mass readings, etc.), or in service to others.

Remembering that fasting is a form of penance and self-denial, there are many other ways that we can show God our sorrow for our sins: being generous with others, visiting the sick and lonely, feeding the poor, praying with Scripture, praying the Stations of the Cross or the Rosary, practicing self-control, and many others.

Lenten Norms for Fasting and Abstinence Fasting

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting from meals and abstinence from meat for Catholics.

In addition, all Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence from meat.

Fasting means taking one full meal and two smaller meals that do not equal a full meal.

Note:

The rules for abstinence from meat are obligatory for Catholics age 14 and older, although those who are younger are encouraged to voluntarily take part when possible.

The rules for fasting are obligatory for Catholics aged 18—59, although everyone is encouraged to voluntarily take part when possible.

Exemptions from fasting may apply for those with certain health conditions.

LENTEN ALMSGIVING—Mending Our Relationship With Others

Almsgiving brings healing to our relationships with others. Freely giving time, resources, or love to others helps overcome the selfishness that isolates us.

Almsgiving is not only an offering of money to those in need but an attitude of generosity and a willingness to share in the burdens of others. Almsgiving is closely tied to fasting; whatever we save (money or time) should be offered to the needy.

Here are some ways you can give alms this Lent:

St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
Each month, the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry distributes between 250—350 bags of groceries to our neighbors in need. Volunteers sort donations, pack bags, and assist with monthly food deliveries from the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Check the weekly bulletin for a list of our most needed items. If you are interested in volunteering 1—2 hours per month, please contact Cindy Halloran at SVDP@stjohnsp.org to learn more.

Lenten Poor Box Collections
Help support those in need by contributing to our Poor Box during Lent. As the parish receives requests for assistance, our St. Vincent de Paul Society is ready to help. Thank you for helping meet the needs of our brothers and sisters!

Casseroles for Our Daily Bread
Catholic Charities’ Our Daily Bread is Maryland’s largest hot meal program, serving more than 250,000 meals to the hungry of Baltimore City each year. Casserole pans and recipes can be picked up in the Gathering Space and are due back to St. John on the last Sunday of the month, between 7:15—11:15a.m. Please contact Patrick Fitzgerald at pfitzy81@gmail.com for more information.

The Sacred Triduum

The Sacred Easter Triduum (Latin for “three days”) is the 72-hour period at the end of Holy Week marking the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

The three days are counted as the Hebrews counted their days, from dusk to dusk. Therefore, the three days of the Easter Triduum are from dusk on Holy Thursday to dusk on Good Friday (day one), dusk on Good Friday to dusk on Holy Saturday (day two), and dusk on Holy Saturday to dusk on Easter Sunday (day three). Each of those days celebrates and commemorates the final days of Jesus as he offered himself for our salvation.

The Sacred Easter Triduum (Latin for “three days”) is the 72-hour period at the end of Holy Week marking the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

The three days are counted as the Hebrews counted their days, from dusk to dusk. Therefore, the three days of the Easter Triduum are from dusk on Holy Thursday to dusk on Good Friday (day one), dusk on Good Friday to dusk on Holy Saturday (day two), and dusk on Holy Saturday to dusk on Easter Sunday (day three). Each of those days celebrates and commemorates the final days of Jesus as he offered himself for our salvation.

We view the Easter Triduum as a single three-day celebration. We cannot separate the death of Jesus from his resurrection. Please join us for these special celebrations! 

Holy Thursday
On this evening, we remember and enter into what Jesus did with his disciples the night before he died: He gave them the new commandment of love (“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34), symbolized in his washing of the disciples’ feet, and he instituted the Eucharist (“Do this in memory of me.” Luke 22:19) and prayed for strength in the garden of Gethsemane (“Let your will be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42). The Church celebrates these same events at our Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The priest washes the feet of a group of parishioners, we celebrate the Eucharist and feed on the Body and Blood of the Lord, then we walk with Jesus in procession and keep watch with him in the Blessed Sacrament until midnight.

Good Friday
Good Friday is one of the most solemn days in the Church’s year as we recall the death of Jesus on the Cross. This is the only day of the year the Church does not celebrate the Mass. Instead, the ritual is celebrated in three parts: the Liturgy of the Word (when we read the account of the Lord’s Passion and Death), Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion (consecrated the night before at Holy Thursday evening Mass). This service does not stand alone; it is a continuation of what began on Holy Thursday. The Veneration of the Cross is a practice unique to Good Friday. It is our opportunity to humble ourselves before the awesome saving action of Christ.

Easter Vigil
This is the holiest night of the Church’s year as we recall Christ’s Resurrection from the dead. Beginning in darkness with the light of a fire, we enter into a series of Scripture readings that tell the story of creation, our wandering from the Lord in sin, His work to bring us back to Himself, and finally the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. At this Mass, we sing the Gloria and Alleluia for the first time since the beginning of Lent. It is on this night that we welcome men and women and children into the new life of Christ and His Church by celebrating the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist for those becoming Catholic.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Opening Prayer
Jesus came with his disciples to a country place called Gethsemani, and he said to them, “Sit down here, while I go over yonder and pray.” Then he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be saddened and exceedingly troubled. He said to them, “My soul is sad, even unto death. Wait here and watch with me.” He went forward a little, and falling prostrate he prayed, saying, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet not as I will but as you will.” (Mt. 26, 36—30.)

The First Station — Jesus is Condemned to Death
The Second Station — Jesus Carries His Cross
The Third Station — Jesus Falls the First Time
The Fourth Station — Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother
The Fifth Station — Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross
The Sixth Station — Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
The Seventh Station — Jesus Falls the Second Time
The Eighth Station — Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
The Ninth Station — Jesus Falls a Third Time
The Tenth Station — Jesus is Stripped of His Clothes
The Eleventh Station — Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
The Twelfth Station — Jesus Dies on the Cross
The Thirteenth Station — The Body of Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
The Fourteenth Station — Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

Closing Prayer — We adore you, O Christ, and we praise You. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices that they might go and anoint Jesus. Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had just risen, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll the stone back from the entrance of the tomb for us?” for it was very large. But looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled back, and upon entering the tomb they were amazed to see a young man sitting at the right side and clothed in a white robe. He said to the them, “Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. Behold the place were they laid him.” (Mk. 16, 1—6.)

Stations of the Cross are prayed in the church every Friday in Lent at 12p.m. and 7p.m.