In a football game, or any sporting event, if a player or participant is not alert and active in the early part of the contest, he can fall behind and struggle to catch up and pull out a victory.  Something similiar is true when it comes to the Lenten season, especially the one this year in our parish.  Getting involved early in private time and prayer before Jesus in the Monstrance in our Perpetual Adoration Chapel, participating in daily Mass, and Stations of the Cross on Fridays of Lent, our Wednesday offering of Mass at 4:30 p.m. followed by a soup and sandwich meal and a video presentation by Archbishop Sheen; and, our parish Lenten mission which occurs early in Lent, March 1-4, are all ways to get off to a fast start and stay ahead in this wonderful season of renewal and repentance.  As I preached this past weekend, it also leads to a meaningful and even life-changing experience when we enter into the annual celebration of the paschal mystery at the Easter Triduum, April 2-5.  This year we have the extra blessing of two men, Ted Giraud and Junior Wilken, who are preparing during this time of Purification and Enlightenment for the Easter Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) at the Easter Vigil.  It is our call and responsibility as a community of faith to pray for them, encourage them, and support them throughout the Lenten season and welcome them into Christ's Body, the Church, at the Easter Vigil.  The fact is:  No matter how we get started and participate in Lent, the victory is assured through Jesus' passion, death and resurrection.  We can be a wonderful part of that victory celebration, IF we participate in our Lenten journey at the beginning and throughout this blessed season!

Our bishop, Anthony Taylor, kicked off the annual Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal (CASA) by talking about the "Year of Consecrated Life" and our diocesan Office for Religious.  The fact is, every year the bishop could highlight a different ministry in Arkansas that needs the support of CASA in order to do the Lord's work, and never get to all of them before he retires.  That shows us the variety of ministries and people who benefit from our generosity to this annual appeal.

Please fill out a pledge card and drop it into the collection basket or mail it yourself, as soon as you can.  This past weekend, I spoke of my support of CASA from my own means and made a challenge and a promise.  The challenge is for more of our parish families to make a financial gift to CASA this year.  (Last year we had a little over 300 families give and through their generoisity, we met and then exceeded our goal.  WAY TO GO)!  The promise I made this year is that for every family who makes a gift to CASA this year, I will donate one dollar to CASA.  My hope is that my personal gift this year will be $400 or $500 - or more. Please make this possible by your gift to CASA.  Any amount, especially from those who have not given to CASA before, will be accepted and appreciated.

With the start of Lent this coming week (as Wednesday is Ash Wednesday), I am going to provide additional opportunities each week for people to receive the healing gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  These will be on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 2:30-3:30 p.m.  Please don't wait until Good Friday to encounter the Lord's compassion and love in this wonderful sacriment.

We have now had our second Mass on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. for a little over a month.  The word I hear from teachers and parents of our children's religious education program is that the Sunday morning time for religious education is much better for them and the children than Wednesday night for a number of reasons.  Some who left the Knights of Columbus breakfast after eating after the 8:00 a.m. Mass a few weeks ago reported that they did not have any issues with traffic coming into the parking lot for the next Mass while they were walking to their cars and/or as they left the parking lot in their cars.

With Lent coming up, we are considering the offering of an adult religious education option in between the morning Masses. Even so, I am aware that some people who attend the second morning Mass on Sunday did not feel they were given a chance for input before the decision was made to move the 10:00 a.m. Mass to 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. 

I have decided to offer those who would like an opportunity to give input on this Mass time change through a survey that can be filled out before Mass.  The results of this survey will be discussed at a parish council meeting, and a decision will then be made about leaving the second Mass on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. or moving it back to 10:00.  While some may counsel  that continuing at least another few weeks or more for the 10:30 Mass before taking this survey, given some of the negative feedback I've received about the mass time change on Sunday morning, I am anxious to find out from a large sampling what the thoughts and feelings are about this issue to see if we should reconsider the moving of the second Sunday Mass to 10:30 a.m.  Please be ready to give your input next weekend.  God bless you.