Dear Friends,
This year, our Parish Mission preacher is Fr. Dermot S. Roache, SMA. Fr. Roache is a member of the Society of African Missions (SMA Fathers) since 2001. He is a native of Brooklyn, New York and a former middle school teacher. After ordination, Fr. Roache spent several years serving as a missionary priest in Kenya as well as in the northern region of South Africa following the charism of his order’s founder, reaching out and proclaiming the Gospel to “the poorest of the poor.” The SMA Fathers serve the Church in more than 16 countries on the African continent.
While working with the broken families of South Africa, Fr. Roache, a devotee to The Divine Mercy, was guided by the Holy Spirit to author a prayer entitled, “Act of Consecration of the Family to The Divine Mercy,” calling on God’s Mercy (through the merits of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection) to help families heal; and amidst the trials and pains, to surrender in complete trust (to The Divine Mercy) all their family members past, present, and future.
The prayer received a nihil obstat and imprimatur in July, 2013. Subsequently, a lay apostolate, Family Divine Mercy Ministries (FDM) was established to assist in the growing demand for the prayer and its intimate link to healing broken families through The Divine Mercy. The demand for this particular prayer extends to all 5 continents in parishes and homes from South Korea to USA, in over 12 translations.
As interest in the prayer and devotion rapidly grew, Fr. Roache has been invited to speak in many dioceses about the crucial work we have as the Church in restoring the dignity of the family through The Divine Mercy. In addition, his testimony has been given on radio programs such as: Relevant Radio, Ave Maria Radio, and In His Sign (Philadelphia). He addressed the participants of the annual International Week of Prayer and Fasting at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC and gave witness at the Collegium Center for Faith and Culture in the spring of 2016. Fr. Roache is currently interim administrator at Christ the King Church in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Fr. Roache will speak at all of the Masses during the weekend of March 18-19 and lead us in our Lenten Parish Mission each night, March 20-23 at 7:00p. Mass will be celebrated on March 23rd at 7:00p to close our Mission. This will be a most inspiring Mission for the whole family which will be the highlight of your Lent! Don’t miss a single night!
With blessings,
Fr. Tim Byerley
Pastor
Lenten Regulations
The days of both Fast and Abstinence during Lent are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
The other Fridays of Lent are days of Abstinence.
On a day of Fast, only one (1) full meal is permitted. Those between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast.
On a day of Abstinence, no meat may be eaten. Those who have reached the age of 14 are obliged by the law of Abstinence.
The obligation to observe the laws of Fast and Abstinence "substantially" or as a whole is a serious obligation.
The Fridays of the year, outside of Lent, are designated as days of Penance, but each individual may substitute for the traditional abstinence from meat some other practice of voluntary self-denial as Penance.
The time for fulfilling the Paschal Precept (Easter Duty) extends from the First Sunday of Lent (March 5, 2017) to the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (June 11, 2017).