Lent At Your Parish
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Monday, March 07, 2011 10:00 AM
While I was on the path to conversion, I had a dear friend who kept needling me to “go Anglican” instead.
(Yes, I was the kind of nerd who stayed up late nights debating ecclesiology. You can’t hold it against me, I’ve been baptized since.)
The day of my baptism, one of our mutual friends taunted, “Aren’t you going to congratulate Rebecca?”
My friend, who’d taken a good run at me, responded, “I see no reason to congratulate someone for such a rash and precipitous action.”
But then he relented and allowed as how it was a good thing I was no longer a pagan.
It happened my college roommate’s father attended the same genuinely lovely Anglican parish in Dallas as my friend.
During Lent one year her dad tried to get us to come to Friday Stations at his parish. “They’re beautiful,” he said, and then sweetened the pot for beans-and-rice-living students by adding, “and afterwards we have these marvelous shrimp dinners.”
“How can I possibly justify eating better on a Friday in Lent than I do the whole rest of the year?” I teased him. “You Anglicans have a lot to learn about penance!”
I was just joshin’ with the man, but apparently he took it to heart because a couple of weeks later my Anglican friend informed he I had ruined a great tradition.
“Thanks to you, Mr. G went to the parish council, and now we’re having…sputter...gruel every Friday instead.”
He’s Catholic now, as is my former roommate, so you’ll be glad to know these debates are behind us.
Anyway, all of this by way of introducing a discussion about parish Lenten observances.
What is your parish doing for Lent?
Stations? Extra confession times? Community meals? What’s happening in your neck of the woods these next few weeks?
(P.S. I took the graphic from the usccb website, which offers some resources for Lent—including a refresher on the fast and abstinence rules and common Catholic practices.)
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