My dear friends in Christ, happy Sunday!
Have you all dried out after our very wet week? Speaking only for myself, I am delighted to see that the “Pineapple Express” atmospheric river seems to have passed us by, finally. While I am thankful to God for the much needed gift of rain, I am glad to see that our forecast for this coming week is all sunshine! Glory to God!
As we prepare for Ash Wednesday this coming Wednesday, I would like to take this opportunity to remind us all, once again, of the Church’s fasting and abstinence laws during the Lenten season. For the purpose of that reminder, I would like to cite the words of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (the USCCB):
“Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards (USCCB, “Fast and Abstinence”, available from: https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence).”
What this means is that on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, anyone between the ages of 18 and 59 is only permitted to eat one full meal (obviously meatless, including abstinence from eating chicken or poultry), and, if necessary to keep up one’s strength, two small snacks that don’t equal the same quantity as the full meal you already ate. So, if you eat a full meatless breakfast, you can have a small snack for lunch and a small snack for dinner (with no eating in between those meals), and your snack lunch and snack dinner can’t equal the quantity of your full breakfast when added together. Personally, I find it easiest myself simply to wait until dinner to eat at all, and then I have my one full meal at that time, because I don’t like going to sleep hungry. That said, each person should decide for him or herself which meal to eat, and then base his or her snacks in accordance with that full meal.
The good news, above all, is that liquid doesn’t break the fast. So, you can drink sugar-free coffee to your heart’s content. (Just don’t have a milkshake, unless that’s your one meal... because that’s food, friends, not liquid!).
With the beginning of Lent in mind, I would like to share some good news this week...drum roll, please...
As we did in Advent, this Lent we will also have parish missions in English and Spanish, and with two wonderful speakers.
Firstly, on Monday, February 19th and Tuesday, February 20th, I am pleased to announce that Fr. David Moreno, parochial vicar at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove will be giving our parish mission in Spanish. Fr. David is no stranger to OLG, and it will be wonderful to have him with us once again. On February 19th, Fr. David’s mission will begin at 7pm, and on February 20th, his mission will begin immediately after our parish penance service that evening (thus, his mission will likely begin at 8:30 or 9pm on February 20th).
Secondly, for our English language mission we will be blessed with a visit from Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB, MD, DPhil (OXON), Professor of Church History and Moral Theology, and Chair of the Department of Moral Theology at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, CA. Fr. Luke is a brilliant and erudite speaker, and it will be an honor to have him with us! Fr. Luke will give his mission on Thursday, March 14th and Friday, March 15th, at 6:30pm. More information about both of these parish missions will be forthcoming in the near future.
I would also like to share with you the dates and times of our Lenten Penance Services throughout our Deanery. Our penance service here at OLG-La Habra will take place on February 20th at 7pm. Our neighboring Churches will hold their penance services on the following dates and times:
St. Philip Benizi, Fullerton: 2/28, 7pm
St. Anthony Claret, Anaheim: 3/13, 7pm
St. Justin Martyr, Anaheim: 3/14, 7pm
St. Pius V, Buena Park: 3/19, 7pm
St. Mary, Fullerton: 3/20, 7pm
St. Boniface, Anaheim: 3/21, 7pm
I would also like to draw your attention to two other events happening this Sunday and Monday, 2/11-12. On Sunday, after all Masses, please join us outside on Jason’s Plaza for our Parish’s Ministry Fair, and explore the ways in which God may be calling you to serve Him as a fully active member of our parish community.
Secondly, as I mentioned last week, on
Monday, February 12, at 6:30pm in the Coleman Center, I will be hosting an “Evening with the Administrator” to help you embrace and fulfill this call! During the reception, you will have the opportunity to meet other financial professionals from our parish. The Orange Catholic Foundation will also be joining us to share planned giving strategies that will directly impact and benefit OLG's financial needs. To register for this event, please contact our parish’s interim business manager, Scott Miller, at the parish office or email him at
smiller@olglahabra.org. We hope to see you there!
Yours sincerely in the Lord,
Fr. Will