March 24, 2026

Lent at Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish

March 24, 2026

Daly Lenten Notes

Dear Friends,

Happy Palm! Holy Week is my favorite week of the year. It is also the most challenging week in terms of our faith. Next Sunday we begin Holy Week, which ends in the celebrations of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. And of course, Easter Sunday.

The God we encounter during Holy Week is a God who chooses love over vengeance and mercy over power. A God who allows Himself to be rejected in order to redeem those who reject Him.

When Jesus’ broken body is taken down from the cross, when all hope seems lost, when it looks like evil has won, that is not the end of the story. It is the moment toward which all of history has been moving.

We’re not there yet. The Church wisely makes us walk through this week slowly. We don’t rush to Easter. We stay with the tension, the silence, the discomfort. Because only by staying with the cross can we begin to understand the depth of God’s love.

So this coming Sunday, as we hold our palms and listen to the Passion, we are invited to see ourselves in the crowd—not to condemn ourselves, but to be honest.

This God of surprises, this God who loves us, will not allow death to have the final word—not over His Son, and not over those who welcome Him into the city of their hearts.

Don’t just go from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday because you will have missed the heart of it all. Try to attend the services on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil.

Stay with Jesus this week as we often ask Him to stay with us.

A Note About Our Sunday Mass Schedule

Beginning next weekend, Palm Sunday, we will be adjusting our Sunday morning Mass time at St. James Church from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM. This decision was approved unanimously by our Pastoral Council. This change will allow Deacon Michael, Rochelle, and me more time to greet parishioners after the 9:00 AM Mass, travel to St. James, and properly welcome our community there before Mass begins. We believe this extra time for personal connection honors the spirit of hospitality that is at the heart of our parish life.

Yours In Christ,

Fr. Shawn

Click Here to See All We Have Planned for Lent

March 29, 2026

4:00 PM at Saint James

9:00 AM at Saint Elizabeth Seton

& livestreamed

11:30 AM at Saint James

Lent Prayer & Devotions

Pray the Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross invite us to use all our senses as we reflect prayerfully and walk intentionally with Jesus through his suffering, death on the cross and resurrection.

Attend the Stations of the Cross

Friday, March 27, 2026

5:30PM at St. James

Good Friday, April 3, 2026

7:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Bakhita Bible Camp Registration Form

Saint Josephine Bakhita

Faith Sharing Group

All are welcome to join the Saint Josephine Bakhita Faith Sharing Group. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. We meet in person, at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, from 10:30 AM -12:00. We meet on the third Tuesdays of the month from now to June 17, 2026. We also have a Charismatic Prayer Group that is led by Kristie Bilcharz. This group meets on Zoom on the first Tuesdays of the month.

The Awakening Retreat will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 10:00 AM -5:00 PM at Saint Elizabeth Seton Church. If you have questions about both groups and the Awakening Retreat, please contact Michael Lonergan at 860-638-7080 or Mikelonergan53108@sbcglobal.net. I will forward your information to Kristie regarding the Charismatic Prayer Group.

Awakening Retreat Registration Form

Daily Mass

Mon-8:30AM @ Seton

Tues-8:00AM @ St. James

Thur-8:00AM @ St. James

Fri-8:30AM @ Seton

Blessing of Easter Foods

Bring your Easter Foods to be blessed on Holy Saturday, April 4, at Noon at St. James Church!

Reconciliation

Fr. Shawn welcomes all to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent!
Mondays at 5:30 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton.

Friday, March 27 at 3:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Thursday, April 2 at 9:00 AM at St. James

Bring Your Bells

Bells are a sign of joy at the end of Lent when the GLORIA returns on Holy Thursday. The bells are silenced again until the Easter Vigil and Easter morning. Dust off your chimes and bells and bring them to ring during the singing of the Gloria!

Lent Almsgiving

Your Change Can Change Lives

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) rice bowls have been a long-standing tradition in many families. It began with a simple idea to have a simple supper during lent and put the savings or any spare change in the rice bowl. This simple gesture can help fight hunger in so many places and ways.

Please consider taking home a rice bowl and making it part of your family tradition. We will collect the rice bowls on weekends up to the week after Easter. We have counters ready to add up the change and bills!

Thank you for changing lives this Lent!

Easter Grocery Gift Card Collection

Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish will be collecting local grocery store gift cards for Easter this year for families within our community. Please bring the gift cards to mass on the weekend of March 28/29 and place them in the collection baskets.

Sacred Paschal Triduum Schedule

Holy Thursday

April 2, 2026

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

7:00 PM ~ St James

Adoration until 9:00PM

Good Friday

April 3, 2026

Celebration of Our Lord’s Passion

3:00 PM ~ St. James

Stations of the Cross Liturgy
with Veneration of the Cross

7:00PM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton

Holy Saturday

April 4, 2026

Blessing of Easter Foods

Noon ~ St. James

Easter Vigil

8:00 PM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton

Easter Sunday

April 5, 2026

9:00 AM ~ St. Elizabeth Seton (livestreamed)

9:00 AM ~ St. James

11:30 AM ~ St. James

Reconciliation Schedule

Friday, March 27
3:00 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Monday, March 30
5:30 PM at St. Elizabeth Seton

Thursday, April 2
9:00 AM at St. James

We are so excited to share that Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish is featured in the Spring Edition of the Catholic Transcript! The story features our Cross Bearers — a beautiful reflection on the ways our parish community embraces the call to carry the cross with faith, hope, and love. We are so grateful to the Catholic Transcript for shining a light on our community and telling our story so beautifully.

Read the Story Here