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The Law of the Church for Lent 1. Abstinence. All persons, 14 years and older, are obliged to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent. 2. Fasting. Everyone from ages 18 to 59 is obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting is generally understood to mean that one full meal may be eaten. Two other small meals (collations) may be eaten, but together they should not equal a full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted. The more traditional fast   Please note that, traditionally, those who reasonably could not fast on the appointed days, especially the sick, those engaged in heavy labor for their wages, and pregnant women, were always excused from fasting. The faithful should also take care to moderate fasting in the event of any health considerations that arise from it.   That being said, we highly encourage the observance of the traditional discipline of Lent, which would mean daily fasting and abstinence from meat from Ash Wednesday until after None (3 pm) on the Vigil of Easter. Fasting, but not abstinence from meat, would traditionally be relaxed on Sundays.   The return of this discipline seems to be spreading.

Assisted Listening System   All of the parts have arrived and we are waiting on the installation of an assisted listening sytem, which will be available for sermons and conferences delivered from the pulpit, anywhere on parish grounds. The system makes use of Sennheiser’s MobileConnect, which is an app-based solution that will allow parishioners to make use of their own hearing aids or other Bluetooth-enabled headphones or earbuds. More details should be forthcoming soon. Painting the Parish Hall   In the course of installing the Our Lady of Guadalupe image, we noticed that some of the walls in the parish hall have been significantly marked or even damaged in the ten years since its remodel. The painters assure me that it will be an easy room to re-paint given its broad, open surfaces. They will begin work this Wednesday. We have chosen a bit of a warmer color, though still within the white spectrum (Antique White, to be specific). Parish Field Shrubs   You may notice that the shrubs on the east side of the field have been significantly reduced. A parishioner brought to my attention that these particular shrubs require regular pruning in order to promote new, healthy growth.

Change to Lenten Mission   Fr. Daniel Heenan, FSSP, the pastor of our parish in Guadalajara, has agreed to come to give our parish Lenten mission this year. The dates and length of the mission have been adjusted to fit his schedule: Monday, March 16 to Wednesday, March 18. There will be two conferences every day – one in Spanish after the noon Mass, another in English after the evening Mass. More details will be forthcoming as we get closer to the mission. Septuagesima Lent is coming!   Septuagesima is a time of preparation for Lent. During it, we should prayerfully consider the prayer, penance, and almsgiving that we should like to maintain throughout the Lenten season, and we should likewise make firm resolu-tions to observe them faithfully. I remind all that, outside the laws of the Church (given below in #1 and #2), penances during Lent are not binding under pain of sin.   The next two and a half weeks before Ash Wednesday also serve as a time of gradually working towards the rigors of Lent. For example, if one were to resolve to take on the more traditional fasting of Lent, it is wise to slowly work

Confessions for the Altar Guild   An old custom at St. Stephen’s, that has probably not been communicated to the younger generation of guild members or to the parish in some time, is a privilege for altar servers to “cut the line” for confessions before Mass. This is to allow them the opportunity for confession, which otherwise might not be possible for them, as usually the confessors have left the box by the time Mass is concluded and the servers have finished their duties at the altar. Servers, after they have completed preparing the altar, may go to the confessional area and stand by the pew ahead of those currently in line. They should be vested in cassock, but not surplice. I do encourage families bringing members of the guild for their assigned Masses to arrive early enough to facilitate both setting up the altar and going to confession. Side servers that wish to go to confession should not invoke this privilege; at Masses that they want to go to confession, they should refrain from side serving and wait in the confessional line as usual. Bulletin Boards   New bulletin boards have been posted in the sacristy, breezeway, and classrooms.

Renewal of the Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary A thirty-day novena in preparation for the renewal of the Fraternity’s consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is being organized this year. It will begin on Sunday, January 11, and end on February 11, the anniversary of the consecration, when the act of consecration will be publicly renewed. The preparatory thirty-day novena will consist of the daily recitation of a decade of the Rosary and the Memorare. To conclude this thirty-day novena, the General House, the seminaries, the North American Province, and the Districts will send representatives this year to Fatima, on February 10 and 11, 2026. There, they will renew the consecration of the entire Fraternity to Our Lady at the site of the apparitions. The Memorare: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, and sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

Chant Participation   I encourage all of the faithful to participate in the chant and hymns of the sacred liturgy, namely: the Ordinary of the Mass (on the hymn board, e.g. K9), the Creed (on the hymn board, e.g. C3), the posted hymns – found in the pew hymnals, and the Marian Antiphon at the conclusion of the Divine Office. I hope within a few years that all the faithful can be comfortable with these essential elements of our Catholic patrimony. Please do not be shy! Parish Donation Envelopes   We have a number of faithful that have not picked up envelopes for two years in a row. I have set these envelopes aside, for now. If you have shifted to online donations, could you please let our staff know, so that we can stop orders on these particular envelopes? Otherwise, kindly pick up your envelopes when you can. Staff are ready to assist you; inquire at the bookstore or office. I will be discarding any remaining envelopes after a few weeks, to clear up some of our storage space. Thank you! Rosary Pamphlet Remaining pamphlets are available for purchase from the bookstore. They are $2 each, or $15 for