Lent 2026: A Parish Journey of Return
As we approach the holy season of Lent which begins this Wednesday with the celebration of Ash Wednesday I want to invite our entire parish family into a shared journey of prayer, renewal, and hope.
This year, all of our Lenten offerings are intentionally united around one parish-wide theme:
RETURN
Helping loved ones and one another come home to Christ and His Church.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this sacred season, a day when we come before the Lord with honesty and humility, acknowledging our need for mercy and grace. As we receive ashes, we are reminded that conversion is always possible, and that God is constantly inviting us back to Himself.
This year’s theme was not chosen at random. Through our recent Disciple Maker Index (DMI) survey and many pastoral conversations, a clear and heartfelt concern emerged among our parishioners. Again and again, people expressed a deep longing for family members and loved ones who have drifted away from the practice of the faith. Alongside that longing was a desire to know how to respond with patience, love, and trust in God’s timing. This Lent, we are responding intentionally to that reality. Return is not rooted in frustration or fear, but in hope. It reflects our trust that God never stops seeking His children, that prayer truly matters, and that gentle, faithful accompaniment can open doors hearts alone cannot. While this theme certainly speaks to those who have stepped away, it also calls each of us to our own ongoing conversion so that we are ready to welcome, walk with, and love others when they are ready to come home.
Throughout Lent, our parish will offer many opportunities to pray, reflect, and grow together, including Ash Wednesday Masses, Stations of the Cross on both campuses, Lenten Holy Hours with Confessions (including the Light Is On campaign), Lenten Soup Suppers, and a Lenten Adult Catechesis Series titled Return, based on Brandon Vogt’s How to Draw Your Loved Ones Back to Church. We will also enter deeply into the Church’s prayer through Tenebrae on Good Friday and the full celebration of Holy Week and Easter.
The culmination of our Lenten journey will be a parish mission titled Vigil for the Fallen, taking place during the week of March 22. For 48 hours, we will gather as a parish family in sustained prayer and intercession, entrusting to God the names, relationships, and wounded hearts of those who have fallen away from the Church, as well as all who long for renewal and healing. Lent is one of the Church’s most fruitful seasons for renewal and evangelization. This year, I invite you to begin it intentionally starting this Ash Wednesday and to walk the journey with trust, prayer, and hope.
I am grateful to journey again through this Lent with you.
Your Servant in Christ,
Father Jason C. Hage, Pastor
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Mary, Mother of Our Savior, pray for us!