As we now enter into the Lenten Season, I want to remind students and year-round parishioners of a few special Lenten practices here at St. Mark’s that might benefit your own spiritual journey:

1. Prayer: Consider trying to make daily Mass at 5:15pm once in a while during Lent. After mass Monday to Friday, several of us join in the chapel to pray evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, and then a few other folks follow on with a daily rosary. Confessions? We have 'em! Wednesdays at 4-5pm (with Adoration of Blessed Sacrament and Solemn Benediction) and a special student Penance Service on Wednesday, April 5th at 8:00pm with about 4-5 visiting priests. During Fridays of Lent at 6:00pm we join together in the church to pray the Stations of the Cross. You can also join a small prayer group or a Bible Study during Lent. Just drop by the front office for more info or check out our website at www.saint-marks.net for contact information.

2. Fasting: On Fridays of Lent, don’t forget to abstain from meat (includes beef, chicken, pork and other non-swimming animals). I think it is also a generally accepted custom to limit food intake on Fridays even if this is not specifically required. For some, this also might mean limiting media intake or not partying (carousing with loud music, drinking and smoking, etc) on Friday nights in favor of doing something a little more wholesome like playing a board game or reading that book that your parents gave you for Christmas.

3. Almsgiving:  While there are many ways to go about giving money to the poor, including direct gifts to poor people you encounter on the street or in your neighborhood, I have always thought it wiser to give to organizations that take care of the poor. One place you can certainly still consider is Together in Mission. Just go to http://ourmissionla.org/how-to-give/ to make a one-time gift or to make a year-long pledge to helping out our poorest brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.