A Time for Planting--the Season of Lent 2025
Since I brought up my congregation ending its Epiphany Observations with our Fat Sunday, not Tuesday--how do you observe the Lenten Season?
This year our pastor who has been with us for about 15 years is retiring on Easter Sunday, I believe. We have been preparing for the transition, doing a congregational profile study, and organizing a call committee which will work with our local bishop to start that process.
As far as the season goes, though. The congregation typically discusses a particular theme or movie during midweek services in the season. Not sure what that will be this year, though.
Soup suppers on Wednesday. You are all invited.
I know many congregations will drop the Gloria and the Alleleua stanzas in their Sunda. services. We don't. We feel Sundays are mini Easters through the Lenten Season (Note: the announcement at the beginning of the Sunday Service will be This the X Sunday in Lent, not of Lent).
My Lenten project for the last 10 years is to weed our congregation's Labyrinth--wish I could get it done before Lent but often it still has snow during the lead up to Ash Wednesday.
This year our pastor who has been with us for about 15 years is retiring on Easter Sunday, I believe. We have been preparing for the transition, doing a congregational profile study, and organizing a call committee which will work with our local bishop to start that process.
As far as the season goes, though. The congregation typically discusses a particular theme or movie during midweek services in the season. Not sure what that will be this year, though.
Soup suppers on Wednesday. You are all invited.
I know many congregations will drop the Gloria and the Alleleua stanzas in their Sunda. services. We don't. We feel Sundays are mini Easters through the Lenten Season (Note: the announcement at the beginning of the Sunday Service will be This the X Sunday in Lent, not of Lent).
My Lenten project for the last 10 years is to weed our congregation's Labyrinth--wish I could get it done before Lent but often it still has snow during the lead up to Ash Wednesday.
Comments
I have no idea what FatherInCharge is planning for Lent, apart from having two Masses on Ash Wednesday, but he usually tries to have a Holy Hour & Benediction or some such after the 530pm Tuesday service.
My first parish, though served by a volunteer priest working full time in a secular role, had many services during this time, Holy Week in particular (two most days, 3 on Great and Holy Friday calendar day and 2 on Great and Holy Saturday calendar day), an experience not replicated in subsequent parishes. Texts are available online for sure, but, single as I am, I am pondering a move for the upcoming 10 (11?) week school term for my placement (teacher's assistant, not a teacher; could never do that job, much respect to any teachers reading...) somewhere where I can enter into a more church-service focussed Great Lent. For me personally I think this would be helpful. I have no interest in moving to a big city, may need to move nearer a different one, but my current parish, also served by a volunteer priest, has 2 weekends scheduled per month; beautiful, I'm grateful, a wonderful priest and community, but services help me so I am considering a move.
I gave away all my books when I moved to NZ so as part of my private reading I'll probably buy Fr Thomas Hopko's The Lenten Spring.
* Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are separate...giving rise to this meme
I always do Lent Madness, just by myself. I do enjoy the mix of reading about the saints and their lives of service, and the fun of a saintly smackdown bracket. I received an email telling me the 2025 bracket will be available soon, so I'm anticipating that!
FatherInCharge is appealing for IT experts to help set up a computer in the vestry (the church has WiFi), so that a series of talks being arranged by one of the *catholic* Societies in the C of E can be viewed on YouTube by anyone who wishes, after the morning Mass on Ash Wednesday, and then after the Monday Mass. The talks are on the subject of the Nicene Creed.
In addition, FInC is holding Stations of the Cross, in the church, at 730pm on Fridays in Lent (including Good Friday, in case anyone can't get to the midday Liturgy). These services have been reasonably well-attended in past years, with people making the effort to attend at least one of them.
It's pretty immersive.
On a personal level, I usually set aside time to do additional reading - and not just Orthodox material.
There's likely to be some study groups, something we've struggled to maintain in our parish but we seem to be building a head of steam with that now.
I find Lent daunting and exciting at one and the same time.
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday - a 7pm Mass with short homily, replacing the usual schedule for those days:
Maundy Thursday - (no morning Mass) 8pm Sung Mass with Footwashing, Procession to the Altar of Repose, and Watch of Prayer (not right up until midnight, as so few people attend this Mass - IIRC, they finished at 1030pm last year):
Good Friday - 12 noon Solemn Liturgy (no morning Mass); 730pm Stations:
Holy Saturday/Easter Eve - 930am BCP Mattins (because Madam Sacristan says so!) instead of Mass; 8pm Vigil & first Mass of Easter:
Easter Day - 1030am Parish Mass, followed by CHOCOLATE; 6pm Festal Evensong & Benediction, with Communion from the Reserved Sacrament for those who couldn't get to the morning service.
Our church has written a book of Lenten devotions for use this year and the hope is that all home groups and other small groups in the church will use it so that we're all doing the same thing. For people not in a small group (this includes Mr Nen and me) a group will be run once a week during Lent to look at the material. Mr Nen and I are considering this.
Outside well regulated monasteries I have not heard of anywhere that does ALL the Lenten services.