Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 14th. Masses that day will be at 8 AM and 7 PM. Stations of the Cross are weekly on Fridays in Lent at 7 PM at St. Michael's. Join us!

Also, Join us for Soup and Stations!

A meatless soup supper will be served at the hall at 6 PM prior to stations at 7 PM. All are welcome! Please RSVP by each Wednesday prior so we have a headcount each week.

Click here to RSVP for each Friday's Soup supper!

Click here to volunteer as a Soup Chef for one Friday in Lent!

Letter from Fr. Choi for the Beginning of Lent 2024

Dear St. Michael’s and St. Dominic’s Parish Family,

It’s hard to believe it’s almost Lent already! It seems like we just celebrated Christmas… Even though we experience Lent every year, we can make each Lent a renewed opportunity to live the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Traditionally, the Church offers the threefold practice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and I want to explore some specific ways we might be able to do that this Lent.

Prayer: We are blessed to have the Blessed Sacrament exposed for almost sixty hours a week. It’s a great gift - but also a great commitment on the part of the parish. Think about taking an hour each week this Lent to be with the Lord truly present in the Eucharist. As we look upon the Lord in the appearance of bread, see His great love - leaving us His Real Presence to accompany us through the journey of life. Yes, it’s a sacrifice of time, which leads us to…

Fasting: We fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstain from meat on Fridays. But in addition to the usual fasts from sweets, adult beverages, technology, etc., what about fasting from some of our personal time? We fast to remind ourselves to prioritize well, to seek the things of heaven rather than those of earth. Fasting from personal time can mean we take our free time and spend it to grow spiritually. So that can mean Eucharistic Adoration, as well as our Soup and Stations on Fridays, or the First Friday and First Saturday devotions. It can also mean joining the various spiritual groups of the parish: a young adult group that meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings, a men’s group that meets on the 2nd and 4th Friday evenings, and a women’s group that meets on 1st and 3rd Saturday mornings. Consider joining one of these groups, giving up some personal free time and devoting it to growing in your spiritual life.

Almsgiving: There are many ways to detach ourselves from material possessions. The most obvious is to continue supporting the parish financially, as well as the Annual Catholic Services Appeal. Aside from charitable giving, another form of almsgiving might be the giving of our time and energy through service. We have our Food Pantry and Clothes Closet here in our parish. Catholic Charities is also looking for volunteers in southern Maryland. These are ways that we can make a gift of ourselves to others.

Hopefully these are some ways to make this Lent fruitful. As we consider how Jesus gave His life for us, may we receive the grace to imitate that generous love. Then, as we join Jesus in making a gift of our lives, may we also share in the glory of His Resurrection!

In Christ,

Fr. Martino