END-OF-LIFE PLANNING . . . The Episcopal Church requires that all clergy instruct parishioners on the importance of end-of-life planning. This Lent we will offer two information sessions to provide resources and assist parishioners in creating or updating these important end-of-life documents. The primary purpose of these sessions is to encourage every person in the congregation to plan their funeral service and to keep a file in the parish office, but we will also offer information on medical directives, wills, and planned giving.  In the first session Deacon Len and Fr. Anthony will present the material and provide guidance. The second session will be for parishioners to return the documents and answer any questions. Fr. Anthony will have one-on-one meetings following the sessions to finalize funeral service details. 

Sundays March 9 and 23 after church in the Small Parish Hall
 

STATIONS OF THE CROSS . . . Our devotional practice for Lent this year will be the Way of The Stations of the Cross (Way of the Cross). We will meet at 6 PM on the following Fridays during the season of Lent. 

March 7, 14, 21 and 28
April 4 and 11 

The Stations of the Cross imitates the practice of visiting the places of Jesus' Passion in the Holy Land by early Christian pilgrims. The first stations outside Palestine were built in Bologna in the fifth century. This devotion was encouraged by the Franciscans, and it became common in the fifteenth century. The number of stations for prayer and meditation in the Way of the Cross has varied, but it  typically includes fourteen stations. We will process and pray at the following stations depicted in the church:  1) Jesus is condemned to death; 2) Jesus takes up his cross; 3) Jesus falls the first time; 4) Jesus meets his afflicted mother; 5) the cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene; 6) a woman wipes the face of Jesus; 7) Jesus falls a second time; 8) Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem; 9) Jesus falls a third time; 10) Jesus is stripped of his garments; 11) Jesus is nailed to the cross; 12) Jesus dies on the cross; 13) the body of Jesus is placed in the arms of his mother; 14) Jesus is laid in the tomb. (Adapted from The Book of Occasional Services)
 

BOOK CLUB . . . Each Lent, UTO offers a variety of resources for congregations, families, children, and individuals. This year, UTO is proud to partner with Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) to present: 40 Days of Welcome and Gratitude: a call to giving thanks for the ways we are welcomed in the world and the ways that people offer welcome to us and to our communities. UTO and EMM are excited to partner together this Lent to provide a multifaceted program to help people of all ages consider ways we experience and provide welcome that we are grateful for.  
 

https://unitedthankoffering.com/Lent/

ADDITIONAL LENTEN RESOURCES . . . Please click on the links below for Lenten resources from the Episcopal Church.  Some of the resources are for communities and others for individuals.  You may already have a Lenten practice of giving something up or doing something new, but these resources may provide some fresh ideas and provide added guidance as you observe Lent this year.    

https://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/lent/
https://d365.org/

https://www.lentmadness.org/
 

FASTING DURING LENT . . . There are no set rules that govern how Episcopalians are expected to fast and different groups and communities have followed different practices. Fasting consists of abstaining from certain types of food (in the Christian tradition that has most commonly been meat) and reducing the amount of food one typically eats. Reducing water intake on a day of fasting is discouraged, and there aren't any hard rules on other liquids like coffee and tea. Saint Augustine’s Prayer Book, a devotional manual held in high regard among Anglo-Catholics in the Episcopal Church, suggests fasting as “not more than a light breakfast, one full meal, and one-half meal...” The Book of Common Prayer also designates other “Days of Special Devotion” and “Days of Optional Observance” as found on pages 17-18 if one chooses to take on a greater practice of fasting. Fasting serves a number of different functions, but the primary goals are to cultivate self-discipline and self-mastery, and ultimately, to ever deepen our relationship and devotion to God. It is always a good idea to talk to your doctor before fasting if you are over the age of 65 or have certain health conditions. A good Lenten practice for children is to abstain from meat or another type of food on Fridays.
 

RECONCILIATION OF A PENITENT . . . The Episcopal Church offers a sacramental rite in which those who repent may confess their sins to God in the presence of a priest and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution (BCP, p. 861). It is also called penance and confession. Please contact Father Anthony if you would like to receive this sacrament of the Church, or if you have any questions.  

Westwood Cares Food Pantry - Grace Church is trying to increase our donations to the Westwood Cares Food Pantry.  Please try to bring 1 item per week and we will ensure that the Food Pantry receives your items. The following items are in need: Coffee, tea, juice, pancakes, pancake syrup, chicken in a can, potatoes, rice, detergent, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, paper towels, toilet paper, oil, snacks, cookies, cereal (hot and cold), mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. The Pantry does "not " need any canned vegetables or beans since they have enough currently. If you have any questions, please contact Deacon Len.

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE COVID PANDEMIC . . . During my sabbatical in 2023, one of my projects was to complete a reflection on the Covid-19 pandemic that I began in April of 2020.  This reflection is meant to provide a basic record of what it was like during the pandemic through the eyes of a parish priest.  We have included this document in our parish archives and in our digital files. Father Anthony+