Welcome to our Lenten Resources page. It is designed to help us as we Journey in Faith and Hope towards Easter.
We hope that the resources that you find here , including some for families, will bring us all to a more Joy-filled celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Let’s begin with our Parish Prayer for Lent.
You can find our Parish Prayer for Lent here:
Journeying in Faith and Hope
Our Parish Lenten Programme is called: Journeying in Faith and Hope. You can find details here:
Operation ‘Soul’ Transformation – Week 5
Monday – Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy – full text available on our website .
Tuesday – Make a conscious effort to be nice to everyone today.
Wednesday – Try to be aware of not taking the name of the Lord in vain today.
Thursday – Pray for the girls and boys who will be confirmed today in Crookstown. Throughout the day say this prayer from time to time: ‘Come, Holy Spirit, Come’, while keeping them in mind.
Friday – As we approach the last week, it might be a good time to renew your Lenten fast. What is that you gave up for Lent? Maybe you took something on? Whatever you decided to do, maybe it has slipped a bit and now would be a good time to make a final push to Easter.
Saturday – Pray our parish Prayer for Lent. The full text is available on our parish website and on leaflets near the doors of the church.
Sunday – Schedule some family time today. Perhaps begin by inviting a family, who may not go to mass, to join you at Sunday mass.
Operation ‘Soul’ Transformation – Week 3
Monday – Pray the Angelus – full text available below.
Tuesday – No complaining today, not even about the weather…
Wednesday – Pray the Memorare (full text below) especially for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Thursday – If you meet a homeless person or someone begging, don’t just throw a few coins into their cup, take a moment to talk to them, tell them your name and ask them theirs. Try to recognise Jesus in them.
Friday – Make a special effort to abstain from meet today. While there are only two actual abstinence days in the year – Ash Wednesday & Good Friday. On Fridays during Lent the traditional practice of no meet is especially true. Give it a go.
Saturday – Visit a church and spend a few moments adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Sunday – Arrive an extra few minutes early to Mass and spend the time in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to help you to be really present at Mass.
Operation ‘Soul’ Transformation – Week 2
Monday: Try not having any bread today.
Tuesday: In the spirit of this weeks Gospel, try to find a quiet time/place for yourself to sit and just be with GOD.
Wednesday: Pay at lease three people you meet today a compliment.
Thursday: Try to use your phone just to make and receive calls today, no social media or internet browsing. If you do not use a smart-phone, how about no TV today.
Friday: Consider going to the Holy Hour in Crookstown and if you haven’t been in a while, maybe go to confession.
Saturday: Gratitude Challenge. Foster an attitude of gratitude, Spend 5 minutes in prayer just thanking GOD. You may need to spend a few moments to think of what you want to thank HIM for.
Sunday: If you can afford it, put some money in a Trócaire box..
Operation Soul Transformation (OST) Week 1
is a series of challenges/tasks that you can choose to perform each day during Lent in preparation for Easter. Each week the challenges will be refreshed. You don’t have to do them as they are given, you can take them in any order, or even just stick with one for the whole week, the choice is yours. OST for week 1 is:
Monday: Try drinking only water today.
Tuesday: Consider going to the Holy Hour in Crookstown Church this evening, which begins at 7pm or making your own Holy Hour.
Wednesday: Pay it forward – As an Act of Random Kindness, if you are buying tea/coffee, consider paying for the next person’s coffee. This isn’t restricted to tea/coffee
Thursday: Spend a few moments reading the Gospel for next Sunday’s Mass. The readings are available on our website.
Friday: Pray the Stations of the Cross – see below!
Saturday: Make a special effort not to complain or give out about anyone today.
Sunday: Stay in your seat after Mass for five minutes giving thanks to GOD.
The Stations of the Cross commemorate Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man, the final journey that HE made four of love for us. They are also called: Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), and Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering). The 14 stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation by Pontius Pilate. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ’s last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.
The stations are most commonly prayed during Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays, and especially on Good Friday, the day of the year upon which the events actually occurred.
At each station we begin by saying:
“We Adore You, O Christ, and We Bless You, Because by Your Cross You Have Redeemed the World.”
followed by:
one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be…
The Stations are as follows:
- Christ condemned to death;
- Jesus takes up HIS Cross;
- His falls the first time;
- Jesus meets His Blessed Mother;
- Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross;
- Christ’s face is wiped by Veronica;
- Jesus falls the second time;
- He meets the women of Jerusalem ;
- Jesus falls the their time;
- Jesus is stripped of His garments;
- The crucifixion of Jesus;
- Jesus dies on the cross;
- Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross;
- Jesus is laid in the tomb.
The Angelus.
The Angelus is prayer the honours the Incarnation, the great mystery of GOD become human. It is called the Angelus because the first words in Latin are: “Angelus Domini” meaning – “The angel of the LORD”. It dates back to the 13th century and invites us to meditate, if only briefly, on the great mystery of the Incarnation. Traditionally, we bow or genuflect at the words: “and dwelt among us” to honour the moment of the Incarnation.
Traditionally the Angelus is prayed 3 times each day at 6am, midday and 6pm, but feel free to pray this beautiful prayer any time during the day, at a time that is convenient for you, it takes about 1 minute to pray it.
How to pray the Angelus:
The text of the Angelus is included below.
The Angelus
℣. The Angel of the LORD declared unto Mary,
℟. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace; the LORD is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.* Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
℣. Behold the handmaid of the LORD.
℟. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, full of grace; the LORD is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.* Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
℣. And the Word was made flesh.
℟. And dwelt among us. (Bowing slightly or genuflecting.)
Hail Mary, full of grace; the LORD is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.* Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
℣. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
℟. That we might be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray,
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O LORD, Thy grace into our hearts; that, we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord.
℟. Amen.
V. May the divine assistance remain always with us.
R. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
The Memorare
Family Prayer for Lent:
Here is a very help resources for praying together as a family during Holy Week, in preparation for the great celebration of Easter.
For our younger parishioners here is a Lenten Journey that they can go on with the aid of their parent(s)/guardian(s). Each day during Lent there are suggested different tasks for them to perform. As they complete each task, or another in it’s place, they can colour in the day. You can download a copy of the Lenten Journey here or by clicking on the image.