U.D. has several more events during this Lenten season leading up to Easter:
Lenten Prayer Services
These will be offered at 8:30 p.m. Mondays in the Marianist Hall Chapel.
“Evening prayer is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, which started as a Monastic tradition of prayer at particular hours of the day,” said Sales.
Stations of the Cross
This tradition began in the earliest days of the church, and replicates the final journey of Christ. It will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Immaculate Conception Chapel.
Taize Reconciliation and Prayer Services
A Reconciliation Service will be offered at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 27. A Prayer Service will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, April 4. Both of these events take place at the Immaculate Conception Chapel.
“The Reconciliation Service is an opportunity for private confession which uses Taize songs,” said Sales. “The Taize style includes short refrains repeated a number of times and sometimes alternates different languages in the lyrics.”
You can listen to the Taize style of music online at www.taize.fren_article14155.html. The website features images from the Church of Reconciliation in Taize, France, and prayerful singing at the church’s 50th anniversary in 2012.
The Gospel According to Mumford and Sons
The Rev. Steve Stockman will bring alive the depth of Mumford and Sons songs in this presentation, and how it relates to the Gospel at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, in the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Stockman is an Irish Presbyterian minister and author of “Walk On: The Spirituality of U2.”
Lenten Challenge
For the second year in a row, U.D. students were invited to take to Twitter and Facebook with their thoughts about Lent. It was the brainchild of Sales’ graduate assistant, Katie Mathews.
“This was highly successful last year, and our @UDLitergies Twitter Page offers daily prayer, scripture, and reminders to help students grow deeper in their faith during Lent,” said Sales. “Purple Lenten challenge bracelets are worn by students, faculty, and staff during Lent as a reminder of their commitment.”
Lent is traditionally a period of spiritual growth, and one of the ways this is accomplished is through sacrifice. In addition to devoting more time to prayer during this 40-day period, Christ followers are inspired to increase their charitable giving.
Throughout Lent, there will be Marianist Mission collections at U.D. for the following programs overseas: Lady of Nazareth School, Kenya; REDS program in India; MIRACLE in Malawi; and Health Clinics in West Africa and India.
“Our Lady of Nazareth School in Nairobi, Kenya is located in the middle of Nairobi’s largest slum where 350,000 struggle to survive,” said Sales. “In facing the complexities of such extreme poverty, education can be one way to break the cycle, making OLN a place of refuge and hope for the 1,800 children who are enrolled.”
The REDS program in Bangalore, India, is an acronym for Ragpickers Education and Development Scheme. The organization works with children from the streets of Bangalore and Ranchi. Workers reach out to the slum families with a holistic development intervention process to ensure successful integration and integration into mainstream society.
A Chaminade Health Care Center was dedicated in Singhpur, India, in September of 2012 to serve the families of the rural parish and the Marianist School. The Marianist Sisters in Togo, West Africa, opened a Rural Health Care Center in Kpatchile outside of Kara. Its mission is to provide maternity and well-baby care for people who have no medical assistance. The Sisters also need contributions to help raise the salaries of Sr. Ann Martine and other medical personnel who serve there.
MIRACLE stands for Marianist Institute of Rural Artisans for Christian Life Education. It is a job skills training program for orphans. These children have lost their parents to the AIDS pandemic that is sweeping sub-Saharan Africa. Upon completion of a two-year training program on religious and values-based education, the students are placed in six-month apprenticeships. They receive assistance in securing jobs or starting their own small business.
“With employable skills, small loans, and gifts of work tools, miracles happen. Despair is replaced by hope,” Sales said.
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