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What is Lent? I would be doing you an injustice if I tried to explain it myself. But this was my problem in the first place. I needed to know more so that I could better serve my parish. I found several articles that helped me learn what Lent is and why we make a big deal of it. Check out some of these references:
https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent
https://hallow.com/lent/
Ever wonder what to give up or how to figure that out? Dynamic Catholic published this great article that really helped me! What should I give up for Lent?
Our Ascension and Austin Diocese Lenten events:- Fish Fry Fridays hosted by the Knights of Columbus
- Stations of the Cross in English and in Spanish every Friday
- We are hosting a Blood Drive on March 20th from 10am to 2pm. Schedule at weareblood.org/donor with group code: B793 (Keep checking back for registration to open)
- Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Temple will host its annual Ash Wednesday retreat on Feb. 18 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Father Harry Dean and Brian Egan will share spiritual messages about what the season of Lent asks of us. The day will include lunch and Mass with the distribution of ashes. The cost is $50. For more information or to register, visit austindiocese.org/cedarbrake or call (254) 780-2436.
Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Temple will host a Lenten Day of Prayer - Staying Hydrated: Drink from the Living Water March 5 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The struggles that we face as Catholic men and women living our faith and growing into a relationship with Christ are enormous. We are anxious about many aspects of our lives, and at times, we can become spiritually dry. If we want to "Stay Hydrated", we must drink from the living water every day! Bill Moyer, a spiritual director, father, and parishioner at St. Jerome Parish in Waco, will lead this day retreat. For more information or to register, visit austindiocese.org/cedarbrake or call (254) 780-2436.
- Try the SacredSpace Lenten theme of Practical Christianity, one of our most referenced sites has a wonderful daily Lent retreat that you can follow: https://sacredspace.com/events/retreat/lent-2026/. The retreat can take as little as 3-5 minutes, or 15-20 minutes, or more, depending on how much time you have, and how deeply you want to enter into prayer. Begins Ash Wednesday!
- This next one is great and it will probably be what I use. I am a visual, hands on learner and this is perfect for me. https://watch.formed.org/how-to-lent. I'm sure many of you are aware of our relationship with FORMED. This video streaming platform is so great for any members of our parish and it's free for them. Can you believe that? I hope everyone takes advantage of this wonderful app.
- For those of you who are into reading books, our friends at Dynamic Catholic have so many great resources including this: https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent.html or Rediscover Lent. I love reading the quotes I receive in their daily inspiration emails. If you need a little more inspiration in your life, you can sign up for daily emails too.
