Lent at St. James Cathedral

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Dear brothers and sisters, may this Lenten season find the whole Church ready to bear witness to all those who live in material, moral and spiritual destitution the Gospel message of the merciful love of God our Father, who is ready to embrace everyone in Christ. We can do this to the extent that we imitate Christ who became poor and enriched us by his poverty. Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.

Pope Francis, Lent 2014

Download this guide to Lent in .pdf format here

Prayer During Lent

ASH WEDNESDAY is celebrated Wednesday, March 5. Masses are at 8:15am, 12:10pm, and 6:00pm. (Please note the start time for the evening Mass of Ash Wednesday!) All are welcome to join in a Simple Supper sponsored by the Cathedral Kitchen following the 6:00pm Mass.

JOY OF THE GOSPEL This Lent, you are invited to explore Pope Francis’ radical vision for the Church. On Monday, March 3, 2014, 7:00pm, Father Ryan will launch our Lenten series with a special keynote presentation: Pope Francis: A Revolution in Symbol and Substance. We’ll look back at Pope Francis’ first year, explore some of the key moments in his papacy, and talk about how he is pointing the Church in a new direction. Then, during the weeks of Lent, you’re invited to explore texts from Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, and discuss how his vision can challenge and inform us as we live our Christian faith in our parish and in our world. Small study groups will meet at different times throughout the week for five 1 1/2 hour sessions. Click here to sign up for a session that works for you. Finally, on Saturday, April 12, 2014, at 9:00am, we’ll gather for a closing retreat. Please consider making this part of your Lenten practice!

THE RICE BOWL PROGRAM is a wonderful way to grow in solidarity with the poor and the millions in our world who lack the basic necessities of life. Rice Bowls are available in the vestibules of the Cathedral throughout Lent.

MASS The Masses of Lent are the ideal way to grow closer to the Lord Jesus. The scriptural readings for the Sunday and weekday celebrations are particularly rich in their ability to inspire and challenge. Weekday Masses are at 8:15am and 5:30pm.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS The unique Stations of the Cross are the work of Cathedral iconographer Joan Brand-Landkamer. They were inspired by the work of 20th-century French artist Georges Rouault. The stations were created from found objects which Landkamer collected near her home in Ocean Shores. Each station is unique, and together they form a stark and intensely moving portrayal of the last journey of Jesus. You can also pray the stations online.

PRAYING THE STATIONS is a wonderful Lenten tradition in the Church. There are three opportunities to pray the Stations each week: on Mondays following 12:10pm Midday Prayer, Wednesdays following the 5:30pm Mass, and Fridays following the 8:15am Mass (except First Fridays). You can also pray the stations online.

LITURGY OF THE HOURS Each weekday at 12:10pm in the Cathedral Chapel, we pray the Liturgy of the Hours. This short community prayer is based on the psalms, and includes readings from scripture and from our rich Catholic tradition.

LENTEN HOLY HOUR Each Friday during Lent, we will have a Holy Hour with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 12 Noon. Holy Hour, which includes the Liturgy of the Hours, meditations, and rosary, is the perfect midday retreat at the end of a busy week.

VESPERS AND BENEDICTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT This beautiful prayer is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church. It is celebrated in the Cathedral each Sunday afternoon at 4:00pm.

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER ON THE FRIDAYS OF LENT Every Friday evening at 6:30 pm (with the exception of Friday, March 7), the Cathedral offers a meditative evening prayer of song, scripture, and silence, with the music of the ecumenical community of Taizé in France. The guitar prelude begins at 6:15pm. All are welcome.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION This Lent, there are many opportunities to celebrate the sacrament of God’s mercy. Confessions will be heard each Saturday from 4:00—5:00pm. Communal penance services will be on Saturday, April 5 at 3:30pm, and Monday, April 7 at 7:30pm. In addition, this year the Cathedral is participating in The Light Is On, an Archdiocesan-wide initiative to increase access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A priest confessor will be available each Friday of Lent (except Good Friday) from 6:00pm—7:00pm in the Reconciliation Chapel.

RCIA During Lent

JOURNEY OF THE ELECT Lent is a time of intensive prayer and preparation for our Catechumens, who are preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Soon they will no longer be called Catechumens, but Elect, following the celebration of the Rite of Election. This final period of purification and enlightenment, which, since the beginnings of the Church, has taken place during Lent, consists more of interior reflection than catechetical instruction. It is intended to purify the hearts and minds of the Elect as they search their own consciences and do penance. This period is also intended to enlighten their minds and hearts with a deeper knowledge of Christ the Savior.

Please pray for: Tony Combs, Young Luu, Jaydee Ocon, Patrick Fields, and Kawika Ramat

Please pick up a prayer card at the Place of Prayer near the font. As Easter draws near, you will be invited to write a note telling our Elect of your prayerful support.

The following are some important dates in the journey of our Catechumens:

RITE OF ELECTION We begin a season of intensified preparation by celebrating the Rite of Election which will take place on Thursday, March 6 at 7:00pm. On the basis of the testimony of sponsors and catechists, the Church judges the state of readiness of the Catechumens for baptism, and decides on their advancement toward the sacraments of initiation. This step is called “election” and is based on the Catechumens’ election by God, in whose name the Church acts. From this point on, those preparing for Baptism are referred to as the Elect.

THE SCRUTINIES Lent began in the Church as a time of intense spiritual preparation and healing for the Elect. On the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, the Church pours out her most powerful prayers for deliverance from sin and evil during the Scrutiny Rites. These rites will take place on Sunday, March 23 at 5:30pm, Sunday, March 30 at Noon, and Sunday, April 6 at 10:00am.

SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 8:30pm: THE EASTER VIGIL On this holiest of nights, we celebrate the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist with our Elect. The Easter Vigil is the undisputed high point of the entire liturgical year, the “mother of all vigils,” as St. Augustine called it.

Official Lenten Regulations
from the Archdiocese of Seattle

For this penitential season, the Church draws on the wisdom of the Scriptures and tradition in suggesting a time of intense prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Catholics in the United States are obliged to abstain on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays during the season of Lent. Catholics are also obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Self-imposed observance of fasting on all weekdays of Lent is strongly recommended, as is abstinence from meat on all Fridays of the year. Ash Wednesday is March 5, 2014. Good Friday is April 18, 2014.

Fasting. On a day of fasting, one full meal is allowed. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one's needs, but together they should not equal the other full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and juices, are permitted.

Abstinence. On days of abstinence eating of meat is not allowed.

The obligation of fasting binds Catholics who are 18 - 59 years old. The obligation of abstinence applies to those 14 years and older. The law does not oblige when health or ability to work would be seriously affected.

The Chancery

Choral Prayer for Lent

Saturday & Sunday, March 8 & 9, 2014 8:00 pm
Seattle Pro Musica Passio
Resident Ensemble, Seattle Pro Musica, presents a meditative collection of musical expressions of the Passion story, from the recently rediscovered Passion Week by Gretchaninov, to the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Little Match Girl Passion by David Lang - a modern-day allegorical take on Medieval mystery plays, in a format inspired by Bach. Information, 206-781-2766 or www.seattlepromusica.org.

Saturday, March 22, 2014 8:00 pm
Opus 7 Stabat Mater
www.opus7.org

Sunday, April 13, 4:00 pm
Palm Sunday Vespers
Jubilate!, St. James Cathedral's young women's ensemble, Stacey Sunde, conductor. Free and open to all.

Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 pm
Office of Tenebrae
Internationally-respected artist Margriet Tindemans, viola da gamba, joins St. James musicians in the Office of Tenebrae. Experience the purity of one, two, and three soprano voices and the solemnity of men chanting in the darkening cathedral. Among the sublime musical highlights of this year’s Office of Tenebrae are the first and third Leçons de Ténèbres of François Couperin; In monte Oliveti by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, the sublime Miserere mei, Deus by Gregorio Allegri; and instrumental responsories by J. S. Bach and Marin Marais. You do not need a reserved pass for this remarkable evening of beauty and reflection. Free-will offering.

804 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98104
Phone 206.622.3559 Fax 206.622.5303