Lent at St. James Cathedral

Did you know that the word ‘Lent’ is an Old English word—a variation on the word “lengthen”? Lent is very late this year, so we’re quite aware that the days are lengthening and that spring is about to spring!

Most of us will welcome spring with open arms – especially after that bitter cold snap in late January and early February. Wouldn’t it be great if we welcomed Lent as warmly as we welcome spring! Lent, of course, means penance and self-denial and most of us are not overly attracted to such things. I know I’m not. But penance and self-denial can be paths to deeper growth and freedom, and the Church’s time-tried Lenten program is all about growth and freedom. And there are plenty of offerings here at St. James to make this Lenten pilgrimage a rich and grace-filled experience. Let me mention a few.

PRAYER. The most important prayer we have is, of course, the Sunday Mass we celebrate here together in the Cathedral. If we were to do nothing more this Lent than to actually be at Mass each Sunday and to participate fully, actively, and consciously in the Mass, we would be doing something almost guaranteed to help us grow in faith and in our relationship with Christ and with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. But we needn’t stop there. Lenten weekday Masses are also a wonderful way for deepening our walk with Christ during this holy season.

Other Lenten prayer possibilities might include making your family prayer at meal times—or your morning and evening prayers—a little less rote and a little more intentional; or taking some time each day to read and reflect prayerfully on a passage from one of the Gospels. And there are some wonderful prayer opportunities at the Cathedral, too: Sunday afternoon Vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the Stations of the Cross on Mondays and Fridays; and joining in Adoration after Mass on Thursday mornings.

Still one other opportunity for prayer this Lent is to pray for our “Elect” who will be baptized and confirmed and receive the Eucharist for the first time at the Easter Vigil. You can find their names in the bulletin. This can be a wonderful way of reaching out to our newest members, supporting them along their journey of faith. And it’s something absolutely everyone can do!

FASTING. The church is wise in reminding us that fasting can help put us in closer contact with Jesus who willingly accepted suffering and even death in order to show the depth of his love for us. What better way to draw close to Jesus than by freely denying ourselves some of life’s comforts? And what better way to draw close to the suffering people of the world—the hungry, the homeless, the hopeless—than by tasting, even in a small way, their cup of suffering?

And here’s another way of reaching out to those who are hungry and homeless. Why not volunteer to help out at the Cathedral Kitchen or to take a turn helping to prepare and serve our Sunday morning breakfast? These are great ways to be in solidarity with those who experience a “forced fast” every day. If you are interested, contact Patrick Barredo.

ALMSGIVING. The Rice Bowl is a really good way to turn fasting into a work of Christian love. Think what will happen this Lent if you make the Rice Bowl your table centerpiece and then put into it each day or each week the money you have saved by eating a little more simply than usual. On Holy Thursday, when we invite all of you to bring forward your Rice Bowls at the offering moment of the Mass, you will see in a powerful way how people who take Lent seriously can make a difference not only in their lives but in the lives of hungry people in our world.

My friends, this Lent of 2025 takes place in a Jubilee Year whose theme is Pilgrims of Hope. I will have the privilege of leading 100 of your fellow parishioners on a pilgrimage to France and Italy from March 10-20. We plan to bring all of you along with us in our prayer, and I ask for your prayers as well. Please be a part of this pilgrimage by sharing your own intentions for us to carry with us (visit the Cathedral website to submit your intention), and by following each day’s adventures on social media.
It was at our baptism that we got the ‘passport’ for our pilgrimage, and it is our baptism that calls us to walk the Lenten journey with Jesus. May we walk the journey together, each of us a pilgrim of hope!

Father Michael G. Ryan

Download this guide to Lent in .pdf format here

Prayer During Lent

MASS The Sunday and weekday Masses of Lent are the ideal way to grow closer to the Lord Jesus. The scriptural readings for are particularly rich in their ability to inspire and challenge. Weekday Masses are at 8:00am daily, and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 12:10pm.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS is a wonderful Lenten tradition in the Church. There are two opportunities to pray the Stations each week: on Mondays following 12:10pm Mass, and Fridays following the 8:00am Mass. On Sunday, April 6, Cathedral youth readers will lead the Stations of the Cross following the 12 Noon Mass. The Cathedral’s Stations of the Cross are the work of Joan Brand-Landkamer, inspired by French artist Georges Rouault.

MENTAL HEALTH STATIONS OF THE CROSS Presented by the Mental Health and Wellness Ministry, Stations of the Cross with a focus on mental health concerns will be held after the 12:10pm Mass on Friday, March 28.

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 4pm.

CONTEMPLATIVE EVENING PRAYER On Friday, March 7 at 6:30pm, you are invited to join in contemplative evening prayer with the music of the ecumenical community of Taizé, France.

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Each Thursday during Lent, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will follow the morning Mass and continue until 9:30am, with rosary and time for quiet adoration.

THE RICE BOWL is a wonderful way to grow in solidarity with the millions in our world who lack the basic necessities of life. Rice Bowls are in the vestibules of the Cathedral. Daily reflections available at www.crsricebowl.org.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION This Lent, there are many opportunities to celebrate the sacrament of God’s mercy. Confessions are heard every Saturday from 8:30am-9:30am. Our communal celebrations of the Sacrament of Penance will be Saturday, April 5 (time TBA), and Monday, April 7 at 7:00pm.

ST. LUKE AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD Thursday evenings, March 6, 13, 20, 27, and April 3; 7:00pm, Cathedral Hall. Please join a five week Lenten study of the Gospel of Luke. We will examine its portrait of Jesus as the Christ who fulfills the messianic promises of the Old Testament, while establishing the Kingdom of God on earth and proclaiming salvation for all. This Scripture study is a wonderful way to draw closer to God in preparation for Easter by coming to better know His Son through the story of His life, death and resurrection. Tara Simons, presenter, is a teacher and writer who has her M.A. in Catholic Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and did her doctoral studies in Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. Information and registration, 206-654-4658 or jsimpson@stjames-cathedral.org.

Pilgrims of Hope
Parish Pilgrimage to France and Italy

This Lent, Father Ryan will lead a group of 103 pilgrims on a journey of prayer in France and Italy. The group will visit holy places in Normandy and Paris, before heading to Rome for the Jubilee, processing through the Holy Door and celebrating Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Please join the pilgrims virtually by following along with the pilgrimage each day on the Cathedral’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

At each stop along the way, the pilgrims will pray for our parish community. A book of intentions will be carried at each Mass and placed on the altar of the holy places the pilgrims visit. Be a part of the pilgrimage by sharing your intention for Lent and for the Jubilee Year. In a special way, you are invited to mention the names of deceased loved ones for whom the pilgrims can pray in Rome. Submit your intention via the Cathedral website.

MUSICAL PRAYER THIS LENT

University of Notre Dame Men’s Glee Club
Saturday, March 8 at 8:00pm

The iconic Notre Dame Glee Club, on their Pacific Northwest Spring Tour, offers a program of sacred music that includes Renaissance and contemporary motets (including Franz Biebl’s beloved “Ave Maria”) as well as hymns and spirituals. Tickets ($0-$50) & more information, visit https://www.stjames-cathedral.org/music/concerts.

OPUS 7 VOCAL ENSEMBLE AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: HEAR MY PRAYER
Saturday, March 15 at 8:00pm

Opus 7 performs a Lenten concert of profound music for choir and orchestra by Eastern European and Scandinavian composers as a musical prayer for hope and perseverance; comfort for those who grieve and those who are fearful; and peace and justice in Ukraine. Tickets ($15-$60)* & more info: https://opus7.org/.

CAPPELLA ROMANA and 45th PARALLEL UNIVERSE: REQUIEM FOR THE FORGOTTEN
Friday, March 28 at 7:30pm

Requiem for the Forgotten by Frank La Rocca for choir, organ, and strings commemorates the displaced and the homeless, championing the inherent dignity of every person. The program opens with the a cappella Mass for Double Choir by Josef Rheinberger (1839–1901), who dedicated it to Leo XIII, a pope known for his advocacy for social justice. Tickets ($15-$58)* and information, https://cappellaromana.org/concert/requiem-for-the-forgotten/.

MEDIEVAL WOMEN’S CHOIR: PENITENTIA
Saturday, April 5 at 8:00pm

Lent is a time for reflection upon human frailty, sorrow for our sinful nature, and the desire to make amends. There is a rich tradition of song that reflects this medieval reality, inspiring believers to repent and guiding them on the path towards salvation. Full of beauty and pathos, this is some of the most profound music in the medieval canon. Tickets ($30; St. James parishioners free at online ticketing) and information, https://medievalwomenschoir.org/events/.

THE OFFICE OF TENEBRAE
Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00pm

The name Tenebræ (the Latin word for "shadows") was originally given to the ancient monastic services of matins (celebrated after midnight) and lauds (celebrated at dawn) of the last three days of Holy Week. Tenebræ today is celebrated in many different forms, which can include the chanting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and the gradual extinguishing of candles and other lights in the church to signify the darkness that overshadowed the earth at Christ’s crucifixion. The loud noise, or strepitus, at the conclusion of the service suggests the earthquake described in the Passion narratives. The single candle left burning is the symbol and promise of Christ’s triumph over death and darkness. The Cathedral Cantorei will sing Palestrina’s setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the sublime Miserere mei, Deus by Gregorio Allegri, as well as plainchant psalmody. Father Michael G. Ryan, presider.

Tre Ore
Friday, April 18 from 12pm-3pm

We observe the traditional Good Friday devotion of Tre Ore (“Three Hours”) in which we remember the last words of Christ proclaimed from the cross. These brief exclamations from Jesus alternate with movements from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and meditations by Father Paul Janowiak, SJ, on the Seven Last Words of Christ. Stabat Mater is sung by the women of the Cathedral Cantorei with the Cathedral Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Adam.

OCIA 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 those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil:Leonor Aparicio ▪ Brian Appelman ▪ Shay Appelman ▪ Paris Counter ▪ William Demoraes ▪ Charlie Glaser ▪ Vinnie Glaser ▪ Dora Gyarmati ▪ Jared Ilg ▪ Thomas Nolan ▪ Alston Prater ▪ Karan Verma ▪ Lindsey Vigo ▪ Pam Vilonza

Youth Elect:
Liam Kimble

Please visit the Place of Prayer near the Cathedral font and pray for our Elect each day during this season of Lent. As Easter draws near, you are invited to write a note telling our Elect of your prayerful support.

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

RITE OF ELECTION We begin a season of intensified preparation by celebrating the Rite of Election on Saturday, March 8. 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 at the 10:00am Mass on March 23, 30, and April 6.

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. Ash Wednesday is March 5, 2025. Good Friday is April 18, 2025.

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.

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