Thank you to the 267 parishioners who voted in ourelection for Parish Pastoral Council last weekend. I am pleased to announce that the following parishioners have been elected to a three year term: Susan Barcinas, Millie Koulopoulos, Alan Slattery, and Charlie Robichaud. Thanks also to all the candidates who ran for the PPC this year. Your dedication to the parish is much appreciated.

   Don’t give anything up for Lent! Instead, try giving of yourself! Our Lenten journey calls us to prepare for the renewal of our baptismal promises at Easter. Those promises include loving and serving the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. If giving up a favorite food item or bad habit will lead you to that, then great! However, if you plan to go back to eating that pint of Haagen-Dazs while chain smoking as soon as Easter roles around then you’ve missed the point! Lent is a time to deepen commitments to God and neighbor. The Lenten traditions of “giving up” are not ends in themselves. This isn’t an endurance
contest here. This is much more serious and much more life-giving!  As the earth renews itself in the coming spring, let’s let this  Lenten springtime be a time of renewal for us as well. In nature, the mud and rains of March are necessary for the glory that blossoms forth in April and May. Trudging through the “mud” of our lives and letting God’s rain of mercy, forgiveness and compassion flow over us will lead to the blossoming forth of great things within us, our parish and our communities.