A Combined Lenten Mission
March 19 - 21
This year St. Raphael Parish, Holy Trinity Parish and St. Joseph Parish are collaborating to present a combined three-night Lenten Mission. The mission presenter each evening will be Bishop Michael Woost. As the Eucharistic Revival inaugurated by American bishops last year on Corpus Christi prepares to enter its second year, Bishop Woost will be our guide. The overarching theme of his talks will be the Eucharistic mystery. Each night he will focus on a different aspect of that mystery: Blessed, Broken, and Shared.
The mission will run from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm on each of three consecutive evenings, from Sunday March 19 through Tuesday March 21. Each night of the mission will be hosted by a different parish:
Sunday, March 19, at Holy Trinity Parish – theme for the evening: BLESSED
33601 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH 44011 (440-937-5363)
Parishioners from all three parishes are invited to gather in the Holy Trinity school gym for Evening Prayer and Exposition of the Eucharist. The night will begin with a procession bringing the Eucharist from the church over to the gym, where it will be placed in a monstrance and set on an altar. There will be time for adoration. Bishop Woost will preside at Evening Prayer within which he will deliver his talk. The evening will conclude with Benediction. Holy Trinity church sits at the intersection of Detroit Road and Nagel Road in Avon. Parking is available in two parking lots off Nagel Road: a northern lot directly behind the church, and a southern lot a block further down Nagel, behind the school. There will be parish volunteers on hand to provide directions to the gym and help with seating.
Monday, March 20, at St. Raphael Parish – theme for the evening: BROKEN
525 Dover Center Rd, Bay Village 44140 (440-871-1100)
Parishioners from all three parishes are invited next evening to gather at St. Raphael Parish for a Communal Penance service. Bishop Woost will lead the service which will include scripture readings followed by his talk. Mission attendees will then have an opportunity for private Confession with one of many priests to be stationed within and adjacent to the church. The main parking lot at St. Raphael can be accessed from Dover Center Road to accommodate all mission participants. There will be parish volunteers on hand to provide directions to the church and to direct attendees to priest confessors.
Tuesday, March 21, at St. Joseph Parish – theme for the evening: SHARED
32929 Lake Rd. Avon Lake, OH 44012 (440-933-3152)
Parishioners from all three parishes are invited to gather for a final mission evening at St. Joseph Parish for celebration of the Holy Eucharist (Mass). Bishop Woost will again be the celebrant, and he will give his talk in the form of an extended homily. A special collection for the poor in our area will be taken up. There will be a parishioner social immediately following the Mass with an opportunity to meet the Bishop. The main parking lot at St. Joseph can be accessed from the north by Lake Road and from the south by Electric Boulevard. Parish volunteers will be present to provide directions to the church and to the social/reception following Mass.
This combined three-night Lenten Mission will provide an opportunity to gather with a couple of our neighboring parishes, to become better acquainted with Bishop Woost, to worship our God in the context of a wider faith community, and to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Eucharist. There will be choirs and beautiful music each night, perhaps the allure of unfamiliar worship spaces, and mementos to take home. Plan to attend all three mission nights, or as many as you’re able. Come experience and celebrate our parish differences and the Eucharist which unites and empowers us all.