Devotions

​Pope Francis has decreed a Year of St. Joseph December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021. During this year Catholics have the opportunity to obtain a special plenary indulgence. There are many new ways that Catholics can receive an indulgence, including entrusting their daily work to the protection of St. Joseph the Worker or reciting the rosary with their families. These acts must be accompanied by sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions (usually one Our Father, One Hail Mary and One Glory Be), which are the usual conditions to obtain any plenary indulgence.
​To learn more...

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Eucharistic Adoration
The greatest gift to our church is the Real Presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. The Christ we receive in the Eucharist at the Table of the Lord is the same Christ we meet in our brothers and sisters. That same Christ is present to us as we adore the Blessed Sacrament.
St. Francis has a 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration Chapel located in our bell tower to provide parishioners the opportunity to spend private time in Adoration of the Eucharist.

"Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, he is to be honored with the worship of adoration...to visit the Blessed Sacrament is ...a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord."

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1418
Rosary
The Rosary is prayed the first Saturday of every month communally.

Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed Tues, Wed, Thurs after morning Mass in Church.

Stations of the Cross
​Stations of the Cross may be prayed at any time by reflecting on the images on the wall of our worship space. St. Francis offers opportunities to pray the Stations of the Cross communally on Fridays during Lent. 
3:00 pm - Stations
7:00 pm - Stations 
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Lent
Lent is a period of preparation and fasting for Easter. It originally was a time of preparation for those to be initiated at the great feast of Easter – the Easter Vigil. Those already baptized freely joined with those to be initiated as a sign of solidarity and prayer.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (Sundays are excluded) and is for 40 days in imitation of Jesus Christ's fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry.  

Lenten Fasting & Abstinence
​Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence. The norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding  from age 14 onwards. Those that are excused from fast and abstinence outside the age limits include the physically or mentally ill, including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant or nursing women.
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The term “Lent” is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning Spring. It is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation of Easter. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican Council II stated, "The two elements which are especially characteristic of Lent — the recalling of baptism or the preparation for it, and penance — should be given greater emphasis in the liturgy and in liturgical catechesis. It is by means of them that the Church prepares the faithful for the celebration of Easter, while they hear God's word more frequently and devote more time to prayer" (no. 109).

At the Easter Vigil, the most important liturgy, Mass, of the entire year is celebrated during which the Elect (those in the RCIA process) are initiated into the faith, and all Catholic renew their baptismal commitment to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. So Lent invites all of Catholics to consider how they are living out their baptismal commitment and together prepare to renew their
commitment through prayer, fasting and works of charity.