Our Lenten Lineup is a collection of Lenten activities, opportunities and resources to help you Listen to the Lord and Live in God’s Light this Lent!
▶︎ View our Weekly Lenten Reflection Guide
▶︎ View our 2024 Holy Week Schedule of Services
Support Our
Lenten Food Drive
Your food donations will be supporting Blessed Maria Gabriella Church, Union Baptist Missionary Church, and the food pantries and programs of our Lincoln Park and Old Town Catholic Parishes.
▶︎ Saturday, March 23rd
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
I.C. Church Parking Lot
Learn More:
Parishioners | School Families
Make a Meal for a Migrant Family
Volunteers are needed to make meals at your home and drop them off at the ICSJ on Wednesdays before 12 noon. All meals will be delivered to Madonna House, which supports migrant women and children who have been victims of domestic abuse.
▶︎ Sign up for a date to Make a Meal
▶︎ Volunteer for meal delivery
▶︎ Donate to ICSJ’s Migrant Response Fund
▶︎ Learn more our Migrant Ministry
Explore Life,
Faith and Meaning with Alpha
Alpha is a series of interactive gatherings where guests have the opportunity to explore life, faith and meaning in a friendly and inviting atmosphere where no question is seen as too simple or too complex. Alpha is run all around the globe, and everyone is welcome to participate regardless of religion and level of faith.
▶︎ For more information, visit our Alpha page
Join Our
Women’s Scripture Study Group
Join us for Opening Your Heart, a women’s scripture study group that will take you on an exciting journey closer to the heart of God, help you form a personal relationship with Christ, and help you find answers to life’s biggest questions through the context of the Catholic faith.
▶︎ Learn More/Register
Reflect with
Word on Fire
Word on Fire offers reflections from Bishop Bob Barron who is an author, speaker, and theologian. Bishop Barron was born and raised in Chicago and is now serving in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He has great insights into the Lent scriptures.
Pray and Reflect with “Lifted up in Love”
Henri J.M. Nouwen, one of the most beloved spiritual thinkers of the 20th century, wrote from the heart about the great love of Christ lifted up for us on the cross. Excerpts from Nouwen’s inspiring insights are paired with original reflections and prayers in this booklet for each day of Lent, as we come to experience more fully the everlasting compassion of God shown to us in our Savior.
▶︎ Copies are available at our two churches
Attend
Weekday Masses
This Lent, consider attending morning Mass at St. Joseph Church as part of your own Lenten devotion and personal commitment to prayer. It’s a great way to begin your day and keep you focused. It could be your private pilgrimage for the 40 days that takes you to Holy Week and Easter.
▶︎ Monday, Wednesday and Friday
9:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Church
▶︎ Monday thru Friday
8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon at St. Michael’s Church in Old Town
Download the
Hallow App
Join Word on Fire’s Bishop Barron on Hallow, the #1 Catholic app in the world. Meditate on the Daily Gospel, Bishop's Sermons, Rosary, and more!
Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Without forgiveness, we have no future or hope. We get stuck when we hold on to grudges. We are paralyzed, we stop taking care of and seeing one another. It’s a painful and difficult way to live. Hope is here for us this Lent. Even if it’s been years since you went to confession, come and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent. It’s good medicine for your heart, mind and soul. Our priests will welcome you with open arms and an understanding heart!
▶︎ Saturday March 16th
12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
St. Joseph Church
4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Immaculate Conception Church
Pray with our
Prayer Connection Community
Join the ICSJ Prayer Connection community as they pray the Holy Rosary and for intentions that have been submitted to the group. The group prays either individually or together during their daily Holy Rosary Zoom gathering. You can participate as little or as often as you'd like. Beginners and those that would like to learn about the rosary are welcome!
▶︎ For more information and to receive the Zoom link, Email Angela at agore@icsjparish.org
Take Time to Journal Your Spiritual Thoughts
Journaling your spiritual thoughts during Lent provides a dedicated space for reflection and introspection on the journey towards Easter. It allows you to explore your relationship with God, delve into the significance of repentance and renewal, and discern how to live out your faith more fully. Journaling can deepen your spiritual practice, fostering a deeper connection with God and a greater sense of purpose in your journey of faith.
From Ashes to Glory,
A Virtual Lenten Retreat
Dan Schutte, a well-known Catholic songwriter and musician, will be offering a virtual retreat that will include twenty-one video reflections. Each video reflection will feature a song for prayer. The reflections will be available from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday. Just download the retreat workbook/journal. You will be able to access the reflections whenever and as often as you want.
▶︎ Learn More
Pray Along With the Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross will be prayed on the Wednesdays of Lent at 6:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church.
▶︎ Wednesday Evenings
During Lent
6:30 p.m. at I.C. Church
Reflect and Pray
at Fr. McBrady’s Morning of Reflection
Take time to reflect and pray after Easter. Join Fr. McBrady and Elly Rodriguez for a reflective morning this Easter season. Watch the website home page, weekly bulletin and weekly email newsletter for more information.
▶︎ Saturday, April 13th
Immaculate Conception Church
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
Throughout Lent, 4-year-old to 3rd Grade children are welcome to join one of our ICSJ school teachers for Children’s Liturgy of the Word at 9:30 a.m. Mass at IC Church. During the beginning of Mass, children will hear the Word of God, pray with friends, and do a small craft related to the Gospel. Children return to their parents' pews after the Prayers of the Faithful. Give it a try!
Meditate with
Word Among Us
The Word Among Us offers daily meditations based on the Mass readings, inspirational essays, and stories of the saints. The mission of The Word Among Us is to assist people in reading, meditating on and understanding scripture and to provide sound, practical advice for Catholics on the living out of the Christian life.
Become a
Liturgical Minister
Are you called to proclaim the Word of God? To distribute the Holy Communion? To welcome God’s people to church? Become a liturgical minister this season to deepen your Sunday Mass experience.
▶︎ Please email Angela at agore@icsjparish.org if you are interested in joining
Focus Your Prayer with Praying
From The Heart
Often people can feel restless when they try to block out time to pray. They say that their mind rapidly wanders from one thought to another and it’s hard for them to calm down and stay focused. Try the “Praying From the Heart” form attached below. It is a nice, simple tool.
Participate in our Parish Service Day at our Sharing Parish
All are invited on Saturday, February 17th, from 10:30am-12:30pm to join in for a day of service at our sharing parish, Mother of the Americas. We will be helping perform a deep clean of their social center located at 2412 S. Albany Avenue. This is a great service project for individuals, groups or families. Hope you can join us!
▶︎ RSVP today by contacting Allie at aklazura@icsjparish.org.
Additional Resources
What are you Giving up for Lent?
The point of giving something up, of fasting, is to cultivate the inner life. When we fast, we realize how truly dependent on God we are. We open our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to God’s love in our lives. We look at the ways that we need to grow, and dedicate ourselves to becoming a-better-version-of-ourselves. And when we make ourselves available to God, incredible things can happen. That’s what can make Lent so powerful.
Lenten Regulations on Fasting and 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.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, 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 upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection.