 We pray because we are in need. We pray because we love. We pray because we are thankful. How will you pray this year?
Filling out a Prayer Commitment Card is an opportunity to commit yourself or your family to a deeper prayer life this year. The cards will be collected and placed at the alter of the three churches of our Parish. Prayer Commitment Cards are available at all three churches and can be turned in by Sunday, March 7. You can also make your commitment online: English: https://www.catholiclaporte.org/prayer-commitment-english.html Spanish: https://www.catholiclaporte.org/prayer-commitment-spanish.html
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MEDITATION: "'This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.'" These words spoken by God the Father in our Gospel reading for this Second Sunday of Lent have been echoed and repeated throughout Sacred Scripture, especially in the Gospels. The same words were spoken at the Baptism of our Lord. Our Blessed Mother likewise urged us to "do whatever he tells you (Jn. 2:5)." These instructions require great faith. We are not told what God is asking of us; we are simply told to listen to Him in all circumstances. How do we do this? God is willing to give us the grace to obey Him wholeheartedly if only we ask for it. All the saints of the Catholic Church's two thousand year history have exercised this obedience to God's will. The Blessed Virgin Mary obeyed God when she said, "I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word (Lk. 1:38)." St. Boniface obeyed God when he went to preach to barbarian tribes in Germany; St. Francis of Assisi obeyed when God asked him to repair the Church; St Teresa of Calcutta obeyed when she was called to found the Missionaries of Charity. Each is a shining example of obedience to God and to His commands. They all trusted that God had a greater plan for them than anything they could ask for or imagine. And because they knew that God loved them, they trusted that his plan for them, even if it involved suffering, was for their good, because God loved them. Use this Lenten season to grow closer to the saints in prayer and friendship. Through them we can draw closer to Christ and seek to know His will for us. PRAYER: "Of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face from me (Ps 27(26):8-9)." ~Entrance Antiphon 2nd Sunday of Lent Do you want to learn more about the lives of the saints? You can subscribe to Franciscan Media's Saint of the Day here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Deacon Bob's ordination into the Diaconate of the Diocese of Gary. We have put together the following video to express our heart-felt love and thanks for his years of dedication and service. Please take the time to watch it and, if you wish to leave Deacon Bob a note, please do so in the comments section below. God Bless you, Deacon Bob. And may you have many more years of service with us.
Meditation: Our Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent shows Jesus doing two things. First, he is tempted by Satan in the desert. Second, he begins his mission of proclaiming the Gospel message. Isn’t it consoling to know that Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, also endured temptations? Oftentimes the devil tempts us into thinking that, because we have fallen prey to temptations, God does not love us. He tells us that we are not worthy of God's love and should just give up trying to follow the narrow road of the Cross. In response to the lies of the devil, however, Jesus reminds us that He was also tempted, He also suffered at the hands of men, He also was rejected, He also was ignored, and ultimately, He gave up His own life for us in the timeless sacrifice of the Cross. The fact that Jesus was tempted and suffered on earth encourages us to continue following him. And how do we follow him? We listen to and live out His words, "Repent, and believe in the Gospel." Jesus asks us to repent of all the sins we have committed and all the temptations that we have given into, and to return to Him in love. We cannot return to Him, however, unless we develop a relationship with Him. That relationship begins with prayer. Without prayer, we cannot hear Jesus telling us to repent, we cannot hear Him consoling us in times of trials, we cannot feel Him strengthening us against temptations. St. Paul tells us, "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess. 5:16-18)." If we learn to pray constantly, with the help of God, we can overcome temptations and remain always in the friendship of God. Let us strive to develop a deeper prayer life this Lenten season, a prayer life which will sustain us in all circumstances in life. Prayer:
"The Lord will conceal you with his pinions, and under his wings you will trust (Ps 91(90):4)." -Communion Antiphon, 1st Sunday of Lent.
Why is personal prayer important? What does a daily prayer life look like? Listen to some parishioners from LaPorte Catholic Church give their personal prayer testimonies (in both English and Spanish). May you be inspired by these words to embark on a life of daily prayer, growing closer to Our Lord.
Parish-wide Prayer Vigil at St. Joseph, February 27th, 9am-3pm
There is an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord as we pray with our parish community. LaPorte Catholic Church is gathering at St. Joseph on February 27th, 9am-3pm for Adoration and prayer. The vigil will begin after 8:30 am Mass and end with Benediction at 3pm. It will be both live and will be streamed online at Facebook Live. Whether you can commit to coming in person or you join us online as we livestream, we want to join together as a community of faith to pray. Follow the link below to commit to some time in prayer.
Meditation: "Repent and believe in the Gospel." How many times have we heard these words uttered as the priest takes his thumb and marks our foreheads with the Sign of the Cross? Although the distribution of ashes will happen in a different way this year, the meaning of these words and the significance of the ashes can never be altered by a pandemic. Ash Wednesday ushers in the penitential season of Lent. In the Old Testament, sackcloth and ashes were donned as a sign of repentance from sin and a return to the Lord. The ashes we receive are a reminder that we have sinned against God and are entering the season of Lent for the specific purpose of reorienting our lives toward Him. The ashes themselves are the burned palms used from Palm Sunday the previous year. On Palm Sunday, Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem by its rejoicing people; five days later they were calling for his crucifixion. How many times have we claimed to be followers of Christ, only to turn our backs on him when following him becomes dangerous or unpopular? The ashes remind us of our past failures to obey God and follow Christ, but not to inspire fear or despair in our hearts. "Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment" (Joel 2:13). God asks us to repent and return to him by expressing sorrow for our sins and trusting in his mercy. Let us never forget that Christ died on the Cross out of love for us. May this season of Lent reawaken in us the knowledge of God's love, and prepare us to participate fully in the sacred liturgies of the Paschal Triduum. Prayer:
"You are merciful to all, O Lord, and despise nothing that you have made. You overlook people's sins, to bring them to repentance, and you spare them for you are the Lord our God (Wis. 11:24,25,27)." -Entrance Antiphon, Ash Wednesday From a excerpt during online Adoration, join Fr. Ian Williams as he speaks about drawing closer to our Lord in Adoration. Parish-wide Prayer Vigil at St. Joseph, February 27th, 9am-3pm There is an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord as we pray with our parish community. LaPorte Catholic Church is gathering at St. Joseph on February 27th, 9am-3pm for Adoration and prayer. The vigil will begin after 8:30 am Mass and end with Benediction at 3pm. It will be both live and will be streamed online at Facebook Live. Whether you can commit to coming in person or you join us online as we livestream, we want to join together as a community of faith to pray. Follow the link below to commit to some time in prayer. Schedule for Eucharistic Adoration at LaPorte Catholic Church
If you cannot make it to our upcoming prayer vigil, there are always opportunities for Adoration at LaPorte Catholic Church. Below is our current Adoration schedule: - Monday - Friday 7:00 am Eucharistic Adoration at Sacred Heart and on Facebook Live - St. Joseph Adoration Chapel 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Call office for more details 219-362-9595)  Welcome to the blog for LaPorte Catholic Church. It is named "Good News" because we are called to share the Gospel message, the good news, of Jesus Christ. This is one way we will be doing just that - a means to reach out to our parishioners and the larger community. This will be a place to share good news, prayers, reflections, homilies, and creative projects produced by the terrific people of our parish. It is our hope that what we post here will be a help to you on your journey of Faith, draw us all closer together as a community, and bring us into a deeper relationship with Christ.
- May the peace of Christ be with you. |
Welcome to LaPorte Catholic ChurchWe praise God that you are here with us today. We pray for the opportunity to no longer call each other strangers, but friends. Together, we seek to be a Eucharistic people centered in the love of Christ. We strive to share the love that we’ve received from God through serving others. May the Lord bless us with the courage and grace to be the hands and feet of Jesus for all. To receive blog updates and Parish information, sign-up here:
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At this time, Online Giving is available for Sacred Heart Church only.
To Mail in your financial support, please make a check out to your home Parish and mail it to:Sacred Heart Church
201 Bach St LaPorte, IN 46350 Thank you and God Bless you for your continued support of our three Parishes.
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Our parish food pantries participate in the Kroger Community Rewards program. If you shop at Kroger Foods a portion of your sales are rebated back to our Sacred Heart and St. Joseph food pantries. To Participate, click on the Kroger logo and sign up. Our NPO number for Sacred Heart is GU841 or for St. Joseph is 10524. Or if you need assistance contact Karen Burns at 362-7990 or email: burns102@comcast.net.
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