Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Please join us on Ash Wednesday and each Friday afternoon in Lent, as we unite our hearts in prayer and song with the diverse Catholic faith communities supported by Catholic Extension Society.
Sixth Friday of Lent
Our reflection for the sixth Friday of Lent features Edd Hightower as he performs a powerful rendition of “Walk with Me, Lord.”
Edd is the music director at Sacred Heart in Camden, Mississippi, in the Diocese of Jackson. Sacred Heart offers meals for seniors, outreach to children, and has a health clinic on its campus.
Through the generosity of our donors, we have proudly supported Sacred Heart Church for many years in partnership with the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, a congregation of religious priests.
Fifth Friday of Lent
Our reflection for the fifth Friday of Lent comes from Alex Navas. Alex is among thousands of young adult Catholic leaders our donors have supported with education since the 1960s. He received a Catholic Extension Society supported scholarship to Boston College, and today leads music ministry for his parish.
Fourth Friday of Lent
Our reflection for the fourth Friday of Lent comes from Karen Vega, a young Hispanic lay leader from the Diocese of El Paso.
In the U.S., the majority of Catholics under 18 are Hispanic. We have made a special commitment to invest in the Church’s Hispanic leadership to serve this new generation. This investment has created 50 lay ministry positions in 36 dioceses!
Third Friday of Lent
For the third Friday of Lent, our reflection takes us to St. Michael’s Mission in the heart of Navajo Nation where liturgical worship is steeped in native tradition.
Fanny Bahe joins us from a special ceremonial chapel in the Arizona desert as she leads us in the beautiful Native American prayer of “The Four Directions.”
Over the last 10 years, Catholic Extension Society donors have helped to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of 40 impoverished Native American communities across the U.S.
Second Friday of Lent
Our reflection for the second Friday of Lent comes from Sister Silvia Chacón, who serves at Santa Teresa Parish in Fort Hancock, TX, a small border town located in the Diocese of El Paso.
Sister Silvia is a beacon of hope in Fort Hancock, where half of the population lives in poverty. As the sole staff member of her parish, Sister Silvia fulfills every role required to run the church, even becoming a handywoman to fix pews when needed.
Catholic Extension Society helped build Santa Teresa Parish in 1937. Today, financial support provided by Catholic Extension Society is vital for Sister Silvia to continue ministering to her community.
First Friday of Lent
On this first Friday of Lent, we are honored to share with you a native prayer from Franciscan Friar Ponchie Vasquez, a pastor at San Solano Missions on Tohono O’odham Nation in the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona. Dating back to 1687, this is one of the oldest Catholic mission sites in the U.S. and is a center of social and spiritual life for many living in poverty there.
For more than 50 years, our donors have supported the friars at San Solano Missions in their efforts to make a life-saving difference to the communities around them in dire need.
Ash Wednesday
Thank you for joining us on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. We begin today’s reflection with a song of prayer from Mary Grace Allen, a young adult singer from Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary in the Diocese of Lexington, KY. In 2016, Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary school participated in the Latino Enrollment Initiative.
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Each moment of reflection will be led by our President, Father Jack Wall. Together we will welcome Catholic men and women serving in poor Catholic communities on the margins of American society. We invite you into these opportunities to pray for those most in need and give alms in solidarity with their suffering.
Miss a video in our series? Don’t worry! All of our Catholic Lenten Reflections will remain on this page throughout the season.
