Lent Comes Early to Rye's Church of the Resurrection

For the first time ever, Lent –that traditional Roman Catholic season of penance, faith and abstinence -- has come early to Rye’s Church of the Resurrection thanks to PREP, the Parish Religious Education Program. During Lent, the Roman Catholic Church urges all the faithful to reflect a spirit of penance in their daily life through performing acts of fast and abstinence. But this year PREP decided to start Lent early.

Starting today (Wednesday, March 2)  PREP is initiating is Resurrection’s first ever opportunity for a Lenten head start on prayer and meditation on Wednesdays in conjunction with the Lenten season.

All interested parties in the Rye community are invited to participate in the Lenten program that starts today in the Resurrection Middle School in front of the chapel. The program runs from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

“Come and go as you please; stay for a few minutes or the entire time,” reads the program announcement. “We will recite the Rosary, the Chaplet of Mercy, and sit quietly for Centering Prayer during the hour. We will gather to pray for our Parish, our school, our religious education program, our families, the sick, the un-and-under employed, Resurrection’s late pastor Msgr. Patrick Boyle (who died last week after a two year battle with cancer) and our private intentions.”

The program time is meant to accomodate parents dropping off their children for religious instruction at Resurrection to take time out from their busy lifestyles for prayer and meditation, according to Thomas Roche, PREP director and one of the originators of the new program.

“The harried moms are usually among the disenfranchised when it comes to taking out time for prayer and meditation,” Roche said. “This gives them the chance to take a prayerful, meditative time out in their busy lives to be alone with themselves and God among like-minded individuals,” he said.

The program is also meant as way for the entire community to take time out for prayer and meditation during the Lenten season.

“This is a great opportunity to pray as a community and develop the practice of regular prayer,” Roche said.

Msgr. Edward D. O’Donnell. Resurrection’s acting pastor, and Father Joseph Lim, Parochial Vicar, praised Roche and key members of the laity for coming up with the idea.

“It is really an outgrowth of Resurrection’s Adult Faith Committee meetings,” said Roche. “That and the regular Thursday Bible Study meetings. Those meetings are led by dedicated Rye parishioners like Sally Beers, Patty Hart, Colette Dempsey and Emily Saunders. 

“Those meetings led to a greater focus on prayer and meditation and what it means in our daily lives. And from that study of prayer came the idea for the Wednesday prayer services,” he said. ”And depending on the interest, we may even bring in a guest speaker to discuss contemplative and centering prayer and present a workshop along those lines.”

Lent traditionally begins on Ash Wednesday, this year on March 9, when ashes are distributed at several morning Masses and at various times through the day and evening (see complete schedule at end of story).

Traditional Ash Wednesday services will be held on March 9; ashes will be distributed at the 7, 8 and 9 a.m. Masses, at services at noon and 3 and 3:50 p.m. and at the 7:30 p.m. Mass.

Further information: Church of the Resurrection, 910 Boston Post Rd.; phone: 967-0142; www.resurrectionrye.com, or Thomas Roche, PREP director, phone: 925-2754. The special Wednesday Prayer Services will take place in the chapel of the Resurrection Middle School, 946 Milton Rd.