Weekly Update from Fr. van Dooren 2.20.26
Dear brothers and sisters of our Little Church family,
Welcome to Lent, the Church’s ancient forty day fast in preparation for the celebration of Easter! In modern times, the Lenten customs have been much alleviated and less strict than in former times, but the season remains an active and life-breathing time for Christians the world over. Please make every effort to gather this Sunday as we begin our Lenten journey as a parish.
This upcoming first Sunday in Lent will greet us with many changes in the liturgy and ornamentation of the church. I hope to review some of these in the sermon, but I want to highlight, in this update, the first Lenten custom that will greet us at the beginning of the mass: The praying of the Great Litany. It is long, detailed, and requires a bit of stamina to pray, but it is yet another way that our faith holds us accountable to remember all sorts and conditions of people in our prayers. And if prayer leads to action and response, blessed be this long prayer!
Litanies as forms of prayer are very old, dating from before the fourth century, and for a long time constituted a major part of the congregation’s participation in the Mass. The Great Litany in the Book of Common prayer derives from the first English litany, compiled by Thomas Cranmer in 1544, drawing from the Sarum rite, the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and a Latin litany composed by Martin Luther. For much of the history of the Anglican Church, the use of the Great Litany, in the season of Lent has been required.
This Lent, the Adult Education Committee will lead a discussion of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis on Thursday evenings at 7:00-8:00 PM on Zoom. Please email Grace Kobryn (gkobryn@littlechurch.org) to receive the Zoom link. We recommend this modern English translation by Peter Northcutt. Our first meeting will be on Thursday, February 26th.
We will honor the devotions of the Stations of the Cross and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on the Fridays of Lent beginning next Friday, February 27th at 6:30pm. Both devotions are prayed within the frame of an hour. I recommend these devotions as possible additions to our Lenten disciplines.
Please join us this Sunday, February 22 at 4 pm for a special concert featuring Benjamin Bradham, pianist performing Music of Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. Suggested donation is $20 at the door.
We’ve so enjoyed partnering with the Flatiron NoMad Partnership for Flatiron NoMad Glows Pink, a free public art experience featuring Mr. Pink throughout the neighborhood. Mr. Pink is a playful, larger-than-life artwork by French artist Phillippe Katerine, designed to bring color, joy, and creativity to public spaces. Explore illuminated Mr. Pink Art installations, plus weekly tours, a self-guided art trail & special neighborhood perks. For more information, please click here. You can also pick up a postcard in the back of the church to view the map of the art trail. Please note this is the last full week to say hi to Mr. Pink in all of his locations and take part in the promotions!
The Holy Rosary will be prayed in the Family chapel at 9:30am this Sunday. We will pray the Sorrowful mysteries as we being the first week in Lent.
We continue to live-stream each Sunday’s mass at 11:00am, and a link is sent out each Sunday morning at 8:00am. We live-stream on Facebook and YouTube. Please email the parish office (parishoffice@littlechurch.org) if you would like to pray the morning and evening offices with us by Zoom.
Thank you for your continued faith, support, and love for the parish.
Fides Opera
With loving wishes,
Fr. van Dooren