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Greetings and blessings, sisters and brothers in Christ;

Shrove Tuesday is just around the corner. We celebrate it by having our traditional pancake supper. It is quite a festive occasion. There are multiple pancake flipping stations set up in the library where stacks upon stacks of pancakes are skillfully prepared in anticipation of a full house. As the people come through the door, they are given Mardi Gras beads that add colour and joy to the event. It is an all you can eat affair. Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Historically it was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast. 

As we all know, Lent is a forty day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It is a solemn and intentional time of preparation leading up to the beauty of Easter Sunday. 

 In the past, I have encouraged you to take on something new during Lent rather than give up something you love. This still applies. However, this year I am also encouraging you to actively fast. I am asking everyone in the congregation to prayerfully give up something for Lent. My hope is that this small sacrifice will be spiritually beneficial and will facilitate a deeper connection to the divine. 

Christ Church Anglican is on the cusp of its 164th Lenten journey. Each one has been unique. During this time the world has seen much change and upheavals. The one thing that has remained constant is Christ Church itself and its faithful people. As is written in Hebrews 12:1 “ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” My prayer is that you remember that you are indeed part of that great cloud of witnesses. Each one of your Lenten experiences will be like a single strand of finely spun silk, woven together to create a new Christ Church Lenten tapestry. Let us move forward prayerfully, with purpose and on purpose. Our first step begins on Ash Wednesday. See you all then. 

Que Dios los colme de bendiciones y alegria hoy y siempre

John+

March 2025