Lent 2024

This page contains the scheduled activities for the Lenten season including two Days of Recollection (one for men and one for women) as well as resources to strengthen your spiritual commitment during this time.

Scroll down or click on one of the following links for more information.

Ash Wednesday

While Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation, it is still an important day in the Church calendar as it marks the start of Lent and our season of sacrifice and spiritual preparation to joyously celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. This year, Masses will be celebrated, and ashes distributed, on Wednesday, February 14th, during all Masses listed below.

  • 6:30am
  • 8:15am
  • Noon
  • 5:00pm
  • 7:00pm
  • 8:30pm (Spanish)

Please make a concerted effort to attend one of these Masses to prepare yourself for the season. Confession and Adoration are suspended due to Ash Wednesday Masses. No OCIA.

Lenten Fasting and Abstinence Requirements

FASTING-Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting for Catholics.  When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal and two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. For Catholics, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. 

ABSTINENCE-Ash Wednesday, All Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday are days of abstinence. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon Catholics from age 14 onwards. No meat is eaten on days of abstinence.     

For more information on fasting during Lent, visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s website at http://j.mp/2UE6ubX.

Liturgy of the Hours

We invite you to join us in praying the Liturgy of the Hours during Lent. Download the app “IBreviary” for free and you will find all the prayers there. The book “Shorter Christian Prayer” is also available in bookstores should you want a paper book. The parish will have some books for use in church. Below are the times for Liturgy of the Hours starting February 15th through Saturday, March 23rd.

  • 8:00am Monday through Saturday–Morning Prayer
  • 8:30pm Monday through Friday (weeknights only)–Night Prayer
    • No night prayer on Monday, February 19th, due to President’s Day holiday

Divine Mercy Sunday & Novena

The Octave Day of Easter, or the Sunday after Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday. Saint John Paul II established Divine Mercy Sunday as a feast day for the entire Church in 2000. Just as we prepare for Easter during Lent, we should also prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 7, 2024, especially by doing works of mercy. This day, chosen by Christ, is a day of extraordinary graces—a complete outpouring of His mercy upon all who approach Him with great trust and expectant faith.   

Jesus promised St. Faustina that anyone who would receive Holy Communion in the state of grace on the Sunday after Easer would, “obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment” (Diary 699). That means not only forgiveness of our sins but also the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin.

In preparation for Divine Sunday, our Divine Mercy Cenacle members have generously volunteered to lead the praying of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy during the nine-day Novena beginning on Good Friday, March 29, 2024. Saint James will hold a special Holy Hour on Divine Mercy Sunday at 5:00pm.

Come join us in praising and thanking God for his unfathomable mercy. Given the liturgical schedule, it won’t be prayed the same time every day so below is the schedule for each day for the Novena.

Youth Ministry Middle School Lenten Activities

LENTEN BIBLE STUDY – Youth Ministry middle school students will participate in a Lenten Bible Study on Thursdays, February 15-March 21 from 6:30pm-7:45pm. Students are asked to bring $8 to the first meeting for the bible study book, “Luke: the Good News of God’s Mercy.” Bring a bible, notebook, and pen. Deadline to register is February 11th. email Amy Bigart, [email protected], to register or with questions.

Days of Recollection

The men and women of Saint James are invited to a Day of Recollection during the sacred season of Lent.

  • The Day of Recollection for women is Saturday, March 2nd
  • The Day of Recollection for men is Saturday, March 9th

Both days will follow this schedule:

  • 8:30am   Parish Mass
  • 9:00am   Breakfast (Monsignor Heller Hall-Door 13)
  • 9:45am     Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament/First Reflection
  • 10:15am    Silent Prayer/Confessions
  • 10:45am    Second Reflection
  • 11:15am    Silent Prayer/Confessions
  • 11:45am    Benediction
  • Noon Lunch (Monsignor Heller Hall-Door 13)

The fee for the day is $20, if you want breakfast and lunch, otherwise the event is free. Call the Rectory office before dropping off payments which can be made in any of the following ways:

If you should have any questions about these Days of Recollection and to register, please contact Julie Marx at [email protected]. Please write “Lenten Retreat” on checks and online payments.

The Days of Recollection are open to all Saint James’s parishioners.

Pastor’s Lenten Appeal

Lent is a time to grow closer to Christ through prayer, fasting, and Almsgiving. To help guide you, Father Scalia has created the “Pastor’s Lenten Appeal”.  He has given suggestions on how to know, love, and serve Christ more deeply this Lent. Print this guide for your use.

Below is the Pastor’s Lenten Appeal for 2024. Please note, the links below are not clickable. For a printable version and links that are clickable, click here.  

Holy Week 2024 Schedule

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week will have our normal 6:30am, 8:15am, and noon Masses.

A printable version of our Holy Week schedule, as well as Lenten Confessions and Stations of the Cross schedules can be printed out, click here.

Monday of Holy Week, March 25

  • 6:30pm-8:00pm Confessions

Tuesday of Holy Week, Apr March 26

  • 6:30pm-8:00pm Confessions

Wednesday of Holy Week, March 27

  • 9:00am-11:00am Confessions
  • 12:30pm-6:30pm Adoration ends early
  • 7:00pm-8:00pm Tenebrae Service
  • Confessions will follow Tenebrae

Holy Thursday, March 28

  • 7:00pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper (English)
  • 7:00pm Misa de la Cena del Señor (gimnasio) (español)
    • These will be the only Masses on this day
    • No Adoration or Confessions

Good Friday, March 29

  • 9:30am 11:30am Confessions
  • 12:00pm 1:00pm Stations of the Cross (English)
  • 3:00pm Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
  • 5:00pm Vía Crucis (español)
  • 6:30pm   Veneración de la Cruz

Holy Saturday, March 30

  • No 8:30am or 5:00pm Masses
  • 9:00am Blessing of the Easter Baskets and Egg Hunt
  • 9:30am-11:30am Confessions
  • 7:45pm Easter Vigil Mass (Earlier start time as of March 13, 2024)

Easter Sunday Masses, March 31

Lenten Confessions

To see our other confession times, click here.

Just a reminder that The Light Is on Confessions continues Wednesday evenings during Lent. The initiative is a partnership with the Diocese of Arlington and the Archdiocese of Washington to encourage the Sacrament of Confession by offering additional hours during Lent. On Wednesdays, Confessions will continue to be offered 7:00pm-8:00pm starting February 21st through March 20th). To see our regular confession schedule, click here.

To download Confession resources, visit https://thelightison.org.

See Holy Week schedule on this page for the Confessions schedule during Holy Week.

Stations of the Cross

Stations will be held every Friday during Lent. Click here to learn more about the Stations.

  • Spanish
    • 6:00pm-7:00pm February 16th March 22nd
    • 5:00pm March 29th Via Crucis
  • English
    • 7:30pm-8:30pm February 16th-March 22nd
    • 12:00pm-1:00pm March 29th