Lent 2025

This page contains the scheduled activities for the Lenten season starting with Ash Wednesday and ending with Holy Week 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, March 5, 2025, during all Masses listed below.

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.

Lenten Fasting and Abstinence Requirements

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 Thursday, March 6, 2025.

  • 8:00am-8:15am Monday through Saturday–Morning Prayer
    • Holy Thursday will be the last morning
  • 8:30pm-8:45pm Monday through Friday (no Saturdays)–Compline
    • Tuesday of Holy Week will be the last night

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 27, 2025, 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, April 18, 2025. 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.

***SCHEDULE WILL BE POSTED IN EARLY APRIL***

Youth Ministry Middle School Lenten Activities

LENTEN BIBLE STUDY – Youth Ministry middle school students will participate in a Lenten Bible Study on Thursdays starting March 6, 2025, at 7:00pm. More details will be forthcoming. Email Amy Bigart, [email protected], to register or with questions. The meeting location will be:

  • Thursday, March 6-School Library
  • Thursday, March 20-School Library
  • Thursday, March 27-School Library
  • Thursday, April 3-School Library
  • Thursday, March 13-Mr. Ghiselli’s room 
  • Thursday, April 10-Mr. Ghiselli’s room 

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 8, 2025.
  • The Day of Recollection for men is Saturday, March 15, 2025.

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 the Pastor’s Lenten Appeal for 2025 will be posted soon. Please note, the links in the picture will not be clickable. You will need to download the PDF file that will also be posted soon.

***Pastor’s Lenten Appeal posted soon.***

Holy Week 2025 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 will be posted below in early April 2025.

Monday of Holy Week, April 14, 2025

Tuesday of Holy Week, April 15, 2025

Wednesday of Holy Week, April 16, 2025

Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025

Good Friday, April 18, 2025

Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025

Easter Sunday Masses, April 20, 2025

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 6:30pm-8:00pm starting March 12th. 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 March 7, 2025 through April 11, 2025
    • 5:00pm April 18, 2025, Via Crucis (TBD) on Good Friday
  • English
    • 7:30pm-8:30pm March 7, 2025 through April 11, 2025
    • 12:00pm-1:00pm April 18, 2025 (TBD) on Good Friday