February 10, 2021
Dear St. James Parishioner,
May the peace of Christ be with you.
As the season of Lent approaches, I want to share with you some of the activities available to the Catholic Community of Bartlesville during this time of prayer, fasting, and alms giving. There will be numerous opportunities, in which you can engage, either online or in person, in order to enrich your faith.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17. Mass times at St. John will be 7:00 am, 8:15 am (school only), noon and at 7:30 pm in Spanish. Mass at St. James will be at 7:00 pm. We will be following diocesan guidelines to offer ashes in a pandemic-safe way. This is a day of fasting and abstinence from meat, as are all Fridays in Lent.
Friday evenings during Lent will offer multiple opportunities. St. James and St. John will celebrate together as a community beginning at 5:00 pm with the Knights of Columbus Drive-thru Fish Fry behind Fr. Lynch Hall. If you want to stay for Holy Hour and Stations of the Cross you can eat your to-go meal in Fr. Lynch Hall. Due to COVID-19 concerns there will not be table service and you will be required to “bus” your own table, OR you can go home, eat and return to join us for Holy Hour at 6:00 pm and stay for Stations of the Cross at 7:00 pm at St. John. Spanish Stations will be at 8:00 pm. Stations of the Cross will be held at both parishes on Good Friday at 3:00 pm. Visit the St. John webpage for a link to online Stations.
Wednesdays we will have Holy Hour/Adoration and confessions after Mass at 5:15 pm. Just as a note – all daily Masses at both parishes continue throughout Lent.
Join Deacon Kevin Sartorius, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, as he leads our one-night Lenten Mission “Forgiveness - Maintenance or Major Repair” on Tuesday, March 2, 7:00 pm at St. James.
Four priests will join us for a come - and - go Lenten Reconciliation Service scheduled for Tuesday, March 16, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at St. John. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed as well to allow time for prayer. A Spanish Penance Service will be held on Thursday, March 18, at 6:00 pm followed by Mass at 7:00pm. Confessions will be available after Mass as well.
The Easter Triduum will look a bit differently this year; again we will celebrate as a community. Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, will be held at 7:00 pm at St. John. We will wash the feet of parishioners from both parishes. Good Friday Service, the Passion of Our Lord and Holy Communion, will commence at 7:00 pm at St. James. Spanish services on Holy Thursday and Good Friday are at 8:30 pm at St. John.
Join us for the Bilingual Easter Vigil at St. John at 8:30 pm. Easter Sunday Masses will be the usual times at both parishes – 9:30 am at St. James and 8:00 am and 10:30 am at St. John, as well as Spanish Mass at 1:30 pm. All of our Triduum services will be live streamed for those who are not prepared to return to live services.
Last but not least, Formed.org has a vast array of videos, articles, etc. to help you along your Lenten journey too. And it’s FREE. If you don’t already have an account you can go to the Formed.org website and they will walk you through it. If you need assistance please call the office.
I invite you to join Fr. Carlos and I in prayerful reflection during these next few days; “What might God be calling me to for Lent?” You are in our prayers – thank you for yours.
Fr. John O'Neill, Pastor
Fr. Carlos Loaiza, Associate Pastor