Ash Wednesday observance schedule for parishes across Washington County, WI

Washington County, WI – The Ecumenical Community of Washington County has the following Ash Wednesday service(s) available for March 2, 2022.

Saint Frances Cabrini: 8 a.m.  and 7 p.m.

Saint Mary’s Immaculate Conception: 6:15 a.m., Noon and 7 p.m. in Spanish

Holy Angels: 7 a.m. Word Service with Ashes, 8 a.m. Mass with Ashes, Noon Word Service with Ashes, and 5:30 p.m. Mass with Ashes

Holy Trinity, Newburg: 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

St. Peter Catholic Church in Slinger: at 8 a.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. Mass

Resurrection Catholic Church in Allenton: Ash Wednesday Masses at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Good Shepherd Lutheran, 777 S. Indiana Ave, West Bend: Ash Wednesday service at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

St. John’s Lutheran West Bend: Services Wednesday 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

This weekend we begin our immediate preparation for the season of Lent,
which will begin this coming Wednesday, March 2.
Lent is the penitential season in the Church that allows us to prepare for the celebration of the celebration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord.

The Paschal Mystery is central and indispensable to our Faith as Christians. “If Christ had not been raised, our faith would be in vain” (1 Corinthians 15: 17) or, in other words, if there is no resurrection, there is no point to Christianity or to being a Christian.

The good news however is that, in fact, there is Resurrection! At Easter, we celebrate what the Father did for his Son, Jesus, raising him from the dead after the Son had given up his life on the cross. The Father also raised his son in anticipation of what he would do for those who believe in him.

“Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep”
1 Corinthians 15: 17.

Baptism is essentially connected to Easter. Because of the Christ’s Resurrection, we can now be baptized into Christ and thus become members of his body.

The resurrected body of the Lord transcends the limitations of this world. Because of the resurrection and the gift of Baptism, therefore, we can now become his mystical body, a body that is alive and that never dies again. Baptism is then the pledge of eternal life: if we remain members of that one body of Christ in life and in death, we will be members of that one body for all eternity and thus live forever.

“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live” John 11:25.

We have probably heard before that, through Baptism, we become a new creation and, truly, as members of the Body of Christ, we live a new life: the very same life of Christ. In order for us to enjoy this new life as members of Christ, it is necessary that we leave the “old self” behind. The “old self” is all that is not of Christ and does not fit in his mystical body, as Saint Paul explains,

“[…] You should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds […] All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” Ephesians 4: 22-23; 31-32.

Living like a new creation as members of the Body of Christ requires the help of God, of course, and our cooperation. This is why we need the penitential season of Lent, so that we may start to leave the old self behind and begin to put on the mind of Christ through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

May the Lord be with all of you this season of Lent and may he shower you with his grace so that we may become a new creation in Christ who lives for all eternity.