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^ I ij Jp n The Sou ☆ Diocese of Savannah Vol. 80, No. 9 ☆ hem Ooss i piaso mb 2^>m^ Diocese of Savannah $.50 PER ISSUE Thursday, March 2, 2000 Contents Headline Hopscotch 2 News ‘ 3 Commentary 4-5 Catholic Schools 6-7 Faith Alive! 8-9 Notices 10-11 Last But Not Least 12 Karen Martinez is signed with ashes as a symbol of Lenten peni tence at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Savannah. Ash Wednesday falls on March 8 this year. Diocese forgives $76,562 in parish debt Savannah ishop J. Kevin Boland has announced the forgiveness of certain parish debts owed to the Diocese of Savannah, as part of the celebration of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. The criteria included the status of the parish (as a mission or as subsidized), the ratio of debt service to income and annual rev enue (less than $100,000). Parishes meeting one or more of these criteria were considered. A total indebtedness of $76,562 was forgiven the following parish es or missions: Albany Deanery: Saint Ann, Alapaha; Immaculate Conception, Moultrie; Saint Michael, Montezuma; Holy Family, Blakely; Saint John Vianney, Camilla; Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery: Saint William, Fitzgerald; Saint Francis of Assisi, Folkston; Saint Joseph, Jesup. This forgiveness was granted, in the words of Bishop Boland, “to help them to proclaim the Gospel more meaningfully, without the burden of debts that absorb the majority of their resources.” A Letter from Bishop Boland Our Lenten Journey Lent, 2000 My Dear Friends in Christ, ope John Paul II has noted that the celebra tion of Lent during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, “takes on a particu lar character,” for the sea son of Lent is “the culmi nating point of the journey of con version and reconciliation which the jubilee, the year of the Lord’s favor, offers to all the faithful, so that they can renew their fidelity to Christ and proclaim his mystery of salvation with renewed ardor in the new millennium.” The jubilee is “the time of grace in which we are invited to open ourselves in a particular way to the mercy of the Father, who in the Son has stooped down to man, and to reconciliation, the great gift of Christ.” Lent is officially described as the season of “purification” and “enlightenment.” While Lent is a 40-day spiritual retreat intended in the first place for those elected for baptism at the Easter Vigil, the whole Christian community is invited to accompany them on their spiritual journey. No matter how long ago the members of the com munity were baptized, all are invit ed to be purified again and enlight ened anew in preparation for the great feast of Easter. How might we enter most fruit fully into the Lenten journey dur ing this Jubilee year? Perhaps we should break this formidable jour ney down into the individual jour neys that make it up. A Liturgical Journey We can enter into the Lenten liturgy at the deepest level by par ticipating in the liturgies of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday, and in those of the Easter Triduum: the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Liturgy of the Passion and the Easter Vigil itself. I invite all members of our dioce san family to consider being present for the Rite of Election to be cele brated at Saint Teresa Church, Albany, at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, and at Saint James, Savannah, on Sunday, March 12, at 3:30 p.m., as a sign of their solidarity with the elect who are preparing for baptism this Easter. The Holy Father has expressed his desire that this jubilee year should be “intensely Eucharistic.” While the Easter Season is the great time of “mystagogy” or reflection on the sacramental life, and therefore the most appropriate time for Eucharistic devotions, such as Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Lent can be a very fit ting time to prepare for such devo tions. In this spirit, the Diocese of Sa vannah is also offering a selection of materials, called “The Fullness of the Eucharist,” for group reflec tions during Lent or at another appropriate time, in order to heighten the awareness of Christ’s great gift of the Eucharist, in which “the memory of his Passion is cele brated, the mind is filled with grace and the pledge of future glory given.” The program Muchos Rostros (“Many Faces”) is also commend ed to the parishes for possible use during Lent. It aims at fostering a deeper appreciation of the diversity of our Catholic family of faith, united in the one Body of Christ, which is the Church. We have long appreciated the Irish, French and African American contributions to our diocese and in recent years, we have welcomed Hispanic, Vietna mese, Filipino and Korean Catholics as well. For more infor mation, contact Father Mike Smith, (Continued on page 4)