Dear friends in Christ, Last month, I was blessed to spend time with my family and friends in Guatemala. While there, I visited a few churches and prayed for our community and needs. A candle was lit for our intentions, especially for those who need healing, whether it is physical, mental or spiritual health. I appreciate your prayers that kept me and brought me safe home. Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent. The Lenten Season is an opportunity to get to know Jesus better and to walk with Him during His last days on earth. Matthew Kelly poses to the readers in his book Rediscover Jesus the question: “How well do we know Jesus?” We might think we know Jesus well, but is this true? How do we get to know a friend better? We make time for them; we talk and share our feelings, thoughts, fears, successes, and more. We call them, we visit them, we might write a letter or send a gift. The more time we dedicate to our friendship the stronger it could become. So, how can we strengthen our friendship with Jesus? We need to spend more time with Him. Watching a movie about His life or the Saints can help us learn more about His love, His care and His Divine nature. Reading the Bible or a religious book can help us deepen our faith. Visiting Him more often in the Eucharist or in Adoration and spending quiet time with Him. It will require for us to set time aside for Him, and away from the noise of our work, our home, our TVs, our computers and social media. Just like Jesus went into the desert to be away from the noise, we need to need to quiet down our minds to be able to hear His voice. To help us prepare for this “quiet time” and to spend more time with Jesus, we are offering Adoration at 11 am on the following Fridays: March 1, March 15 and March 22 at St. John’s Deaf Center. Friday, March 8 adoration will be from 3:30-4:30pm before the Fundraiser Spaghetti Dinner. Day of reflection with Fr. Mike on March 9 from 9:30 am -4:30 pm (see flyer for registration information). Please see the Holy Week Schedule announcement and plan on join us, and Jesus, for these events. Stay blessed, and let us “be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am Holy." (Leviticus 19:2) , Veronica