Dear Catholic Deaf Community, Besides the snowy and wintry weather in February, we had two big announcements within the Archdiocese of Detroit. The first one, Archbishop Vigneron, shared a new pastoral note, "No Second Tunic: A Plan for Mission Ready Parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit." You can read the note at www.unleashthegospel.org/pastoral-notes/no-second-tunic. I have included the appendix of this note in this newsletter so you can better understand the drastic changes in population, numbers of priests and parishioners within the archdiocese in the last 24 years and why each of the Families of Parishes need to work together to identify their challenges and discern how they will address them accordingly. The second news is that Pope Francis appointed Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Bishop of the Diocese of Tucson, as the sixth Archbishop of Detroit. Please pray for Archbishop Vigneron and Archbishop Weisenburger as they transition into their new roles. March marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. Fr. Ken will celebrate three Ash Wednesday Masses, and we will pray the Stations of the Cross most Fridays during Lent. Please refer to this newsletter's Lent and Holy Week Schedule flyer on page 5. This is a reminder that Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics from age 18 until 59. When fasting, a person can eat one full meal and two smaller ones. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence from meat (age 14 onwards). Let's offer our fasting and abstinence to the Lord for World Peace, our faith community and our personal needs. "Above all, I urge the members of the Church to take up the Lenten journey with enthusiasm, sustained by almsgiving, fasting and prayer. If, at times, the flame of charity seems to die in our own hearts, know that this is never the case in the heart of God! He constantly gives us a chance to begin loving anew." – Pope Francis (2016) St. John’s Deaf Center Veronica :