The time is going by quickly! Can you believe that Lent begins this Wednesday, March 2? If you haven’t thought much about what you’ll do for Lent this year, here are some things to think about. Lent is a season in the Church year when Catholics prepare for the celebration of Easter. We’re invited to renew our baptismal promises, reject Satan and all his empty promises and pledge anew our commitment to follow Christ more closely. We work at transforming our lives so that we can be more authentically Christ-like, and as a result, experience a true joy, peace and spiritual integrity.

With all the tensions and injustices going on in the world, the prevalence of contentiousness in our society and the call by Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel to “love your enemies and do good to those who hate you,” (Luke 6: 27) I offer this prayer for our enemies that comes from the Our Sunday Visitor “What the Church Teaches” pamphlet (P4) entitled, Praying for Peace and Protection.

The recent headlines describing difficult negotiations over the standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine, prompt me to encourage you to pray now in a special way for peace. At the conclusion of his weekly General Audience at the end of January, Pope Francis asked the faithful "to pray for peace in Ukraine, now and throughout this day." It was January 26, when he called for an international day of prayer for peace as Russia had amassed troops along its border with Ukraine.

As part of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Pastoral Planning Process, parish lay leaders and staff members are undertaking a self-examination of how Holy Family Parish should carry on its mission in the years ahead with a renewed emphasis on evangelization. A parish pastoral plan writing team has begun looking at areas of strength and need for growth within our parish. Presently, the team has proposed a Vision Statement that will help us all - parishioners and staff members - focus our mission, and guide us to identify areas that will help us better fulfill it.