Lenten Regulations
Abstinence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics, ages 14 and older, on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent.
Fasting is to be observed by all Catholics, ages 18 years of age but not yet 59, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those who are bound by this may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted, if necessary, to maintain strength according to one’s needs. The two smaller meals combined should not be greater than the single full meal. Eating solid food (snacks) in between is not permitted.
Those that are excused from abstinence and fasting (outside the age limits) include the physically and mentally ill, including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant and nursing women.
Source: USCCB Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence
Liturgical Schedule
PLEASE NOTE: All Masses will be celebrated in our main Sanctuary. Please enter through Doors B, C, or D. Handicap accessible entrances are located at Doors B and D. Handicap parking is available in Lot A and by Door D. The Sanctuary is equipped with an audio induction loop for the hearing impaired.
Ash Wednesday: February 14 at 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (both with the distribution of ashes)
If you are unable to attend the 9:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. Masses, you may come to the Parish or School Office between 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to receive your ashes from a staff member. For the parish office, please enter through Door A. For the school office, please enter through Door F.
Daily Mass: Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursdays, and Fridays at 9:00 a.m.
First Saturday Mass: Saturday, March 2 at 9:00 a.m. in the main Sanctuary
Weekend Mass: Saturday at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord: Saturday, March 23 at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 24 at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.
Chrism Mass: Tuesday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew
Please note: this is a ticketed event, but will be livestreamed on the Diocese of Grand Rapids website.
Mass of the Lord’s Supper: Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. Please maintain sacred silence as you depart from Mass. PLEASE NOTE: Incense WILL be used at this Mass.
Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament: Thursday, March 28 immediately following the Mass of the Lord’s Supper until Midnight in the Marian Chapel. Please maintain sacred silence. All the faithful are invited to join Fr. Tony and Fr. Weber at 11:55 p.m. for Compline (Liturgy of the Hours). Please arrive silently to the Marian Chapel and no later than 11:45 p.m. if you would like to participate in this beautiful experience. Please use this document, created by Fr. Weber, as a guide to prepare you.
Good Friday Liturgy with Veneration of the Cross: Friday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m. PLEASE NOTE: Incense WILL NOT be used at this Liturgy.
Easter Vigil: Saturday, March 30 at 9:00 p.m. The faithful are invited to join us on the north lawn (outside Door D) for the Lighting of the New Fire at 8:50 p.m. PLEASE NOTE: Incense WILL be used at this Mass.
Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord: Sunday, March 31 at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. ONLY. The 6:00 p.m. Mass will not be celebrated on Easter Sunday. PLEASE NOTE: Incense WILL be used at both the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Masses.
Reconciliation Schedule
PLEASE NOTE: The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered in the Reconciliation Rooms off the Eucharistic Chapel. Please enter through Door C. A handicap accessible entrance is located at Door D. Handicap parking is available by Door D.
Wednesdays, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.: February 14, 21, 28; March 6, 13, 20, 27
Saturdays, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.: February 17, 24; March 2, 9, 16, 23
No Reconciliation offered on Holy Saturday
The Light is ON for You – an Evening of Penance: Thursday, March 14, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Living the Season
Stations of the Cross
Enter through Doors B, C, or D. Handicap parking/accessible entrances by Doors B & D.
Art & Environment Donation
Help beautify our Sanctuary this upcoming Easter and make a memorial donation to our seasonal Art & Environment Fund.
Join our Triduum Choir!
Contact Jane VanHouten, Director of Liturgical Music, if you’re interested in joining us this year: JaneV@StRobertChurch.org
Calendar of Events
February 14: Ash Wednesday
Mass at 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
February 16: Stations of the Cross
6:30 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
February 18: First Sunday of Lent
February 18: Rite of Election (RCIA)
3:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew
February 22: 12 Hour Eucharistic Adoration
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
Sign up for your Holy Hour here!
February 23: Community Meatless Meal
5:00 p.m. in Newminster Hall
RSVP HERE!
February 23: Stations of the Cross
6:30 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
February 24: Parish Newmcomer Dinner
6:00 p.m. in Newminster Hall
February 25: Second Sunday of Lent
February 29: 40 Days for Life
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. outside Planned Parenthood
Sign up for the peaceful prayer vigil here!
February 29: 12 Hour Eucharistic Adoration
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
Sign up for your Holy Hour here!
March 1: Stations of the Cross
6:30 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 2: First Saturday Mass
9:00 a.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 3: Third Sunday of Lent
March 3: First Communion Retreat
1:00 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 7: 12 Hour Eucharistic Adoration
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
Sign up for your Holy Hour here!
March 8: Stations of the Cross
6:30 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 9: KEPHA Men’s Conference
8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Purchase your tickets here!
March 10: Fourth Sunday of Lent
(Laetare Sunday)
March 10: K of C Pancake Breakfast
After the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Masses in Newminster Hall
March 14: 12 Hour Eucharistic Adoration
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
Sign up for your Holy Hour here!
March 14: The Light is ON for You
5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Reconciliation Rooms
March 15: Stations of the Cross
6:30 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 15-16: Teen Disciples Lent Retreat
Click here to register!
March 17: Fifth Sunday of Lent
Art & Environment Memorial Donations Due!
March 21: 12 Hour Eucharistic Adoration
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
Sign up for your Holy Hour here!
March 22: Community Meatless Meal
5:00 p.m. in Newminster Hall
RSVP HERE!
March 22: Stations of the Cross
6:30 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 24: Palm Sunday
Follow Normal Weekend Mass Schedule
March 24: SHINE Rally for Young Disciples
12:00 p.m. at the Three Mile Project
Click here to register!
March 26: Chrism Mass
7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew
(Ticketed Event)
March 28: Holy Thursday
Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 p.m.
Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament
in the Marian Chapel until Midnight
March 29: Good Friday
Liturgy with Veneration of the Cross at 1:00 p.m.
March 29: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 30: Blessing of the Easter Food
12:00 p.m. in the main Sanctuary
March 30: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
March 30: Holy Saturday
Easter Vigil Mass at 9:00 p.m.
March 31: Easter Sunday
9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Mass ONLY
No 6:00 p.m. Mass this Sunday
March 31: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in Eucharistic Chapel
April 1: Easter Monday
Parish and Faith Formation Offices CLOSED
April 1: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
April 2: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
April 3: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
April 4: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
April 5: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in Eucharistic Chapel
April 6: Divine Mercy Novena
3:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
April 7: Divine Mercy Holy Hour
3:00 p.m. in the Eucharistic Chapel
Use the CRS Rice Bowl Lenten calendar daily to pray, fast, give and encounter our global family. Each week includes creative ways to practice almsgiving, which you can donate at the end of Lent to CRS Rice Bowl. Your Lenten alms help people experiencing hunger and poverty in your local community and in more than 120 countries around the world!
Visit crsricebowl.org to learn more.
CRS Rice Bowl
Each Lent, Catholic families across the country unite to put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through CRS Rice Bowl, families learn about how our sisters and brothers across the globe overcome hardships like hunger and climate change, and how through Lenten alms, we have the power to make the world a better place for all. Pick up your CRS Rice Bowl from the Narthex OR make a donation online at https://www.crsricebowl.org/.
CRS Rice Bowl Quick Facts:
1) 75% of your donation supports Catholic Relief Services work around the world.
2) 25% of your gift stays in each US diocese for hunger and poverty alleviation efforts.
3) Rooted in the history of the Eucharistic Congress, CRS Rice Bowl began in 1975 as a way for families in the US to share their blessings with communities experiencing hunger around the world.
Special Resources
Made for Heaven: A Guide for Lent
by Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR
Join Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR—founder of Corazón Puro—on a multimedia Lenten journey inspired by St. Francis. Made for Heaven features stunning original art by Valerie Delgado of Pax.Valerie, along with daily meditations on a passage from scripture, reflection questions, prayer, and space for journaling and notetaking.
Pick up your copy in the Narthex the weekend of February 10/11.
Free weekly companion videos are available at avemariapress.com. You can also follow along right through the SRN Parish App (more details on that below). The series begins on February 14, 2024! Begin the season with a vow of poverty and end at Easter with a heart free from the desert of sin and open to love, serve, and care for others.
On our Parish App
To download the SRN Parish App: the App for Catholic Life Every Day, please visit myparishapp.com.
Daily Video Reflections
Visio Divina: Seven Sorrows
The Catholic Pilgrim
Enjoy these Advent resources, available through FORMED®. To access these resources (and other exceptional Catholic content), sign up for your FORMED® account today! Your access is compliments of St. Robert of Newminster Parish. Visit signup.formed.org and enter our zip code (49301) to select our parish. Contact Teresa Burns with any questions at TBurns@StRobertChurch.org.
Interactive Daily Calendar
Let us guide you through these 40 days with new ideas for each day on FORMED! Please note that new episodes of Daily Bread and Drawing Closer to God aren’t accessible until the day of their release noted in the calendar, but you can simply opt in to email reminders to receive each video directly in your inbox once episodes are released. May God bless you abundantly through these Lenten resources!
Daily Reflections
Each daily reflection is a short video that features Dr. Tim Gray commenting on the daily Mass readings, explaining the Scriptures, and providing you with concrete ideas on how to apply them to your life. Dive deeper into the joys and mysteries of Sacred Scripture with Dr. Gray and enjoy the richness of the liturgical seasons like never before.
Explore the biblical roots of the Eucharist and how the earliest Christians understood it as the fulfillment of many Old Testament promises. Based on Dr. Brant Pitre’s book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, these daily Lenten reflection videos will radically transform your love for the Blessed Sacrament.
Learn and pray with Brother Francis in any of the four seasons offered below!
Season 1: Daily Meditations (New This Year)
Season 2: Lent is a Time to…(Four-part Series)
Weekly Reflections
Fr. John Burns invites you on a pilgrimage this Lent using Return. Fr. John will guide you through the most difficult season of the Church, yet also the most transformative. Are you ready to enter the desert and experience the richness of the Paschal Mystery?
Take a healing journey with Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, as she helps you turn away from what wounds you and toward God who heals you and makes you whole. Each week, Sr. Miriam will lead you to meet the tenderness of God’s mercy, the power of his love, and the restoration of your heart and life as you practice prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and sacrifice.
Resources for Teens
The Search Begins emphasizes why a teen should care to ask life’s tough questions and, ultimately, seek an answer to this most important question: Who is Jesus Christ, and how do I respond to his invitation?
Time and again, the people of God are called to ‘be courageous’ and ‘be not afraid.’ Yet, we live in a time where fear seems to guide our very existence. Don’t miss this exciting series with a special guest each week as we seek to follow Jesus into the wilderness this Lent.
For Parents
Do you ever feel like it’s almost impossible to raise holy kids who love God (and sit still in Mass!) in our modern world? You’re not alone. The Catholic Parent aims to encourage you, as a mom or dad, as you embrace your God-given role to form your family in the richness of the Catholic faith.
Watch The Mission of the Family, a five-episode video series created by the Knights of Columbus, that explores God’s incredible design for marriage and the family. Be inspired by the encouraging stories of spouses and families living out the Lord’s plan for their holiness.
Additional FORMED Resources
In this collection are resources to help the faithful deepen their understanding of various Lenten days, practices, and devotions. You can find resources on prayer, the mystery of Christ’s Passion, the roots of Holy Week found in Judaism, and many things to help guide the faithful through the holiest days in our liturgical year—the Triduum. This playlist includes resources for growing disciples, from preschool to high school!
Triduum: A Spiritual Pilgrimage is a beautiful, 30 minute contemplative documentary. This film cinematically walks through the locations of the Holy Week story, re-presenting the most important days of human history. Immersed in the real and sacred places of the Holy Land, the pilgrim faithful is brought tangibly nearer to the story, the landscape, and the reality of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.