A Lenten Mission at St. Lawrence

Fr. Salinas preached the need for Catholics to receive Christ’s forgiveness through the Sacrament of Confession, quoting Scripture “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them.” —John 23:20 MICHAEL BRENDAN DOUGHERTY On Tuesday night nearly two hundred souls lined up to confess their sins during a parish mission at St. Lawrence O’Toole Church in Brewster.

The “night of reconciliation” was part of a week-long program put together by St. Lawrence O’Toole’s pastor, Fr. Robert McKeon, to help his parishioners prepare themselves spiritually during the season of Lent, which began last week on Ash Wednesday, and ends with the celebration of Easter on April 4.

For the next 40 days, Sundays excluded, many local Christians will try to observe the penitential season of Lent through the three practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving as a way to prepare for Easter.

For this year’s Lenten mission, Fr. McKeon invited the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal to give inspiration talks, hear confessions, and say Mass for his congregation. The grey-robed Friars are men who take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and live as a community. They follow the “Rule of St. Francis”—a code of living developed by the beloved Italian saint. The Friars, along with the Sisters of the Renewal, run several charities for the poor in the Bronx and Harlem.

On Monday evening, Brother Isaac gave a talk on the power of the sacraments to transform lives. Catholics believe that, once consecrated by the priest, the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, commonly called the Eucharist. He listed the many benefits of receiving the Eucharist worthily.

“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” said Brother Isaac, quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “ You can have this new life now, Jesus wants to give you this new life now. “

On Tuesday another of the Friars spoke on the need for forgiveness, preaching from the Gospel of John and the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. “This woman came to the well when she knew no one would be there, because she was ashamed. Her reputation preceded her,” said Fr. Salinas, “until she had this encounter with Christ, one that you can have this very night.” He urged parishioners to return to the sacrament of confession, even if they had been away for many years. “If you’ve forgotten how, it doesn’t matter, the priest will help you,” he said.

“The priest is a man, just like you or I, but authorized to make God’s forgiveness present to you right now,” Fr. Salinas said. The friars emphasized that sacramental confession would free a soul from guilt, shame, and fear. The friars, along with Fr. McKeon, heard confessions well into the evening, with over 100 penitents standing in lines.

Fr. Robert McKeon said he believes the mission is going well for him, too. “These brothers and sisters are humble, but, being Franciscans, they are also prophetic,” he said. “I get the added benefit of having dinner with them each night.”

The mission will conclude on Thursday with a Mass in honor of the Virgin Mary starting at 7:30pm.

The church is located at 31 Prospect Street in Brewster.