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Thank you to all who have given to the Annual Appeal thus far, helping to sustain and support the charitable works of our Archdiocese. In mid-March I will give you an update on our parish participation. I ask you to make your Annual Appeal gift online using the website give.adw.org - click here or on the image below, or scan the QR code below with your phone's camera to access the donation page. Thank you for your generous response.

For the full Lenten schedule, read the Rector's Lenten Letter or visit our

Lent 2021 webpage.

New Silent Sprinkling of Ashes. Ash Wednesday is next week, February 17. Given the continuing pandemic, ashes will be distributed at the Cathedral according to new Vatican instructions calling for a silent sprinkling of ashes on the head rather than imposition on the forehead. Read Deacon Bart Merella's article, "Ashes Symbolizing Lent," for a look at how ashes came to signal the beginning of our Lenten journey, and in particular, the historical development of the "sprinkling" of ashes similar to that now called for by the Vatican.

Five Masses on Ash Wednesday. On February 17, Masses with the distribution of ashes will be offered at 7am, 9:30am, 12:10pm (Cardinal Gregory, with cantor; interpreted for the deaf, Archdiocese of Washington YouTube livestream), 5:30pm (with cantor), and 7:30pm (Spanish, with cantor). All Masses will be open to the public (150-person capacity), and the 12:10pm Mass will be livestreamed. Distribution of Ashes will not be available outside of Mass.

New Cathedral Virtual Stations of the Cross. This year Stations of the Cross videotaped in the Cathedral will be made available on the Cathedral You Tube channel beginning on Ash Wednesday. St. Matthew's traditionally has celebrated Stations in the form adopted by Pope Saint John Paul II. Our Virtual Cathedral Stations of the Cross take a new approach, using prayers and readings prepared by St. Matthew's clergy. Watch and pray with Fr. Benson, presider, on Ash Wednesday, Fridays of Lent, or whenever you wish to make this devotion. For interesting background, see Deacon Merella's updated website article, "Origins of the Stations of the Cross."

Lenten Confessions. Confessions continue to be heard by appointment in the North Conference Room. Call the rectory office at 202-347-3215 to make an appointment, leaving your phone number, and one of our priests will return your call. Social distancing is maintained for Confession. 

Lenten Prayers for Our Seminarians. Our participation in the Vocations Tree this year also is virtual. Choose a seminarian online at the Archdiocese of Washington Virtual Vocations Tree sponsored by St. John Neumann Parish, and download his prayer card to print at home. Make it a Lenten offering to pray for the men called by God to serve the Church of Washington.

Simple Lenten Meals and Lenten Almsgiving. Join us online on Fridays of Lent, 6:30 to 7:30pm, to hear from local organizations that practice acts of charity and learn about their mission. It's also a chance to practice Lenten almsgiving to support their good works. On Friday, February 19, Br. Saud Aslam speaks about the Brothers of Charity and the local ministry he leads with the Fatima Community, which provides a home to build inclusive communities of hospitality, sharing and caring with homeless persons. Contact Kallie Aultman if you have questions.

St. Matthew's Virtual Lenten retreat on Saturday, February 20, 10am to Noon, will focus on the many ways we continue to experience darkness in our lives, and the invitation and opportunity presented by the season of Lent to name that darkness and develop habits of moving into the life and light of resurrection even now. This two-hour virtual retreat will include prayer, preaching, music, and Scripture, led by Redemptorist Fathers James Wallace, Francis Gargani, and Philip Dabney. Read more about the retreat and our leaders. 

Our 2021 Virtual Lenten Lecture series focuses on the three pivotal spiritual practices for our personal and communal Lenten journey of faith: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Go deeper with our presenters into these three forms of expression of interior penance, which for Christians are said to express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. Our own Theresa Prymuszewski, Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation, kicks off the series on Tuesday, February 23 at 7pm with "Prayer as Awesome Glory." Get the Zoom link and plan to join us.

Local Black Catholic History. An article by Dr. Stephanie Jacobe on the history of Blessed Martin de Porres Chapel and St. Augustine Church, produced from the Archdiocese of Washington Archives, notes that St. Matthew’s had as many as 700 Black Catholic parishioners just before the Civil War. Read the article published this week in the Catholic Standard.

Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita. In his video reflection posted on Monday, February 8, the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, Fr. Hurley tells of the tumultuous life of this Sudanese woman sold to slave traders at the age of 7. Watch the video and learn more about St. Josephine, the patron saint of Sudan and of human trafficking survivors.

Black Saints, Blesseds and Venerables. Our Social Justice Committee often celebrates Black History Month jointly with the Hospitality Committee, with fellowship and refreshments to go with talks, movie screenings, prayers and discussions. Instead, this year volunteers profile a series of Black men and women who have been canonized or are on the path to sainthood. Learn about Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first-known black Catholic priest in the U.S. following his ordination in 1886.

The Black Family. In honor of Black History Month, our parish will cohost with St. Augustine Catholic Church a virtual celebration of the Resilience of the Black Family, and the importance of art in spirituality, on Sunday, February 21 at 2:30pm. The featured speaker is Dr. Akili R. Anderson, a local African American artist and professor of visual art at Howard University. Contact Lydia Clegg for details.

Mark your calendars for Lenten music, and plan to join us for two Sunday afternoon organ recitals before spring. These events are free and open to the public, with social distancing and face coverings required in the Cathedral. The recitals also will be livestreamed on the Cathedral YouTube channel.

Contact Thomas Stehle, Pastoral Associate for Liturgy and Director of Music Ministries, for more information.

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