Lenten Programs 2023

Please join us for one of these Christian education programs, services, and retreats happening throughout the Diocese of Louisiana this Lenten Season. Contact Karen Mackey kmackey@edola.org for additions or corrections to the list. A blessed Lent to you!

Book Studies | Christian Education Classes | Lenten Devotionals | Stations of the Cross | Lenten Services | Retreats/Quiet Days | Fish Fry/Gumbo Fundraisers

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Christian Education Classes / Workshops

Life Transformed — The Way of Love in Lent
Sundays at St. Augustine’s, 3412 Haring Rd, Metairie
This set of seven Adult Forums ties the Easter Vigil readings to the seven practices of the Way of Love. Drawing on the ancient practice of setting aside Lent as a period of study and preparation for living as a Christian disciple (known as the catechumenate), the forums encourage participants to reflect on salvation history; walk toward the empty tomb; and embrace the transforming reality of love, life, and liberation. As we stand with the three women at the empty tomb, we hear his call to go and live that transformed reality.

Lenten Study: Practicing Compassion
Sundays in Lent at 9:30 am at St. George’s, 4600 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans. Join us for Sunday School conversations beginning Sunday, Feb 26 at 9:30 in the adult Sunday School classroom in the undercroft. “Practicing Compassion with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind” offers a theme each week and daily reflections that you can do at home.

Listening Through Lent
Sundays in Lent at 9:15 am and Wednesday, March 9 at 5:30 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1329 Jackson Ave, New Orleans. Lent is a time to listen–to God, self, others, community, and the world. Join us for a 5-week lenten journey where we will learn, practice, discuss, and apply active and holy listening in our daily lives.

A Lenten Devotional Study for Women, offered by Daughters of the King
Sundays following the Sunday service at Trinity Church, 3552 Morning Glory Ave, Baton Rouge. Lent and Easter are right around the corner, I find this is a great time to “add” a little something. I’m going to facilitate a Zoom group (and an in person group) using Living Well Through Lent 2023, Practicing Compassion with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind and Lent with Saint Clare, Daily Reflections. This is open to all women. The time is scheduled to allow for a variety of time and locations.This includes short, daily readings with invitations for pondering and taking your thoughts a step further into your community. Let me know if you are interested, and I’ll send you an email as we get closer with a Zoom link for those who will meet that way. Readings begin on Ash Wednesday, February 22. First meeting: February 26 immediately following the Sunday Service in the Common Room for 30 minutes of discussion and prayer.

Faithful Dialogs in a Confounding and Complex World
Tuesdays in March at 2 PM at Christ Church Cathedral, 2919 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, led by Dr. David Lowry.

Anti-semitism and the Gospels
Wednesday March 1 and 8 from 6-7 pm at Church of the Annunciation, 4505 S. Claiborne Ave, New Orleans.

The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament): A Jewish Perspective for Christian Listeners
Wednesdays in Lent at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, 1313 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans. Eucharist at 6 pm; Meal and class at 6:30 pm. This class will study significant texts from the Hebrew Bible from both historical and modern Jewish perspectives. We will consider new interpretations of well-known stories from the Torah/Pentateuch, also exploring the Priestly sacrificial system, prophetic visions of social justice, and poetic mythologies. We will discuss what the HB meant for Jews 2,700 years ago, and how these texts remain alive in Judaism today. Jason Gaines, PhD, is a professor of Hebrew Bible at Tulane University, where he is also Undergraduate Director of Jewish Studies. He is co-chair of Jewish Pride New Orleans, an LGBTQ social action organization. He lives in the French Quarter. There will be five classes Wednesdays March 1-29. Our program will include an abbreviated Eucharist to start followed by Lenten light meal to go along with our class discussion and teaching

March 1: Creation Stories in Their Ancient Near Eastern Settings
March 8: The Binding of Isaac: A Rewritten Story
March 15: The Israelite Sacrificial System (Beyond the “ick” factor)
March 22: King David, Master Propagandist
March 29: Amos: The Jewish View of Social Justice

Witness at the Cross
Wednesdays, March 1, 2023 – April 5, 2023 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Grace Church, 11621 Ferdinand St,
St Francisville. Bible Study for Men and Women in Jackson Hall.

Soup and Salvation
6 pm on Wednesdays in Lent meeting at St. Luke’s, 8833 Goodwood Blvd, Baton Rouge. “Walking the Way With Jesus,” based on Brant Pitre’s book, “Introduction to the Spiritual Life.”  Fr. Bryan kicks off the series with the topic of repentance.

Exploring Our Sacred Space in the Journey of Lent
Wednesdays at St. Augustine’s, 3412 Haring Rd, Metairie. Join us on Wednesday evenings beginning March 1 for a simple soup supper, followed by an exploration of the sacred space of our sanctuary. We will explore many aspects, including icons, stained glass windows, stations of the cross, and more, and wonder together: How do they interact with our liturgy, worship, and prayer in our Lenten journey? We will close with a simple Holy Eucharist, with healing prayer available for those who desire it. Soup is served at 6:15 p.m. in Byrd Hall. Program begins promptly at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary and ends by 8 p.m.

Lent Through Music
Wednesdays March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at 6:00 pm at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S, New Hampshire St., Covington. Bill and Sharon Horne will offer an exploration of the meaning of Lent through music, including the spirituals and hymns of the Church, traditional classical masterworks such as Handel’s Messiah, and more recent pieces, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar.

Signs and Symbols of the Church
Wednesdays in Lent at 6:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s, 3643 Aurora Dr, New Orleans.  A light supper will be offered at 6:30, and the discussion will follow.  This is designed to last one hour. 

Lenten Suppers and Who is my Neighbor?
Wednesdays in Lent at Christ Church, 1534 Seventh St, Slidell. According to The Book of Common Prayer, Lent provides us with the opportunity for self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting and self-denial; and to read and meditate on God’s holy word (BCP, p 265).
 This Lenten Season with the help of Episcopal Relief & Development and our Bishop, Shannon Duckworth, you are invited to join us as we meditate on the commandment to love our neighbor and consider the meaning of this fundamental instruction in our daily lives.

Lenten Soup Suppers
6pm on Thursday meeting at St. John’s, 718 Jackson Ave, Thibodaux. Evening Soup Supper beginning February 23. The first program will be given by Grace Guthrie on the important and spirit-filled ministry of hospice care. On the Thursdays throughout March the programs will be led by Sabina Miller, a local artist, storyteller, and folklore enthusiast, and will include wax flower making, painting on slate roof tiles that were blown off in Ida, storytelling, and a demonstration of soap making. This is an opportunity to join together in a casual setting to discover, explore, and share the many creative ways we can join together in the celebration and care of all of God’s creation

A Deep Dive into Romans
Saturday, March 11 from 9:00 AM – 2:00 pm at Christ Church Cathedral, 2919 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, led by Dr. David Lowry

Lenten Devotionals

Who is My Neighbor?
From Episcopal Relief and Development: This Lenten Season, Episcopal Relief & Development invites you to join us as we meditate on the commandment to love our neighbor and consider the meaning of this fundamental instruction in our daily lives. The Rev. Robin Denney, a parish priest and former missionary focused on agricultural development in Liberia and South Sudan, wrote this year’s meditations. Robin’s reflections are poignant and personal and challenge the reader to consider the question, “Who is my neighbor?” More information: https://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/lent/

St. Paul’s Lenten Devotional
St. Paul’s, New Orleans, is offering a 40 Days of Lent downloadable devotional. There’s a practice for you to engage in each of the 40 days. Simply sign up and they will send you a link to download the devotional. You’ll even get an few emails during Lent to encourage you along. https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/Y3gTJnB/lent

Living Well Through Lent 2023 by Living Compass
Practicing Compassion With All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. Churches following this Lenten devotional: St. James, Baton Rouge; St. Margaret’s, Baton Rouge; St. George’s, New Orleans. More information: https://www.livingcompass.org/lent

Lent Madness
Who will win the Golden Halo? The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and  people vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. More information here: https://www.lentmadness.org/

Suffering and Faithfulness: A Discussion Guide for Lent
This nine-page downloadable and printable PDF contains three Lenten-themed articles, each with questions for study and conversation. Churches following this devotional: St. Luke’s, Baton Rouge. More information: https://livingchurch.org/

UTO 40 Days of Gratitude
From the United Thank Offering: Lent is a time of self-reflection, repentance, and fasting in preparation for the great feast of Easter, and UTO will join you on that journey with our 40 Days of Gratitude Challenge. However you chose to join our gratitude challenge this year—via text message, social media or using the downloadable
calendar—we are glad that you’re here. You may be wondering how gratitude belongs in Lent
instead of reflection over past failings, repentance and self-denial? Gratitude doesn’t necessarily
replace those things but it does go alongside them. Any honest self-reflection will bring to mind
things for which to be grateful. Reflecting on past failings will, at the least, make you grateful that
God loves us and gives us second chance after second chance to do better. And self-denial will fill
you with gratitude for the eventual return of whatever it is you are denying yourself of during Lent.
This Lent, we invite you to join us in fasting from ingratitude by noticing all of the small things we
often overlook and give thanks for them. https://unitedthankoffering.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/40-Days-of-Gratitude-2023.pdf

Stations of the Cross

• Wednesday at 5 p.m. at St. Mary’s, 805 First St, Franklin
• Fridays at 8 a.m. at St. Philip’s, 3643 Aurora Dr, New Orleans
• Fridays at 5 pm at St. Matthew’s, 243 Barrow St, Houma
• Fridays at 5 p.m. at St. Martin’s, 2216 Metairie Rd, Metairie
• Fridays at 5:30 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 11621 Ferdinand St, St Francisville
• Friday, March 10 and 31 at 6:00 pm at Christ Church Cathedral, 2919 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans (Followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament)
• Fridays at 6:00 pm at St. Luke’s, 8833 Goodwood Blvd, Baton Rouge

Lenten Services

Lenten Compline
Sunday, February 26 at 5 PM at St. James, 205 N. Fourth St, Baton Rouge

Bilingual Mass
Sunday, March 5 at 5 PM at St. Margaret’s, 12663 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge

Contemplative Prayer
Sunday March 12, 19 and 26 at 5 PM until 5:45 at St. Margaret’s, 12663 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge

Lenten Evensong with the Choir
Sunday, March 12 at 4 pm at Christ Church Cathedral, 2919 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans

Lenten Vigil Fire
every evening in Lent at 6 pm at St. Andrew’s, 1031 S. Carrollton Ave, New Orleans. This Lent we will once again Keep Vigil with our neighbors by lighting Lenten Fires in the front of the church from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday.

Evening Prayer for Lent
Monday-Friday at 4:30 pm at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S. New Hampshire St., Covington

Healing Mass
Wednesdays in Lent at 5:30 pm at St. Luke’s, 8833 Goodwood Blvd, Baton Rouge

Retreats / Quiet Days

Solomon Center Silent Retreat: The Parables
February 24-26 at the Solomon Episcopal Conference Center. This time of renewal will entail preaching on parables from scripture at Morning Prayer, Eucharist and Evening Prayer with lots of silence in between! Led by our very own Father John Pitzer of Trinity Episcopal Church of New Orleans. Plan to check in from 4pm to 6pm Friday afternoon. The event will end after Eucharist on Sunday morning. Registration is $250 per person which includes private lodging and 5 chef prepared meals. This promises to be a weekend to remember. Register here

Lenten Quiet Morning for Men and Women
Feburary 26 from 9 am-12 pm at All Saints Episcopal Church, 100 Rex Dr, River Ridge. The event begins with continental breakfast, followed by the first meditation held in the church.  Following each meditation, during the contemplative times, participants are free to walk the church grounds, including the Miss. River behind the church, or visit the parish hall for snacks.  The morning concludes with Noonday Prayers in the church.  Everyone is welcome to this free Lenten event.

How to Live a Full and Balanced Spiritual Life in the Christian Tradition
Saturday, March 4 from 10 a.m. -2 p.m.Deacon Charles deGravelles will lead a half-day Lenten Retreat at The Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Rosedale, LA from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, March 4, 2023. The theme of the retreat is How to Live a Full and Balanced Spiritual Life in the Christian Tradition. Based on the work of Richard J. Foster, a Quaker theologian, pastor and author, the retreat will explore the six dimensions of faith and practice that define the Christian tradition and how they can fit together to form an enriched and balanced spiritual life. “A full Christian life is grounded in Scripture, prayer, and the sacraments,” deGravelles said, “and is expressed through the Holy Spirit in witness, compassion, and justice. When we spend the time to examine our faith through each of these separate lenses, we can see where we may be coming up short.” The retreat will include talks, group discussion and activity, times for prayer, reflection and journaling. Music will be provided by Dr. David Spruill. Lunch will be included. There is no charge for the event. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to charlesdegravelles@cox.net, and you will be provided with specific directions to the church.

Lenten Quiet Day
Saturday, March 11| 9 a.m.-Noon | Coleman Hall at St. James, 205 N Fourth St, Baton Rouge. On Ash Wednesday, we were invited to the observance of a holy Lent “by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” During this Quiet Day with Mother Lynn Hooks, we will gather for creative experiences of these Lenten disciplines and reflect upon how they nurture our sense of belonging to God and to one another as we approach the mystery of Easter. Please contact the Rev. Dr. Drew Harmon, dharmon@stjamesbr.org, for more information.

Lenten Labyrinth and Art Exhibit at Christwood
* Wednesday, March 8 at 10 am: Volunteer Build and Blessing
* Sunday, March 12 from 11 am – 2 pm: Walking of the Labyrinth
* Sunday, March 19 from 11 am – 2 pm: Walking of the Labyrinth with Harp
Christwood, 100 Christwood Blvd, Covington.
The Lenten artwork exhibit entitled “Meditations on the Sacred and Mundane” will be on display in the Christwood Atrium Gallery from March 7 through April 28.  Featuring thirteen regional artists, it is curated by Peggy DesJardins and Sarah-Sparkman Boyd.  They describe its intent and composition in the following statement: “The sacred, by definition, pervades all dimensions of life.  The sacred appears in myths, sounds, ritual activity, people, natural objects, and everyday life.  The arts can communicate meanings, concepts and feelings where words often fail.  From icons to sacred geometry, to still-life to color-field and more, sacred art uplifts the spiritual, the sublime and the mundane.” The opening reception for the artwork exhibit will be held in the Atrium Gallery on March 11 from 4:30 to 6:30pm. The Lenten artwork exhibit in the Atrium Gallery is coupled with an outdoor labyrinth, designed by Peggy DesJardins and constructed on a hillock near the Christwood Atrium.  A labyrinth walk is scheduled for March 12 from 11:00am to 12:30pm.  Another labyrinth walk accompanied by harp music will be held on March 19 at 2:00pm to 3:30pm. In addition, the public is invited to participate in a labyrinth build on March 8 at 10:00am, with a rain date of March 10.  The labyrinth, constructed of local, natural and organic materials replicates the design on the floor of the Notre Dame du Chartres Cathedral in France.  It is a 62-foot, 11-circuit labyrinth. Ms. DesJardins, who frequently leads Lenten discussions about labyrinths, explains that they are known to be an historical, spiritual and meditative prayer tool, dating back to the 1200s. Ms.Sparkman- Boyd, Chair of the Christ Episcopal School Fine Arts Department, has served on the Artist Advisory Board of the St. Tammany Art Association, and she also sits on the Christwood Atrium Gallery board of directors. Artists featured in the Atrium Gallery Exhibit include:  Babette Beaullieu, Barbara Brocato, Anita Cook, Paulo Dufour, Inga Clough Falterman, John Hodge, Shirley Masinter, Maggie McConnell, Nick Pechon, Mary Jane Parker, Francie Rich, Matthew Schoen, and Jaclyn Warren. Some 40 works will be on display.

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Fish Fry / Gumbo Fundraisers

Gumbo Lunch
Mondays in Lent from 11 am-1 pm at St. John’s, 718 Jackson St, Thibodaux. Gumbo Lunches are served every Monday during the season of Lent. Lunches are $12, and proceeds help support Good Samaritan Food Bank.

Gumbo!
at St. James, 205 N Fourth St, Baton Rouge.
March 3: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Take-Out & Drive-Thru Pickup)
March 24: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Dine-In, Take-Out, & Drive-Thru Pickup)
Bishops Hall at St. James Episcopal Church (Corner of Florida St. and North Fourth St. in downtown Baton Rouge)
More information and pre-orders: https://stjamesgumbo.square.site/

Fish Fry Fundraiser
Fridays in Lent from 11 am to 3 pm at Historic St. Luke’s, 1222 N Dorgenois St, New Orleans

Fish Fry
Friday, March 10 starting at 5 pm. Lenten Fish Fry at Christ Episcopal Church, 1534 Seventh St, Slidell. The cost is $10/plate.

Fish Fry
Friday, March 10 and March 24 from 5-7:30 pm at All Saints, 100 Rex Dr, River Ridge. 3 pieces of fish, potato salad, coleslaw, French Bread, Brownie. Curbside Drive-Up Service available for to-go orders! Sodas and bottled water available for purchase

Fish Fry Fundraiser
Friday, March 31 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 6249 Canal Blvd, New Orleans

Gumbo to Go
Fridays in Lent from 11 am-1 pm at Church of the Holy Communion, 5804 Court St, Plaquemine

Leanten Seafood Gumbo
Fridays in Lent from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 726 Maple St. Denham SPrings

Gumbo to Geaux
Fridays in Lent from 3-6 pm at St. Mark’s, 3245 Manhattan Blvd, Harvey. Shrimp and Okra Gumbo and Chicken and Sausage Gumbo