Lent Obligations & Practices

During the Lenten Season, many Catholics like to follow the ancient and valuable tradition of attending daily Mass and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We are fortunate to be in close proximity to a number of Catholic parishes with a variety of Mass and confession times during the week. For your convenience, the schedules of our neighbors are given here. Blessed Lent!

Here's a Mass schedule for local area churches.

If you are still looking for some guidance for Lent, please contact Darrin Nelson, Director of Evangelization & Formation.  Darrin can be reached at dnelson@stmaryswatchung.org or 908 756-6524 x15

So that the Church of Metuchen may be spiritually one in a common observance of Lent, the following days of fast and abstinence are to be observed by all Catholics of the Diocese who enjoy the blessings of good health:

1. The days of fast and abstinence are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

2. All other Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence.

3. The obligation of fast applies only to Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59. Fasting in the Catholic tradition means to limit oneself to one full meal and two smaller meals which together are not equal to a full meal, so as to experience hunger.

4. The obligation of abstinence applies to all Catholics who have reached the age of 14. Abstinence in the Catholic tradition means to abstain from meat

"While many people use Lent as a way to better themselves (through giving something up), the Lent season isn’t really supposed to be about us at all. Rather, it’s a time to reflect on what Jesus did. And it’s meant to be a time of self-sacrifice, denial, and repentance..."  Lent is "about deciding to turn our focus back to Christ, and finding ways to grow in relationship with him, be more like him, and follow him better.  This doesn’t mean we should skip giving up something for Lent, of course. Giving up something for Lent is still a great practice!"  1

If you are looking for things to do during Lent, we invite you to participate in one (or all) of our Lenten Activities (see schedule below).  Stations of the Cross are offered for both children and adults.   Receive the Sacrament of Confession and attending daily Mass (or as often as feasible) is a great way to start your day!  Alternatively, set aside some time in the morning f or quiet reflection.  

If you prefer to focus on a particular study for Lent, you can explore on your own with FORMED.  There are many suggested story's and programs for Lent, including Salvation and Into the Dessert, as well as daily and weekly reflections.  Brother Francis, Let's Learn About Lent is a great resource for the children.   If you don't already have an account, you can set one up today!  

You can also explore with Bishop Barron, Word on Fire, Engaged (located in your Flocknote account dashboard).  Don't have an account, no worries, you can access the library anytime we send you Bishop Barron content in one of our Flocknotes. 

 Here are some other great ideas for families with young children.  There are also some great materials for further discussion with your children about Lent.

If you are looking to give something up for Lent, here's a website link and below is list of some of the things you can focus on:

Fear of Failure, Your Comfort Zone,  Unworthiness, Impatience,  Retirement, People-Pleasing,  Comparison,  Bitterness
Distraction, Giving up, Mediocrity, Destructive Speech, Busyness, Loneliness, Blame, Disunity, Guilt, the Quick Fix, Overcommitment, Worry, Lack of Counsel  Idolizing, Impurity, Resistance to Change, Entitlement, Pride, Apathy, A Small View of God, Hatred, Envy, Negativity, Ungratefulness, The Spirit of Poverty, Selfish Ambition, Going Through the Motions, Self-Sufficiency, Complaint, Sorrow
The Pursuit of Happiness