Washington Court House St. Colman of Cloyne Church, 219 S. North St., will present a special service of Evening Prayer at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23, with prelude music beginning at 2:40. It will feature the parish choir, with soloist Jennifer Marcellana of Kenyon College accompanied by a string quartet.
Evening Prayer, sometimes called Vespers or Evensong, is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s official daily prayer. The Sunday version of it often is made more elaborate with music.
St. Colman has made a tradition of presenting a special treatment of the service for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, one of two Sundays in the liturgical year, along with the Third Sunday of Advent, when the liturgical color of rose is specified. This color reflects the more joyful nature of those days because they are more than halfway through a penitential season when purple is the standard color for vestments. This is also the only Sunday in Lent when altar flowers are permitted.
The primary Scripture reading for the day is from the Letter of Peter and quotes from the prophet Isaiah concerning the Messiah. Those words are paraphrased in the second part of Handel’s “Messiah” and for that reason the first section of that work is used as the special music of the day. This is in addition to sung Psalms, the “Gloucester Magnificat” of Herbert Howells, Gardner’s “Evening Prayer” and Coleman’s “Jesu, Lover of My Soul,” all to be performed by the choir.
Fatica to speak to men’s club at April luncheon
Justin Fatica of Hard As Nails Ministries will be the speaker at the Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club’s meeting on Friday, April 4 after the 11:45 a.m. Mass at Columbus St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant St.
Fatica has spoken to more than two million people at more than 1,500 live events in four nations and 46 states. He grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was influenced by Father Larry Richards, who has spoken in the Diocese of Columbus on several occasions.
No reservations are necessary. A $12 donation is asked to cover costs. The program is being sponsored by The Joseph Group. Learn more about the organization at https://josephgroup.com/ If you are interested in sponsoring a luncheon, contact David Kilanowski at dkilano@aol.com.
The club’s next luncheon will be on Friday, May 2 and will feature a talk by Deacon Steve Petrill titled “Called to Serve: The Role of Deacons in the Church.”
Father Tuscan to present mission at Holy Family
A parish mission led by Father Joseph Tuscan, OFM Cap, will take place from Sunday to Tuesday, March 23 to 25, at Columbus Holy Family Church, 584 W. Broad St.
Father Tuscan will hear confessions and the Rosary will be prayed at 6:30 p.m. each day, followed by his mission talks at 7. Subjects will be: Sunday, “The Greatest Threat to Holiness”; Monday, “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry” (on raising faithful Catholics and encouraging the return of those who left the Church); and Tuesday, “The Solution: Forgiveness and the Holy Eucharist.” Confessions will be heard after the Sunday and Monday talks and Mass will be celebrated after the talk on Tuesday.
Father Tuscan is national director of the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers and in full-time preaching ministry for the Capuchin Province of St. Augustine, offering retreats and reflection days for parishes, religious and priests.
A Tenebrae service, designed through the use of Scripture to re-create the sense of betrayal, abandonment and agony related to Good Friday, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16. The parish’s annual Vigil with the Sorrowful Mother will begin after the 7 p.m. Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 18 and end at 10 a.m. the following day.