Not sure what to do for the “almsgiving” part of “prayer, fasting, and almsgiving” this lent? Check out what the Sacramento Diocesan Council of St. Vincent de Paul is doing this year:

The 40 days of Lent invite our annual spiritual journey of following along with Jesus through Scripture on his salvific ministry of preaching the Good News. From alms to palms, we follow Jesus along the roads of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea in his teachings and miracles until we come to the road to Calvary—where we encounter the Eternal Mystery of the Cross.

The season of Lent is marked, beginning with Ash Wednesday, March 1, with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This year again, Vincentians are encouraged to pray together the Vincentian Stations of the Cross, which bring us closer in solidarity with the suffering of the poor. In our sacrifice of fasting, we look for ways to deny ourselves so as to increase in Christ.

In giving alms, we can further our mission of charity. This Lenten season, I encourage your family’s use of the Catholic Relief Services “rice bowl” and for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, I simply ask for your pennies. Collect up and save your pennies during Lent, and, on Good Friday, we will ask for your pennies for the poor: “Vinnie’s Pennies.” May you have a blessed Lenten journey!

Contributed by Paul Starkey, Sacramento Diocesan Council President

Source: Sacramento Diocesan Council Newsletter, The Visitor. To view the entire February Newsletter, click here.

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