Dear Friends

Lent 2021: 'The Stations of the Cross
for Caregivers'

Week of February 8, 2021
Prayer Requests

Dear Friends:

Lent is always a surprise. Ash Wednesday already?

Yes, in so many ways 2020 was a long, hard year but ... Lent 2021 already? And it's a "second COVID-19 Lent"!

This year Ash Wednesday is February 17 and Easter Sunday is April 4.

In pre-pandemic days this liturgical season often meant people gathering at church on a Friday to pray the Stations of the Cross together. But even then, that wasn't possible for many caregivers whose care-receivers needed close attention.

The same held true, and holds true, for getting to Mass.

With that in mind, two suggestions for Lent 2021:

The Stations of the Cross for Caregivers

Online and downloadable here: "The Stations the Cross for Caregivers"

Just let us know if you would like a copy in a small, prayer-book format. To contact us.
 

Daily Mass Readings

These are resources on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Readings online

Receive readings each day in an email

Readings in a podcast

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And this is from a previous "Dear Friends" letter:

Lent and Caregiving: Similar ... but Different

Caregiving is like a personal, and often mostly private, "Lent." It's your own time of making sacrifices and adding extra obligations. And while Lent is "only" 40 days, your caregiving can be that many days, weeks, months or years.

Unlike the Church's Lent, caregiving can have a gradual beginning. Yes, in some cases it starts after a catastrophic event or diagnosis that demands immediate attention. But not infrequently, a care-receiver's needs increase gradually.

The middle of Lent can be tough but you know it's the middle. A time when Ash Wednesday seems like a dim and distant memory and Easter waits somewhere beyond the horizon.

Not so with your caregiving. You don't know what's coming. You don't know when.

For some caregivers, a loved one recovers and the caregiving duties decrease or end. For others, the end will come when your care-receiver dies. It's your personal "Good Friday," with "Easter" not until you join your loved one in heaven.

Like Lent, the pilgrimage of caregiving is filled with challenges and sacrifices. With blessings and graces. And, like Lent, God is with you every step of the way. He's with you today. Right here. Right now.

You remain in my prayers.

Bill

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This week we're so pleased to welcome Kim W. of Pennsylvania and Patricia B. of Georgia as the newest members of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver. Please keep them and their intentions in your prayers. They have promised to pray for you and yours.

And again this week we cordially invite you to join the Friends of St. John the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include YourAgingParent.com and CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about becoming a member here.

No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both (including quite a few former caregivers).

You can:

sign up online here

or call us toll-free at 1-800-392-JOHN (5646)

or print and mail an application form.

Past "Dear Friends" Letters

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