During Lent, the Church asks us to surrender ourselves to prayer and to the reading of Scripture, to fasting and to giving alms. The fasting that all do together on Fridays is but a sign of the daily Lenten discipline of individuals and households: fasting for certain periods of time, fasting from certain foods, but also fasting from other things and activities. Likewise, the giving of alms is some effort to share this world equally—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection. In Lent, the baptized are called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, a period of learning and discernment for individuals who have declared their desire to become Catholics. The key to fruitful observance of these practices is to recognize their link to baptismal renewal. We are called not just to abstain from sin during Lent, but to true conversion of our hearts and minds as followers of Christ. We recall those waters in which we were baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ. On these pages, you will find a variety of suggestions and resources to help you "raise up," "sacrifice," and "offer" during this Lent and to embrace your baptismal commitment. Catholics are also encouraged to make going to confession a significant part of their spiritual lives during Lent. The U.S. Bishops' statement, "God's Gift of Forgiveness: The Pastoral Exhortation on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation" can be distributed and shared in parishes. Dioceses are encouraged to make the sacrament available often during Lent and to use these resources to promote participation. We also have resources to help individuals who have not been to confession in a while "rediscover" the sacrament. Cited from the USCCB. For more information and other resources, please log on to the their website.

We have two Masses this evening for Ash Wednesday: 5:30 pm English and 7:30 pm Spanish.

What is anointing of the sick? This sacrament is appropriate for those with chronic, persistent or terminal illness. A person can receive the sacrament at the parish or, if not mobile, a priest can visit the home, medical or convalescent hospital. The person receiving the sacrament must have received the sacrament of baptism in order to receive the anointing of the sick. Baptism is the gateway for all other sacraments. When possible, the person or family of the sick should allow for time and availability of a priest. Every situation is different, however, this sacrament does not necessarily have to happen at the person's last moment of life. We will do our best to serve a person as soon as we can. To request the sacrament of anointing of the sick, please contact the parish office at 951-485-6673 ext 114

Ash Wednesday: Wednesday, February 10th is just around the corner. In order to serve the Moreno Valley community, we will have three Masses and two Liturgy of the Word Services: 8:30 a.m. Bilingual (E/S) Mass followed by distribution of Ashes 12:00 pm: Liturgy of the Word and distribution of Ashes 3:00 p.m. Liturgy of the Word and distribution of Ashes 5:30 p.m. English Mass followed by distribution of Ashes 7:30 p.m. Spanish Mass followed by the distribution of Ashes Ash Wednesday is a day of FASTING. We'll post some helpful information regarding fasting on our next round. Please help get the word out about Ash Wednesday Masses and services by sharing this post. Be blessed!

A special thank you to the community of St. Patrick for praying for our teens who went on the Confirmation retreat last weekend. It was an amazing experience for our teens and they definitely felt your prayers!! We would like to thank the chaperons & Young Apostles for their help and devotion to the retreat. Most especially, thank you to Fr. Rafael & Deacon Andy for giving of their time and support. GOD IS ALIVE WITHIN US!

Have you heard of the Restoring Me: Healing Retreat for Adult Survivors of Abuse - Healing through the Gift of Hope? These retreats are for survivors 18 years of age or older. If you or someone you know might benefit from this retreat, please see the information below. The next retreat is scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2016 9:00 a.m-4:30 pm (registration opens from 8:30 am-9:00 am) at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral 2525 N. Arrowhead Avenue San Bernardino, CA. 92405 Donation: $15: includes continental breakfast, lunch and materials. To RSVP or for more information, contact Elder Samaniego at 909.475.5129 at the Diocese of San Bernardino

2015 Contribution letters will be mailed out this week to those families with total contributions of $250 or more. Contribution letters can be requested for families who donated less than $250. Any contributions given to the church or which were postmarked by December 31, 2015 will be included on your contribution letter. If you have questions regarding your letter, please contact our parish Business Manager, Holly, at 951.485.6673 ext. 115.

We recently received an inquiry regarding food donations which are brought to Sunday Masses: what happens to the food my family donates during Mass on the weekend? A limited number of items are kept here on site at St. Patrick from time-to-time so that we have resources to offer in the event someone needs assistance right away. The majority of food donations brought to the parish are given directly to our sister parish at the food bank at St. Christopher parish. Since St. Christopher has a larger facility than we do at this time, we support their efforts in helping families and individuals in need within the Moreno Valley area. The transportation of food to St. Christopher is a weekly task coordinated by a wonderful group of volunteers here at St. Patrick. We are grateful for their constant support. If you are willing and able to help and have a pick up truck or SUV and can spare a couple of hours on Monday mornings to transport food, your help would be greatly appreciated. If we can form a large enough group of consistent volunteers, we can rotate volunteers from week to week in order to get the food to where it needs to be. If you feel called to help in this ministry, please contact Melissa at the parish office 951.485.6673 ext. 114. This would be a wonderful act of love during this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Please pray about how you can help: could you spare a couple of nonperishable food items each week? Could you assist with transporting food? Please pray about how you might be able to help serve those in need!

Our newly formed Social Committee is planning our St. Patrick Day celebration. They are looking for volunteers to help plan and execute this parish-wide event in honor of our Patron Saint. If you have experience in event planning, food preparation, decorating or just want to be a part of helping our community grow in fellowship, please plan on meeting on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:00 pm. For meeting location, please contact our parish office at 951.485.6673 ext 114. We hope to see you there!

This weekend there are two major events in California being held to pray for an end to abortion: Saturday, January 23 "One Life L.A" is being hosted in the city of Los Angeles and Sunday, January 24 "Walk for Life" is being hosted in San Francisco. Please keep our Diocesan Bishops: Bishop Barnes and retired Auxiliary Bishop del Riego and all participants, organizers and sponsors in our prayers as they take part in this very worthy cause. May God bless them and keep them safe!

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Did you forget your contribution envelope at home again? Were you not able to use a yellow contribution envelope instead so you settled and dropped your cash contribution into the collection? Are you worried you may not get contribution credit? Fear not, we have online giving! Our online giving system allows you to contribute to the parish for anything from weekend giving to faith formation to Mass intentions to wedding payments and just about anything in between. You control the amount and the frequency: weekly, monthly and even one time payments can be made. Sign up for online giving at https://www.osvonlinegiving.com/662 You'll never have to worry about forgetting your contribution at home again. For further information, please contact Holly at the parish office (951) 485-6673 ext. 115

Due to the MLK holiday, there will not be any faith formation classes. However, Tuesday through Friday classes WILL be in session this week.