Second Sunday of Lent

Friends in Christ,

Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. Last week, in the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, we were told that after Jesus had fasted forty days in the desert “the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:8): His, if he would but fall down and worship Satan. In this week’s Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent (March 16, 2025) we see Jesus on another mountain in a very different light. Taking Peter and James and John “up into a high mountain apart . . . he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow” (Matthew 17:1b-2a). On the mountain of the Transfiguration, Our Lord reveals Himself to be something more than an ordinary man subject to hunger and tempted by the things of this world: He is, in the words of the Father, “my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5b).


Calendar of Special Observances

Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.

DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)

Sunday, March 16 – Second Sunday of Lent (I)

Monday, March 17 – Feria of Lent (III) – Commemoration of St. Patrick, Bishop and Confessor

Tuesday, March 18 – Feria of Lent (III) – Commemoration of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

Wednesday, March 19 – St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor (I) – Feria of Lent

Thursday, March 20 – Feria of Lent (III)

Friday, March 21 – Feria of Lent (III) – Commemoration of St. Benedict, Abbot

Saturday, March 22 – Feria of Lent (III)


Second Sunday of Lent

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for the Second Sunday of Lent with English or Spanish translation, followed by commentary by Dr. Michael P. Foley.



Latin Mass Schedule: Second Sunday of Lent (March 16, 2025)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • 11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas

  • 12:30 p.m., Saint Ann

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • 8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)

  • 9:00 a.m., Our Lady of the Angels (Marion)

  • 1:00 p.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock)

  • 1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • 12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)

  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)


Note: Travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the regular schedule of Sunday Mass times.


Latin Mass Schedule: Weekdays (March 17 - March 22)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • Church of the Epiphany - Monday March 17, 12:00 p.m. (Feast of Saint Patrick)

  • Saint Ann – Wednesday 6:00 p.m. (Saint Joseph Altar celebration to follow - see details below)

  • Saint Thomas Aquinas – Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

  • Saint Ann – Friday, 7:00 a.m.

  • Saint Ann – 4th Saturday, 8:00 a.m. Respect Life Latin Mass (followed by prayers at the abortion facility and/or a Holy Hour of reparation in the church)

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands) – Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.

  • Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – Friday, 8:30 a.m.

  • Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – Friday, 9:30 a.m.

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Saturday 8:00 a.m.

Note: Travelers are advised to contact parish offices to confirm weekday and Saturday Mass times, since local schedules are sometimes subject to change without notice, especially on or around holidays, holy days of obligation and other special feast days.


Feast of Saint Joseph: Wednesday March 19

The following is a listing of announced Latin Masses for the Feast of Saint Joseph. If more Masses are announced we will include them in future updates.

Wednesday March 19

  • Saint Ann – 6:00 p.m. (Low) (Saint Joseph Altar celebration to follow)

  • Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro) – 6:30 p.m. (High)

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – 12:00 p.m. (Low)

  • Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC) – 6:30 p.m. (Low)


Feast of the Annunciation: Tuesday March 25

Tuesday March 25

  • Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro) – 6:30 p.m. (High)

  • Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC) – 6:30 p.m. (High)


SAVE THE DATE: Saint Joseph Altar – Wednesday March 19

Please join us this Wednesday as we celebrate some of the rich customs surrounding St. Joseph!

After the 6:00 p.m. Saint Ann Latin Mass on Wednesday, March 19th, Feast of Saint Joseph, there will be a St. Joseph’s altar set up on the piazza near the entrance to the Allen Center.

Customarily, a St. Joseph’s altar is a beautifully decorated table filled with delicious foods, Italian treats, meatless foods, pasta, symbolically shaped breads, and much more!

Please use this link to see a list of resources and possible items to contribute to the St. Joseph’s altar to share with others if you can. Join us! [St. Joseph sign up]

“St. Joseph’s Day is a big feast for Italians because in the Middle Ages, God, through St. Joseph’s intercessions, saved the Sicilians from a very serious drought. So in his honor, the custom is for all to wear red, in the same way that green is worn for St. Patrick’s Day.” (Fisheaters.com)


Prayers for the Holy Father

The U.S. Bishops Conference is asking for prayers for Pope Francis during his illness and has published the prayer below, which can also be found at this link. [Prayers for Pope Francis]

~

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Francis, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

Grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.



Announcements

Third Sunday Coffee and Doughnuts at Saint Ann – Saint Ann Parish will be offering coffee and doughnuts after all Masses this Sunday, including the 12:30 p.m. Latin Mass.

Speak Up For The Latin Mass: Discipleship Parish Survey – Every daily Mass, we pray for the preservation of the Latin Mass. Now, we are being asked directly to voice our spiritual needs.

As promised, Bishop Martin has sent out surveys to help shape the future of parish life in the Diocese of Charlotte to answer the question "How well are our clergy & ministries meeting your spiritual needs?" This is a critical opportunity to ensure that your spiritual needs—which include access to the Latin Mass—are acknowledged, met, and planned for. We have been blessed to have the Latin Mass in this diocese for years now. If the Latin Mass is important to you and your family, your response is essential.

The survey takes just a few minutes to complete, but the impact could last for years.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey for your registered parish. The window for participation is limited—please do not wait.

[Saint Ann] [Saint Thomas Aquinas] [Our Lady of Grace] [Saint John the Baptist] [Church of the Epiphany] [Our Lady of the Angels] [Our Lady of the Mountains]

Latin Mass Novena to Saint Gregory the Great – We thank everyone who joined us in praying the annual novena to Saint Gregory the Great. May his intercession help continue to preserve the Latin Mass.

Saint Ann Parish Lenten Mission – Saint Ann parish will host a Lenten mission Sunday March 23 - Wednesday March 26 featuring Fr. Basil Cole, OP (who spoke at Saint Thomas a few months ago). The mission will feature talks each night at 7:00 p.m. (the same talks will be offered each weekday morning at 10:30 a.m.). The last night of the mission, there will be the regular 6:00 p.m. Latin Mass followed by the talk.

Recordings of Father Ripperger’s Parish Mission Talks – Sensus Fidelium has published last weekend's Fr. Ripperger’s mission talks at Saint Thomas Aquinas. [Talk 1 Friday Night] [Talk 2 Saturday Night] Also published is Father Ripperger’s concluding homily for the First Sunday of Lent. [Concluding Homily - 1st Sunday of Lent]

FSSP Saint John Bosco Camps – The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) has announced an expansion and new name for their annual Saint John Bosco Camps (SJBC). The new name is Bosco Ministries and they will continue to host outdoor summer camps for boys (for various ages) organized and run by FSSP priests as well as seminarians from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. The camps are intended to help participants grow in faith and virtue while experiencing God’s grandeur in His creation. Additionally, they are hosting excursions for young adult men. They also acquired property in South Dakota to permanently host the camps. To learn more or to sign up, please read this announcement.

Young Adult Retreat by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest – The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a religious order which, like the FSSP, offers the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively and operates parishes in several dioceses, is also hosting their own youth and young adult retreats this year. [Youth Retreats] [Young Adults Sursum Corda Annual Retreat]

Fasting and Abstinence Disciplines During Lent – For those looking to practice the traditional Lenten disciplines in place prior to 1962, we share a helpful 2010 document from Mater Ecclesiae Latin Mass Chapel in Berlin, New Jersey, which explains the differences between the traditional Lenten rules for fasting and abstinence and the current rules. [Discipline of 1962 for Fast during Lent]

St. Michael's Abbey Great Fast Program for Lent – For those looking for guided meditations and extra structure for their Lenten practices, Saint Michael's Abbey in California (whose priests offer both the Latin Mass and Novus Ordo) have announced their Great Fast Program. This daily regimen encourages the faithful, if they can, to adopt the ancient practice of daily Lenten fasting (one principal meal daily, except Sundays) and additional prayers. They offer daily meditations and videos. To sign up click here. [Introduction Video]

Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary – Fr. Chad Ripperger has composed a prayer for our nation and government, Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which may be found at the end of this update or downloaded here.


Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:

  • St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)

  • St. Mark – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.

  • St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Vincent de Paul – Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.

  • Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone) – First Tuesday, 5:15 p.m. in the Youth Room

  • St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Latin Mass)

Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.

“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).



Latin Mass and Liturgical News



Saints and Special Observances

Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary - As Wednesday (March 19th) will be the Feast of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we take this opportunity to pay homage to the foster father of Our Lord by providing the following excerpts from the commentary of Dom Prosper Guéranger for the saint’s feast day taken from the abbot’s The Liturgical Year.

Who can imagine or worthily describe the sentiments which filled the heart of this man, whom the Gospel describes to us in one word, when it calls him the just man (St. Matth. i. 19.)? Let us try to picture him to ourselves amidst the principal events of his life: his being chosen as the Spouse of Mary, the most holy and perfect of God’s creatures; the Angel’s appearing to him, and making him the one single human confidant of the mystery of the Incarnation, by telling him that his Virgin Spouse bore within her the fruit of the world’s salvation; the joys of Bethlehem, when he assisted at the Birth of the Divine Babe, honoured the Virgin Mother, and heard the Angels singing; his seeing, first the humble and simple Shepherds, and then the rich Eastern Magi, coming to the stable to adore the new-born Child; the sudden fears which came on him, when he was told to arise, and, midnight as it was, to flee into Egypt with the Child and the Mother; the hardships of that exile, the poverty and the privations which were endured by the hidden God, Whose foster-father he was, and by the Virgin Spouse, whose sublime dignity was now so evident to him; the return to Nazareth, and the humble and laborious life led in that village, where he so often witnessed the world’s Creator sharing in the work of a Carpenter; the happiness of such a life, in that cottage where his companions were the Queen of the Angels and the Eternal Son of God, both of whom honoured, and tenderly loved him as the head of the family: yes, Joseph was beloved and honoured by the uncreated Word, the Wisdom of the Father, and by the Virgin, the master-piece of God’s power and holiness.

We ask, what mortal can justly appreciate the glories of St. Joseph? To do so, he would have to understand the whole of that Mystery, of which God made him the necessary instrument. What wonder, then, if this Foster-Father of the Son of God was prefigured in the Old Testament, and that by one of the most glorious of the Patriarchs? Let us listen to St. Bernard, who thus compares the two Josephs: “The first was sold by his brethren, out of envy, and was led into Egypt, thus prefiguring our Saviour’s being sold; the second Joseph, that he might avoid Herod’s envy, led Jesus into Egypt. The first was faithful to his master, and treated his wife with honour; the second, too, was the most chaste guardian of his Spouse, the Virgin Mother of his Lord. To the first was given the understanding and interpretation of dreams; to the second, the knowledge of, and participation in, the heavenly Mysteries. The first laid up stores of corn, not for himself, but for all the people; the second received the Living Bread that came down from heaven, and kept it both for himself and for the whole world. (Homily 2nd. On the Missus est.)”

Such a life could not close save by a death that was worthy of so great a Saint. The time came for Jesus to quit the obscurity of Nazareth, and show himself to the world. His own works were henceforth to bear testimony to his divine origin; the ministry of Joseph, therefore, was no longer needed. It was time for him to leave this world, and wait, in Abraham’s bosom, the arrival of that day, when heaven’s gates were to be opened to the just. As Joseph lay on his bed of death, there was watching by his side He that is the master of life, and that had often called this his humble creature, Father. His last breath was received by the glorious Virgin Mother, whom he had, by a just right, called his Spouse. It was thus, with Jesus and Mary by his side, caring and caressing him, that Joseph sweetly slept in peace. The Spouse of Mary, the Foster-Father of Jesus, now reigns in heaven with a glory which, though inferior to that of Mary, is marked with certain prerogatives which no other inhabitant of heaven can have.

From heaven, he exercises a powerful protection over those that invoke him. In a few weeks from this time, the Church will show us the whole magnificence of this protection; we shall be having a special Feast in honour of the Patronage of St. Joseph. What the Liturgy proposes to us today, are his glories and privileges. Let us unite with the Faithful throughout the world, and offer the Spouse of Mary the Hymns, which are this day sung in his praise. [Saint Joseph - March 19]



Closing Commentary

As we continue in the penitential season of Lent, we offer an excerpt from the commentary by Dom Prospér Guéranger on the Second Sunday of Lent followed by a link to the full text.


Second Sunday of Lent

The subject offered to our consideration on this Second Sunday is one of the utmost importance for the holy Season. The Church applies to us the lesson which our Savior gave to three of his Apostles. Let us endeavor to be more attentive to it than they were.

Jesus was about to pass from Galilee into Judea, that he might go up to Jerusalem and be present at the Feast of the Pasch. It was that last Pasch, which was to begin with the immolation of the figurative lamb, and end with the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. Jesus would have his disciples know him. His works had borne testimony to him, even to those who were, in a manner, strangers to him; but as for his Disciples, had they not every reason to be faithful to him, even to death? Had they not listened to his words, which had such power with them that they forced conviction? Had they not experienced his love, which it was impossible to resist? and had they not seen how patiently he had borne with their strange and untoward ways? Yes, they must have known him. They had heard one of their company, Peter, declare that he was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Notwithstanding this, the trial to which their faith was soon to be put, was to be of such a terrible kind that Jesus would mercifully arm them against temptation by an extraordinary grace.

The Cross was to be a scandal and stumbling block to the Synagogue, and alas! to more than it. Jesus said to his Apostles, at the Last Supper: All of you shall be scandalized in me this night. Carnal-minded as they then were, what would they think, when they should see him seized by armed men, handcuffed, hurried from one tribunal to another, and he doing nothing to defend himself! And then they found that the High Priests and Pharisees, who had hitherto been so often foiled by the wisdom and miracles of Jesus, had now succeeded in their conspiracy against him—what a shock to their confidence! But there was to be something more trying still: the people who, but a few days before, greeted him so enthusiastically with their hosannas, would demand his execution, and he would have to die between two thieves on the Cross, amidst the insults of his triumphant enemies.

Is it not to be feared that these Disciples of his, when they witness his humiliations and sufferings, will lose their courage? They have lived in his company for three years; but when they see that the things he foretold would happen to him are really fulfilled, will the remembrance of all they have seen and heard keep them loyal to him? or will they turn cowards and flee from him?—Jesus selects three out of the number who are especially dear to him: Peter, whom he has made the Rock, on which his Church is to be built, and to whom he has promised the Keys of the kingdom of heaven; James, the son of Thunder, who is to be the first Martyr of the Apostolic College; and John, James’ brother, and his own Beloved Disciple. Jesus has resolved to take them aside, and show them a glimpse of that glory which, until the day fixed for its manifestation, he conceals from the eyes of mortals. He therefore leaves the rest of his Disciples in the plain near Nazareth, and goes, in company with the three privileged ones, towards a high hill called Thabor, which is a continuation of Libanus, and which the Psalmist tells us was to rejoice in the Name of the Lord. No sooner has he reached the summit of the mountain, than the three Apostles observe a sudden change come over him; his Face shines as the sun, and his humble garments become white as snow. They observe two venerable men approach, and speak with him upon what he was about to suffer in Jerusalem. One is Moses, the lawgiver; the other is Elias, the Prophet, who was taken up from earth on a fiery chariot, without having passed through the gates of death. These two great representatives of the Jewish Religion, the Law and the Prophets, humbly adore Jesus of Nazareth. The three Apostles are not only dazzled by the brightness which comes from their Divine Master; but they are filled with such a rapture of delight that they cannot bear the thought of leaving the place. Peter proposes to remain there forever, and build three tabernacles, for Jesus, Moses and Elias. And while they are admiring the glorious sight, and gazing on the beauty of their Jesus’ human Nature, a bright cloud overshadows them, and a voice is heard speaking to them: it is the voice of the Eternal Father, proclaiming the Divinity of Jesus, and saying: This is my beloved Son!

This transfiguration of the Son of Man, this manifestation of his glory, lasted but a few moments; his mission was not on Thabor; it was humiliation and suffering in Jerusalem. He therefore withdrew into himself the brightness he had allowed to transpire; and when he came to the three Apostles, who, on hearing the voice from the cloud, had fallen on their faces with fear—they could see no one save only Jesus. The bright cloud was gone; Moses and Elias had disappeared. What a favor they have had bestowed upon them! Will they remember what they have seen and heard? They have had such a revelation of the Divinity of their dear Master!—is it possible than when the hour of trial comes, they will forget it and doubt his being God? and when they see him suffer and die, be ashamed of him and deny him? Alas! the Gospel has told us what happened to them.

A short time after this, our Lord celebrated his Last Supper with his Disciples. When the Supper was over, he took them to another mount, Mount Olivet, which lies to the east of Jerusalem. Leaving the rest at the entrance of the Garden, he advances with Peter, James, and John, and then says to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death: stay you here, and watch with me. He then retires some little distance from them and prays to his Eternal Father. The Hear of our Redeemer is weighed down with anguish. When he returns to his three Disciples, he is enfeebled by the Agony he has suffered, and his garments are saturated with Blood. The Apostles are aware that he is sad even unto death, and that the hour is close at hand when he is to be attacked: are they keeping watch? are they ready to defend him? No: they seem to have forgotten him; they are fast asleep, for their eyes are heavy. Yet a few moments, and all will have fled from him; and Peter, the bravest of them all, will be taking his oath that he never knew the Man.

After the Resurrection, our three Apostles made ample atonement for this cowardly and sinful conduct, and acknowledged the mercy wherewith Jesus had sought to fortify them against temptation, by showing them his glory on Thabor, a few days before his Passion. Let us not wait till we have betrayed him: let us at once acknowledge that he is our Lord and our God. We are soon to be keeping the anniversary of his Sacrifice; like the Apostles, we are to see him humbled by his enemies and bearing, in our stead, the chastisements of Divine Justice. We must not allow our faith to be weakened, when we behold the fulfillment of those prophecies of David and Elias, that the Messias is to be treated as a worm of the earth, and be covered with wounds, so as to become like a leper, the most abject of men, and the Man of sorrows. We must remember the grand things of Thabor, and the adorations paid him by Moses and Elias, and the bright cloud, and the voice of the Eternal Father. The more we see him humbled, the more must we proclaim his glory and divinity; we must join our acclamations with those of the Angels and the Four-and-Twenty Elders, whom St. John (one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration) heard crying out with a loud voice: The Lamb that was slain, is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction!

The Second Sunday of Lent is called, from the first word of the Introit, Reminiscere; and also Transfiguration Sunday on account of the Gospel which is read in the Mass. [Commentary on the Second Sunday of Lent]