LENT 2026
Return to Me with all your heart
~ Joel 2:12 ~
LENT 2026 AT ST. ANNE’S PARISH
Join us for Lent 2026 at St. Anne’s Parish in Jersey City as we journey through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, preparing our hearts for Easter.
Lent is a sacred forty-day season of renewal — a time to return to the Lord with all our heart (Joel 2:12), to deepen our faith, and to walk together toward the joy of the Resurrection.
Whether you are a longtime parishioner or visiting for the first time, we welcome you to journey with us.
WHAT IS LENT?
Lent is the Church’s forty-day season of preparation for Easter, recalling Christ’s time in the desert and inviting us into deeper conversion of heart.
Throughout Scripture, the number forty signifies:
purification
preparation
testing
renewal
Lent is not simply about “giving something up.”
It is about returning — realigning our lives with God’s will and rediscovering our relationship with Him and with one another.
As we enter this sacred season, we are reminded:
The desert is not a place of punishment, but of purification.
Three Pillars of Lent
The Church guides us through three essential practices:
Prayer
Deepens our relationship with God and opens our hearts to His voice.
Fasting
Strengthens self-discipline and detaches us from what controls us.
Almsgiving
Transforms love into action and makes mercy visible.
Together, these sacred practices help us grow in humility, freedom, and trust.
LENTEN SCHEDULE & DEVOTIONS
Join us throughout Lent for prayer, reflection, and fellowship as we prepare our hearts for Easter. These devotions and events offer opportunities to deepen your faith and walk together as a parish community.
WEEKLY DEVOTIONS
Stations of the Cross
Fridays 7:00 PM
Confession
Saturdays 4:00–4:30 PM
SPECIAL EVENTS
Parish Fish Fry
Fridays During Lent: February 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27. Centennial Hall
Spanish Healing Mass
March 1 8:00 PM
The Passion of Our Lord
Presented by the Franciscan Friars, Palm Sunday, March 29
Lenten Retreat
March 14 9:00 AM-3:30 PM Centennial Hall
H O L Y W E E K S C H E D U L E
Palm Sunday
Saturday, March 28 5:00 PM (English) 7:00 PM (Spanish)
Sunday, March 29 10:00 AM 12:00 Noon
Holy Thursday
April 2 Morning Prayer 9:00 AM Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:30 PM
Good Friday
April 3 Morning Prayer 9:00 AM Celebration of the Lord’s Passion 3:00 PM Living Stations of the Cross 7:00 PM
Holy Saturday
April 4 Morning Prayer 9:00 AM Blessing of Food 9:30 AM Easter Vigil 8:00 PM (Combined English & Spanish Mass)
Easter Sunday
April 5 Masses 10:00 AM 12:00 Noon
Easter Weekday Masses
Monday – Friday 9:00 AM
Rectory Office Closed Monday, April 6
Lenten Reflections & Parish Updates
A LENTEN INVITATION FROM OUR PASTOR
Lent is a season of return.
It speaks to our longing for restoration, for home. God’s voice never ceases to call us back. Even when our faith grows weary, God remains faithful.
Through prayer, fasting, and acts of charity, we open our hearts to grace. When we open our hearts even slightly, grace rushes in.
As we journey toward Easter, may this holy season draw us closer to Christ and to one another.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week—a moment filled with both joy and quiet tension. As we welcome Jesus with cries of “Hosanna,” we are also invited to walk with Him on the road that leads to the Cross.
This is more than a remembrance.
It is an invitation to reflect, to draw near, and to remain with Him through every step of His journey of love.