Dear Parish Family,

As we listen to the Gospel account of the Transfiguration of Jesus, we are met with some of the most intimate words of encounter between God and man. As Moses and Elijah converse with Jesus, Peter says, "Lord it is good that we are here!" Yes, it is good that we are here in the presence of the Lord, with Moses who represents God's law and commandments, and Elijah who represents the prophetic renewal of God's promises to His people. It is good that we are here to receive God's truth, mercy, compassion, and glory!

As Jesus is transfigured and made radiant in His appearance, the Father speaks from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him." It is good that we are here to listen to Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father. God's good pleasure rests on Him, and on all of us who choose to dwell with Jesus in the presence of God's great love. This week in your time of prayer, go to your 'mountaintop' of prayer where you can be with God alone in His presence. Your mountaintop might be a prayer place at home, at church, during Adoration, or out on a leisurely walk. Spend quality time with the Lord. That's how we come to know Him personally. It is good to be here with Him.

New Priest Prayer of Absolution for Confession
As you come to confession this Lent, you may notice a few different words the priest says for the Prayer of Absolution at the end of the confession. Priests could use these updated words in the prayer beginning on Ash Wednesday. There is a grace period between this time and the Second Sunday of Easter (April 16) where priests can use either the old wording or the new wording. After April 16, the new wording will be fully in effect:

God, the Father of mercies,
through the Death and Resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and poured out [from “sent”] the Holy Spirit for [from “Spirit among us for”] the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God grant [from “give”] you pardon and peace.
And I absolve you from your sins,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

Parish Mission Recordings
If you missed any or all of the Parish Mission from this past week, you can watch the recordings and download the handouts at https://stmarychardon.org/parish-mission. It was wonderful to be able to present on RIM (Relationship, Identity, Mission) for you!

Evening of Confessions (Wednesday Mar 8)
Our diocese is hosting an Evening of Confessions this Wednesday, March 8 from 5-8 pm in parishes throughout our diocese. We will be having confessions at St. Mary Chardon during this time. If you haven't been to confession in a long while, this is an opportunity for you to come to St. Mary's to experience our Lord's mercy. We will have time of Eucharistic Exposition and Adoration during these hours, so even if you don't need to go to confession, I invite you to come pray with our Lord during this time.

9 Nights of Night Prayer at St. Patrick Parish
St. Patrick Parish is one of 9 host parishes in our diocese for this round of “9 Nights of Night Prayer.” Come to St. Patrick Church to any or all nights from Friday, March 17 through Saturday, March 25. The church doors open at 8:00 pm, and night prayer begins at 8:15 pm. This is an opportunity to pray Night Prayer, the short, ancient prayer of the Catholic Church in nine beautiful churches of our diocese.  Every night, all nine of these churches will be open for those who come to church often, those who have never been, and everyone in between. Learn more at https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/9nights

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow