Catholic Student Center at USF

The Second Vatican Council, in Sacrosanctum Concilium, paragraph 14 urged individual Catholics, and Catholic communities, to strive for "fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations." This refers preeminently to participation in the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The Diocese of St. Petersburg's Living Eucharist Initiative is an opportunity for parishes and individuals to accomplish the Council's goals for Sunday worship.

The idea of "fully conscious, and active participation" is not a new one. Rather, it represents the reclaiming of a set of very old, traditional Catholic values. Our Lenten Faith Series will be dedicated this year to examining the sources of these ancient values.

There will be readings for each week of Lent chosen from ancient sources, beginning with the Christian Scriptures, and continuing with sub-apostolic writers. The purpose of our readings will be to catch a glimpse of the attitudes and practices of the first few generations of believers, beginning with those who heard the Apostles preach.

Each week we will discuss the assigned reading, and identify how the faith and practices of the Apostles has both influenced our experience of the Faith, and stands as the measure of our experience of the Faith. Participants will also receive a brief introduction to the next reading assignment. Group discussions will take place on Sunday mornings after the 10:00 a.m. liturgy, and online below. All Catholics, of all ages, are invited to participate.

The reading for the Fifth Week of Lent (March 29, 2009), is taken fromThe Apostolic Tradition by Hippolytus of Rome. This text was written early in the third century, but contains a record of late second century Roman liturgical and administrative practices. You may read the entire document, but for the purposes of this Lenten Faith Renewal Series, we will focus on Chapter 4. Fr. Alan's reflections will be posted on Monday following our Sunday gathering.

You may post your comments and questions about the readings beginning on each Sunday of Lent, and continuing through the following week.

You can read Bishop Lynch's Pastoral Letter, and get more information about this process of renewal on the Living Eucharist website.

In order to participate in this on-line discussion you must register your name and email address with Fr. Alan. This discussion room will be open only during the weeks of Lent. You do not need to register for the discussion in order to read the posted comments.

Subject		Date		Author
Lent 2009		Wed Feb 18 2009 16:35		Fr. Alan
Week One - 1 Corinthians 10 & 11		Wed Mar 11 2009 16:58		Fr. Alan
Week Two - the Didache		Sun Mar 15 2009 11:13		Fr. Alan
Week Three - St. Ignatius of Antioch		Sun Mar 22 2009 20:59		Fr. Alan
Week Four - St. Justin, the Martyr		Sun Mar 29 2009 11:44		Fr. Alan
Week Five - The Apostolic Tradition		Sun Apr 5 2009 11:38		Fr. Alan