A Note From Our Pastor: February 8, 2026

On January 21st, I gathered with a team to discuss schedules for Ash Wednesday, as well as the Fridays of Lent. For the Ash Wednesday schedule (Feb. 18), we established the following schedule:

Saint Thomas

1. 9:00am Mass (English)

2. 12:00pm Palabra y Cenizas (español)

3. 5:30pm Misa (español)

4. 7:30pm Mass (English)

   
   

Saint Philomena

1. 8:30am Mass with School (English)

2. 3:30pm Palabra y Cenizas (español)

3. 5:30pm Mass (English)

4. 7:30pm Misa (español)

   
   

You’ll notice that at our two parish sites, we have a Mass at 5:30pm and 7:30pm in either language, giving two options, depending on your personal schedule. We did this on 2025, however last year, St. Thomas had English, followed by Spanish, while St. Philomena had Spanish, followed by English (the opposite of what we’re doing this year).

For the Fridays of Lent, we considered the fact that at St. Thomas attendance was low, for both Spanish and English (last year the Stations in English took place on Wednesdays). At St. Philomena, we had a bilingual service, but in my observation, most attendees were from our Hispanic community. We decided to try the following at both parishes, in hopes that it will boost attendance and remind us of the importance of making Fridays of Lent a special day.

St. Thomas & St. Philomena (both sites)

• 5:30pm - Stations of the Cross (English)

• 6:15-7:15pm - Soup Supper & Confessions

• 7:30pm - El Vía Crucis (español)

  
  

As noted immediately above, during Lent we are increasing our usual six hours of Confessions each week, by adding an hour at both St. Thomas and St. Philomena, both occurring on Fridays, between English Stations of the Cross and Spanish Vía Crucis. Please note: There will be no Confessions on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday.

On a different note, I look forward to hosting the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue(IPVS) on Monday (Feb 9) at St. Philomena. The statue was sculpted in 1947 and reflects the precise instructions of Sister Lucia (the surviving seer at Fatima).

Pope Pius XII blessed the statue, and declared: “through the Pilgrim Virgin, (Mary, Our Lady of Fatima) set forth as though to claim Her dominion, and the favors She performs along the way”. The statue has visited more than 100 countries, including Russia and China, bringing the great message of salvation and hope, “the peace plan from Heaven” , to countless millions of people.

We will begin with Mass at 6:30pm, followed by a presentation from the custodian of the statue. We will then have time for prayer—both communal and personal—in the presence of the statue. We will conclude at 8:00pm. I hope to see you there!

Yours in Christ,

Father Todd O. Strange