Weekly presentations during Lent will help participants prepare for Easter, Year of Mercy

Friday, Jan. 29, 2016

AMERICAN FORK—The six weeks of Lent are intended to be a time of preparation for Easter. For those looking for some guidance in this area, St. Peter Parish is offering presentations each week beginning Feb. 16. The themes are diverse, from The Ten Commandments to sexual morality to confession.

This is the second year that the parish has offered Lenten presentations, although last year the topics were more general, said Fr. James Blaine, pastor.

“Last year was kind of a test to see how the response would be,” said Fr. Blaine.

The response was wonderful, so immediately “we decided to be more specific, and we will be more specific in the years to come,” he added.

In addition to Fr. Blaine, presenters will be Deacon Dale Dillon, Deacon Sunday Espinoza, Steven and Stephanie Buck, and Susan Espinoza. The presentations will be every Tuesday from Feb. 16 to March 22.

The presentations are focused on the Year of Mercy as well as the Lenten season, Fr. Blaine said.

Participation is important “especially since this Year of Mercy calls us to think about our need of forgiveness and healing and of mercy, and bring awareness of the sins that we have,” said Fr. Blaine, adding that this is the time to change “our ways; Lent is a time to do it.”

Susan Espinoza said that the whole series is based in Catholic morality.

“Sometimes people don’t even know what that is. ... It’s always good to teach people why it is good to follow the rules,” she said. “It’s always good to teach people the why … why the Church wants you to do this.” 

Every year the Church calls Catholics to repentance and to a change of their ways, Fr. Blaine said; that this is a Year of Mercy added more interest to presenting the topics.

He is going to present the theme  “Going to Confession;” he will explore the history of this sacrament in the Church and the reasons for it, he said.  “I want people to realize why there is the need to go to it,” said Fr. Blaine. “[Confession] is something that we need to go regularly, not just once a year. We should go regularly, and I am trying to encourage that.”    

Everybody and anyone is invited to the presentations, he added.

“Last year a lot of people told me they learned a lot of things that they didn’t know at the time,” said Fr. Blaine, who is excited about this year’s presentations. “We try to make them so everyone understands them and benefits from them.”

All presentations are at 7 p.m. at Saint Peter Catholic Church, 634 North 600 East, American Fork.

Topics, speakers, dates:

Feb. 16 – Introduction to Catholic Morality, Deacon Sunday Espinoza

Feb. 23 – The Ten Commandments, Deacon Dale Dillon

March 1 – What is Sin? Steven Buck

March 8 – The Seven Deadly Sins, Susan Espinoza

March 15 – Sexual Morality, Stephanie Buck 

March 22 – Going to Confession, Fr. James Blaine