Happy Advent, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2012!

Merry Almost Christmas!


(source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OJ4R-4gLac&feature=related)


Blogging is something I need to dedicate more time to doing. It can be a very fruitful endeavor to share nice reflections and that was the reason I decided to start a blog. One "blogger" that is somewhat a hero of mine is Fr. John Hollowell. His blog, On This Rock, is something I visit regularly. Fr. Hollowell, a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, is doing wonderful work as a priest. I have kind of asked him to be available to me this year as I began working at Guerin Catholic High School in July of 2011. He currently serves as Associate Pastor at Saint Malachy in Brownsburg and is a chaplain at Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School. He has a lot to share about Catholic High School ministry, the priesthood and the Church in general.

As for me, I have enjoyed working at Guerin Catholic High School. I am just about half a year into this ministry and people have been very gracious and willing to support me. The men and women I work with are so very dedicated to our wonderful vision statement at Guerin Catholic: Lead with Humility, Serve with Love and Trust in Providence. Things are also very exciting around here as we have begun construction on our new Academic Wing, which we hope and pray will be ready for the fall of 2012. I am thankful to be working with people who are teaching me many things about service, ministry and trusting in God's plans. His ways are always better than our ways. One person I am thankful for is our president Paul Lunsford. He shared a nice message recently in his Christmas Message. He has been a great example to me in my life from my days at Carmel High School and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He is doing a fine job and has a lot on his shoulders with trying to raise money for our school. Please pray for him and for Guerin Catholic High School.

I hope and pray that your family, friends and you have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2012. You will be in my prayers and once again, I will try to blog a little bit more. I know that I have some reflections to share about my experiences as a priest serving our Church.

May God bless you and keep you as we once again welcome His Son into our lives and into our hearts,

Father Joshua M. Janko

Race for Vocations - 2012 - Our 5th Year "Running"

5th Year for the Race for Vocations!!!

Join us on May 5, 2012 to participate in the Indianapolis 500 mini-marathon or 5k race while praying for and promoting vocations at the same time!!!  Sign up today!  Registration for the mini typically fills up by Thanksgiving! 

Watch this promotional video to learn more about the Race for Vocations!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLUPCh-35ZQ

To register for the Mini-Marathon or 5k:

 http://www.500festival.com/marathon/

To register for the Race for Vocations team:

https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=72ed9d

Join us for the 5th year! 

+ 5th year for the race!

+ 50 groups and teams running the race!

+ 500 runners!

+ 5,000 dollars raise for vocations!

+ 50,000 prayers for vocations!

If you have any questions about the race contact:  

Matt Faley (mfaley@archindy.org)

Megan Fish (mfish@archindy.org)

The 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal... some perspectives... enjoy!

In 16 days, 10 hours, 54 minutes & 52 seconds (or so), the Church in the United States will implement the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal. As a priest for over five years, I have enjoyed getting used to praying the Mass out of the Sacramentary. However, I am pretty excited for the First Sunday of Advent on November 26/27 to begin using the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal. The words contained therein are more close to the Latin, which is the language the Church has been speaking and praying for many many years. It will help bring us all into a deeper appreciation of the Mass and also a deeper appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures. It will take a little while to get used to this new edition of the Roman Missal, but as a Church in the United States, we will all literally be on the same page. Enjoy the following videos to help you to learn even more (Thanks to Lifeteen.com for providing these to the Church & Fr. Robert Barron for his insights):

For High School Teens -->


For Parents & Adults -->


For Youth Ministers -->


For Middle School Youth -->


For Anyone Else Who is Interested -->


God bless,
Fr. Janko

Guerin Catholic High School Trimester 1 & Monumental Half Marathon for Vocations

Serve with Love - Lead with Humility - Trust in Providence!
[Vision Statement of Guerin Catholic High School]

This week wraps up our first trimester at Guerin Catholic High School for the 2011-2012 school year. I arrived at Guerin Catholic in July as the new Director for Catholic Mission. The last 4+ months have come and gone. So far, I have felt like I am becoming more used life working at a Catholic High School. Our Roman Catholic High School is such a wonderful place to minister as a priest. The kids here are incredible as are the faculty/staff/family members and friends who have all helped me to feel right at home. I have especially enjoyed getting to know the students (shout out to my Theology I class), celebrating the Sacraments, helping with our retreats, coaching cross country (great job this season) and attending all the other sporting events and performing arts events that I possibly can. It has been awesome! I also enjoy some of the conversations and meals I share with faculty members around the lunchroom table, teachers lounge and of course the "Los Torros" crew. CORN!!

I am also excited for Guerin Catholic High School's Open House on Sunday November 13th from 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM. Here is an information flyer about it:

This past weekend on November 5th, I ran a half marathon (13.1 mile) race in Indianapolis. The Monumental Marathon/Half Marathon event is one I had always heard great things about. I had hoped to run the full marathon, but that was not meant to be. So, I decided to run the half marathon after a good friend of mine named Hannah convinced me to do it. I am thankful I was able to finish the race. You can see how I did by clicking here. Also, after my race, I had the neat experience of seeing a few people I knew. That is always a good thing to see a familiar face or two after you run 13.1 miles! But, what was really funny was walking up to a lady who looked familiar to me. I went up to her as if I knew her, gave her a little hug and said hello like I had known her for 10 years. I talked to her for a brief minute and finally realized (she was holding a microphone and had a cameraman next to her) that she was a member of the Fox59 News Team. I told her I thought she was there to say hello to the runners and congratulate them, but she was actually covering the event. Boy did I feel like a dork. She asked for an interview and I shared a few thoughts about my race. You can watch my 3.5 seconds of fame right here.

Finally, I just wanted to say it is good to blog once again. I will certainly try to blog a little more regularly. I know I can do this if I put my mind to it. Thanks for reading and please be assured of my prayers. Pray for me too!

God bless you,
Fr. Janko

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time/St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us... New Book: "Sinner: The Catholic Guy's Funny, Feeble Attempts to Be a Faithful Catholic" by Lino Rulli

This blog post will include two parts. I had two thoughts this morning and have not blogged since last month. You get a "two fer." Enjoy!

Part I - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time-A (most important) / St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us!

This weekend, the Church celebrates the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. I am having a full weekend helping with Masses at the parish I reside at - Our Lady of Grace in Noblesville, IN while also helping with a few Masses at my former parish of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Zionsville, IN. Last weekend, the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time touched upon the importance of forgiveness (see the readings). This weekend in the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, a wonderful message about God's generosity is quite apparent. I especially enjoyed the parable of the landowner from the Gospel of St. Matthew wherein the landowner paid his hired workers the daily wage no matter if they worked all day or if they worked for one hour. I quoted Pope Benedict XVI in my homily. He shared some insights into this parable in a Angelus Message about three years ago. “In the evening, he [the landowner] gives to all of them the same wage – one denarius – provoking a protest of the laborers who had been there from the first hour. It is clear that the denarius represents eternal life, a gift that God reserves for everyone. Indeed, precisely those who are considered “last,” if they will accept it, become “first,” while the “first” can run the risk of becoming “last.” God is so very generous, especially with the gift He offers every soul in the opportunity for eternal life. It is a good reminder that we need to be generous as well. Just like we are called to forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times, this weekend we are reminded to be generous in our lives, giving the gifts we have been given: our time, our talents and gifts and our treasure. It really is all about God being so very generous to us so we are encouraged to be generous in return.

This weekend also included my supporting Guerin Catholic High School Girls Golf Team. Of course, I also supported the teams I assist in coaching (the boys and girls cross country teams). They had an invitational at Northview Christian Church in Carmel. It was a beautiful day for a cross country meet.

But, getting back to the girls golf sectionals on Friday September 16th. The Guerin Catholic girls golf team competed and qualified to Regionals in their Sectional competition at South Grove Golf Course in Indianapolis, IN against some very good teams - Ben Davis, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory, Carmel (1st), Guerin Catholic (3rd), Indpls. Cardinal Ritter, Pike, Speedway, Westfield and Zionsville Community (2nd). The top three teams make it out of sectionals. Guerin Catholic was third this year as a team (the first time ever), which means that they advance on to Regional Competition this coming Saturday September 24th at Smock Golf Course in Indianapolis, IN. The picture of the scores below was prior to all the scores from all the teams being completed, but it shows the top three teams who advanced on to Regionals. Please note that Guerin Catholic was only about five strokes away from taking the second spot from Zionsville, but third was good enough to make it out of Sectionals. I also need to add a fun fact. I had not been to South Grove Golf Course since November 1993 when I competed there as a Carmel High School Cross Country Runner. My team won the state championship for the boys with 51 points. It was the last time the Indiana Cross Country State Championship was at South Grove Golf Course. I had some good memories being back there in a different competition - golf.

Today on the Church's calendar brings up the life of a wonderful Franciscan Saint - Saint Joseph of Cupertino. Saint Joseph of Cupertino has been one of my favorite saints since my high school years. He is the patron saint of aviation and test takers. He has always been there for me with his example of holiness and a spiritual support to me from heaven whenever I fly or whenever I take a test. Thank you Saint Joseph of Cupertino for never giving up and for remaining steadfast in your prayer and priesthood during your life. Here is a good quote to encourage you from this wonderful saint. "Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession" (St. Joseph of Cupertino, from the reading for his feast in the Franciscan breviary).

Part II - I downloaded a book recently onto my iPad. It was kind of a milestone for me because a) I am not much of a reader (even though I have dozens of books and b) I have never read from digital cover to digital cover an "electronic book" until I finished recently "Sinner: The Catholic Guy's Funny, Feeble Attempts to Be a Faithful Catholic" by Lino Rulli. I do not have  some deep insight for you that I received from reading this book. It simply provided me with some more insights into Lino Rulli, a great radio and tv guy, who is doing his best to grow in his Catholic faith. His "The Catholic Guy" show in XM Sirius Radio is one of my favorites. It almost always makes me laugh. His story was very interesting. I will conclude (finally) with this video about Lino's book. As you can see, Lino is very hip:

New Opportunities...

Hi, it's me again! June 5th was my last post. I apologize for that. Now that's what I call a vacation... from blogging that is. Oh well. :)

Since my last post, a great many things have happened. Good news and also tough news. For the last 3 1/2 years, I have served as Associate Pastor at Saint Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church in Zionsville, IN. I cannot begin to share how blessed I was for those years in Zionsville. Next to my hometown of Carmel, Indiana, I can honestly say that I love Zionsville. What an awesome place to live! I can't forget to mention how awesome the people of Zionsville are. I will definitely miss them!

Well, God had in mind for me to not get too comfortable. Bishop Doherty sent me a letter a number of months ago reassigning me to be the Director for Catholic Mission at St. Theodore Guerin High School/Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville, IN and to live residence at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Noblesville, IN. 

So far so so good! As we say with the YOUTH... God is good, all the time... and All the time, God is good! The Guerin Catholic High School community has been very welcoming to me. Additionally, the parishioners of Our Lady of Grace (including the wonderful pastor Fr. Tom Metzger and new associate pastor Fr. Christopher Shocklee) have also given me a nice new home. I am blessed and thankful for this new opportunity.

Two weeks ago, life at Guerin Catholic High School changed in a wonderful way when the students returned to school on Tuesday August 16th. A few days prior to that, I found myself a year older (36 years). I hope the Frassati Society of Young Adult Catholics will still let me hang out with them (their age group is 18-35 year olds). I hear that priests get an extension on age, so I should be good to go for a few more years.

Finally, I will leave you with a link to a wonderful parting article that was written prior to me leaving Saint Alphonsus Liguori. I share it to simply express how thankful I am to have served at such a marvelous parish with such a marvelous friend/mentor/pastor Fr. O'Keeffe. Here it is.

God bless you and I will be blogging more in the coming weeks... keep me accountable!

Fr. Joshua (at Guerin Catholic HS - Fr. Janko) 

Happy Ascension... Are you confused too??

I have often been frustrated and confused on this very important Feast Day! If you celebrated the Ascension on Thursday of this past week, Happy Ascension Thursday. If you will celebrate it this weekend, Happy Ascension and Happy Seventh Sunday of Easter. This is kind of confusing and can even be frustrating for Catholic Christians. One of my priest friends from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis shared his own thoughts about this Feast Day. It is comforting that I am not the only one who has also struggled and wondered why Ascension can't be the same for every diocese in the United States of America. Hopefully, one day, we will all be celebrating Ascension on the same day.

Visit the following website to read my friend's comments:

 http://on-this-rock.blogspot.com/2011/06/biggest-problem-with-ascension.html

100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Race!

I was fortunate to get invited to the Indianapolis 500 today. After the 8:00AM Mass for the 6th Sunday of Easter, I waited for Fr. Raymond who had the 8:00AM Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Anyway, he finally arrived and we were on our way. The weather was great for racing and the atmosphere was very exciting. Prior to the race, many of our service men and women processed down the track. I was very proud of them! Also, the new Auxilary Bishop Coyne of Indianapolis gave the prayer and eventually an amazing flyover captured everyone's attention. I believe it was a Stealth Bomber. Here is a clip (taken with my iPhone) of what we experienced: 



The day went by quite quickly because there were very few crashes and yellow flag delays for the drivers. Since it was Memorial Day, I decided pretty early on in the race to root for the #4 car with the National Guard advertisement  and a great rookie driver named JR Hildebrand. He did quite well until the very last lap when he unfortunately hit the wall and took second place. Congrats to Dan Wheldon who took the checkered flag. I came across the video of the finish since I was not able to see what happened at the track. Here is that video:



All in all, today was a great day! Mass at 8:00AM followed by an incredible Indy 500 Race. I was also so glad that our service men and women received so much encouragement from the race fans for all that they do for the United States of America. We are a blessed nation to be free. It was awesome to be able to be part of the greatest spectacle in racing once again. 


I also forgot to mention something else that happened today before the race. My nephew pointed this out to me because he watched some of the race from New York. Anyway, today a world record was broken. A life size Hot Wheels car made an incredible jump. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Weekend!

On Monday May 30th, 2011, our nation will celebrate Memorial Day. Memorial Day is the annual commemoration to the men and women who have died while in military service to the United States. Personally, I do not have immediate family members or friends who have died in the line of duty. My Grandpa Treas did serve during World World II, my Dad Jimmy served in the Navy, my other Dad Ray served in the Army National Guard, my Uncle Johnny served in Vietnam and a few of my cousins have served as well. Needless to say, I am very supportive of our military and anytime I find out someone has served our country in this way, I always make a point to thank them for their service. Just yesterday, at a wedding rehearsal, I met a man who had served in the Korean War in the United States Air Force.

I can say that I have a strong acquaintance with someone who served as a Navy Chaplain and did give his life in Vietnam. Servant of God Vincent Capodanno is a man who has encouraged me in my priesthood over the years through his own priestly example and ultimately with the sacrifice he made for the marines that he served. His cause for canonization is underway. He had served for some time as a Maryknoll missionary priest. Eventually, he felt the call from God to serve our nation in the marines to the soldiers in Vietnam.

Hopefully, one day soon, Fr. Capodanno will be declared Blessed Vincent Capodonno and then Saint Vincent Capodanno. He was known by his marines as "The Grunt Padre" because he met his marines where they were at and he shared with them that no matter what, they would be alright. The book The Grunt Padre by Fr. Daniel Mode is what helped me to get to know this holy man and priest. The video at the end of this post will give you more of an idea of the life Servant of God Vincent Capodanno lived and how he touched so many lives.

Thank you to all the men and women who have served to protect our freedoms as Americans. There are so many who are serving right now and who are in harms way so that we may be free. We cannot take their service and sacrifices for granted because they are not for themselves but for you and I. Also, we must never forget them and keep them in our prayers. Happy Memorial Day!

Enjoy these tributes to Fr. Capodanno found at the following website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pgcXacm538

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN0m3ouB_YI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmSKiTulI68&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-qbDzwOv9Y&feature=related

Sore legs = It was worth it!

The 2011 Race for Vocations was a success. We had a lovely Friday evening with a beautiful Mass. Father Eric Johnson, vocation director for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, had a nice homily and Saint John the Evangelist Parish Downtown Indy was the perfect setting for the Mass for Vocations and pasta dinner. Many young adults, family members and friends of our team were in attendance.

This year was the 14th time I have run the Mini Marathon in Indianapolis. I was thankful to have run it and ran into many of my parishioners along the way. The difference this year was the cold I have been battling since Monday May 2nd but God helped me to finish my race. The Race for Vocations scripture verse that has helped our team members these last four years is from Saint Paul's First Letter to Timothy chapter 4 verse 7 "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." Thank you God and for so many people who prayed for me and all the Race for Vocations participants. We had a great day and beautiful conditions to compete. Also, the post race tent was filled with activity as many people stopped by to have a bite to eat, grab a drink and share stories of their races. Hopefully, a few more people will consider the vocation God is calling them too and maybe a few will decide to take a closer look at priesthood or religious life.

With all this in mind, and many sore legs of our over 185 participants, the 2012 500 Festival Mini Marathon/5K Race for Vocations is now less than a year away. Guess what? You can now get signed up for the 2012 Mini Marathon and 5K! Visit https://www.signmeup.com/site/online-event-registration/76281 Remember that the Mini fills up quick! Also, visit http://archindy.org/vocations/race.html to sign up to be on the Race for Vocations Team in 2012. God bless you and keep praying for vocations. Father Joshua

Happy Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday!

Happy Second Sunday of Easter! Since 2002, this Sunday has also been called Divine Mercy Sunday. We are blessed as a Church as well because earlier today (Rome, Italy time) Servant of God John Paul II was declared Blessed John Paul II. That's right, his beatification was held in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. From the news commentary this morning, it was said that every pilgrim in Rome would have the opportunity to venerate Blessed John Paul II. There were like 1 million people in Rome for this amazing event. Thank you Dad for recording it for me. I can't wait to watch it with you.

Today's Feast is aimed at focusing our attention on one of the most wonderful attributes of Almighty God - His Divine Mercy. He is ever patient and merciful to us who struggle at times with sin and is always ready for us to return to Him with open hearts when we go astray and/or turn our backs on Him. 

At my parish today for Divine Mercy Sunday, we had the Sacrament of Reconciliation available from 1:00PM - 3:00PM. Then, we had a Hour of Eucharistic Adoration from 3:00PM - 4:00PM during the Hour of Mercy. During that time, we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and spent time in quiet prayer. What a powerful afternoon with Jesus and His Divine Mercy. Many people turned to Him for forgiveness and His grace. Thank you God!


My evening ended on Divine Mercy Sunday with another blessing. I was able to hang out with our youth group which I like getting to do when I am able. Our Director of Youth Ministry Paul (awesome guy with awesome wife and awesome son) brought in a wonderful lady from California tonight to talk to our kids. Jackie Francois blessed us with a beautiful message of God's love and her gift of music. I especially loved her song entitled "Your Kingdom is Glorious." If you are able, her album is available on iTunes. I downloaded it and have enjoyed it so far. Here is a video that was made a few years ago with Jackie singing this song:

God bless you and Happy Easter, especially Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

Father Joshua

Happy Easter! Christ is Risen Alleluia! He is Risen Indeed Alleluia!!!

Divine Mercy Sunday Novena Begins Today on Good Friday...

Today, on Good Friday, begins a wonderful opportunity for prayer and preparation for the Second Sunday Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday. Additionally, this year, John Paul II will given a new name in the Church on Divine Mercy Sunday: Blessed John Paul II. I hope you will continue to pray in these holy days for God's Mercy to be upon us. He is so good and gracious to us His children.

(click here to visit a website with the Divine Mercy Novena)

Prayers for the Repose of the Soul of Father Mel Bennett... including details for his funeral...

I blogged awhile back asking for prayers for a brother priest of mine named Father Mel Bennett. He had been serving as a Senior Associate Pastor at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Carmel, IN.

Anyway, last night at our annual Chrism Mass in Lafayette, IN, Bishop Doherty shared with us in his homily that Father Mel had passed away. I saw him just two days ago, shared with him that I was proud of him and that he was a hero of mine. I will never forget the great conversations we had over the years. He provided me with great support in my early years of priesthood. He will certainly be missed by many many people. He was one of the legends of my diocese and served in many wonderful roles throughout his years of priestly ministry. I was sad to hear the news at the Chrism Mass, but then I realized that Father Mel loved the Mass and that he was right there with us in the Eucharist as all his brother priests were gathered together with the people of our diocese. That brought me great peace last night, even in the midst of the storms and rain that delayed my getting back to Zionsville.

To share the great gift Father Mel Bennett was to our diocese, please read this list of all that he did so very faithfully for over 40 years:

Ordained May 24, 1969. 1969, Chaplain, St. Joseph Motherhouse, Tipton; 1970, Associate Pastor, St. Vincent de Paul, Logansport; 1972, Associate Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1974, Acting Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1974, Pastoral Team, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1980, Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo; 1982, Pastor, St. Bridget, Logansport; 1984, Pastor, St. Alphonsus Liguori, Zionsville; 1988, Vicar for Priests; 1989, Full-time Vicar for Clergy with residence at Emmaus House; 1994, Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2000, Chaplain, Wabash College Newman Apostolate, Crawfordsville, while continuing as Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2001, Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2003, Chaplain, Wabash College Newman Apostolate, Crawfordsville, while continuing as Pastor, St. Bernard, Crawfordsville; 2005, Senior Associate, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Carmel.

Let us remember to pray for Father Mel Bennett. Eternal rest grant unto him. Also, I came across a good prayer which would be fitting to share in this post.

A Prayer for a Deceased Priest
O God, Thou didst raise Thy servant, Father Mel Bennett, to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchisedech, giving him the sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the sins of men in Thine own Holy Name. We beseech Thee to reward his faithfulness and to forget his faults, admitting him speedily into Thy Holy Presence, there to enjoy forever the recompense of his labors. This we ask through Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

Finally, here is the letter we received today from Bishop Doherty:

20 April 2011

Dear Monsignors/Fathers/Deacons:

Father Melvin Bennett, age 69, died at Saint Vincent’s Hospital, Indianapolis on Tuesday, April 19th.

The body of Father Bennett will be received at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish on Monday, April 25th at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will follow until 7:00 p.m. when the Office of the Dead and Vigil will begin.

The Funeral Mass will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26th at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish. Bishop Timothy Doherty will be the celebrant with Bishop William Higi and the classmates of Father Bennett as concelebrants along with the priests of the Diocese.

A luncheon will follow the Funeral Mass at Saint Elizabeth Seton parish hall.

Burial will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Earl Park (on or about 4:15/4:30) following the luncheon.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Father Melvin Bennett Spiritual Center on the campus of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish.

Let us remember all of our deceased brothers in our prayers. As a reminder, the custom is to celebrate three Masses for the repose of the soul of a deceased brother priest.



Most Reverend Timothy L. Doherty
Bishop of Lafayette-in-Indiana

Palm Sunday Video!

This video is very well done! It makes one think for sure!

A Must See Upcoming Movie: There Be Dragons.

The movie "There Be Dragons" will be released on May 6th. It is about a priest, Saint Jose Maria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. Here is the trailer:

I would highly encourage you and your families to watch "There Be Dragons." Saint Jose Maria Escriva, pray for us!

Happy Holy Week and Palm Sunday!

Holy Week has arrived! This weekend, we bless palm branches and journey with Jesus into Jerusalem crying out the words "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis!" "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." I proposed the question in my Palm Sunday homily: Will be follow Jesus all the way to His crucifixion or won't we? A decision needs to be made by us all, even me. 

This year, I encouraged parishioners to be present at as many Holy Week liturgies and events as they possible can, even more than they have ever done before. This is easier said then done. But, if we allow the busyness of our lives and the constant bombardment from our secular culture pull us away from what is MOST important (OUR FAITH), then our Holy Week will not be very holy for us.

This is the Holiest Week of the entire Church Year. Our worship and prayer are intensified as we approach Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection. I also shared that Holy Week could end today on Palm Sunday and that we could just focus on Easter Morning, ignoring all the events that occur prior to Jesus' Resurrection from the dead.

However, as Catholic Christians, God calls us to grow in holiness and in Holy Week, that is what we strive to do. Will we be like the people in the Gospel who cried out there Hosannas and shortly after cried out "Crucify Him"?

Our Lord awaits the members of His Body, the Church, each one of us, to join Him in this journey every step of the way from His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem all the way to the Cross where He cries out "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." Let us enter now with our Lord into this Holiest of Weeks and prepare together for Easter. 

Blessed by God... a Lenten Parish Mission with Fr. James (Jim) Kubicki, S.J.

This week was a wonderful week for my parish of Saint Alphonsus Liguori in Zionsville, IN. We brought in Father Jim Kubicki, S.J. for our Lenten Parish Mission. He shared with us about the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. He broke the three evening talks down by discussing the Eucharist in terms of "what we believe about the Eucharist," "how we celebrate the Eucharist," and "how we live the Eucharist." He cited several references to both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul II had called the Church to an entire Year of the Eucharist from October 2004 through October 2005. It is interesting that John Paul II went home to the Father's House on April 5, 2005, during the Year of the Eucharist. He was truly a man who was dedicated to the gift of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. 

After Pope Benedict XVI began his pontificate, he concluded what Pope John Paul II had begun. His Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church's Life and Mission, Sacramentum Caritatis (22 February 2007) has been helpful to understand how important the Eucharist really is in the lives of Catholic Christians and the very life of the Church, what the Second Vatican Council called "the Source and Summit of our Faith." Fr. Kubicki, S.J. also shared about the spirituality of offering ourselves each and every day and each and every moment of every day to God. This in turn allows us to be united to Jesus Christ Himself which has immense redemptive value. We can offer our sufferings and sacrifices with Jesus to the Father which makes us participants of the salvation of the world. The wonderful prayer the Apostleship of Prayer encourages people to pray is the Daily Offering Prayer. It is a great way to start one's day. 

Here is one example of this prayer:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month. Amen.


Overall, we enjoyed Father Kubicki and his thoughts on the Holy Eucharist. It was especially interesting how he tied in our Lenten Mission with what he does personally in his life as a Jesuit priest. He is the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, which has an incredible website with great resources. I am confident that our parish grew closer to Jesus in the Eucharist through this year's parish Lenten Mission. Thank you God for bringing Father Kubicki, S.J. to share with us about your Son Jesus who comes to us in the Eucharist. Keep him safe and sound in all his work with the Apostleship of Prayer. 


If you would like to hear more from Father Kubicki, S.J., he has a podcast through the Apostleship of Prayer.

500 Festival 15K Training Run... Getting Ready for the Race for Vocations May 7th, 2011

Today was the last of three training runs to help me to get ready for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon next month. There was a 5K run in February, a 10K run in March and then finally, a 15K run just today. I have had some ongoing struggles with shin splints. I dealt with this problem when I was preparing for the New York City Marathon last November. It is not easy to train when you have a nagging injury. So, I just have been trying my best. I certainly can try to run more consistently each week. That would be a prayer request: God, help Father Joshua to remain disciplined in his running. Amen. Also, if you have a nagging injury, pray to God about it. He can definitely help you. Try not to get discouraged, but see how you may be able to learn from the experience.

Anyway, today, I did surprise myself in completing the 15K run (9.3 miles) in a satisfactory time of 1:07:06. Thank you God! The other bonus for today's run was that the good Lord held the rain off for us so we could get in without being completely soaked. I am so grateful for that. I was also thankful to have had the support of a wonderful parishioner named Jack. We were able to complete each of the three training runs this year. This is first for me! It is definitely good to get in some races before the Mini Marathon. The Mini will be here very soon.

So, the results from my run today are at the following website http://connect.garmin.com/activity/78078448. I ran with Jack for two miles. He then told me to go on ahead and see what I could do. I did that, got into a groove and really worked on my last three miles (6:59, 6:58, 6:41). I also made myself encourage people if and when I passed them.

I will conclude this post with a brief note that was sent to the members of the Race for Vocations Team. If you would like to be part of our team, please sign up soon here so you can enjoy being part of an incredible cause for Vocations. Also, if you want to come down for the Mass and Dinner the evening before, please contact Courtney Mitchell at cmitchell@archindy.org or callher at 317-236-1490.

Here is the note:

Hello Race for Vocations Team Members,

Can you believe that in just about five weeks or so, we will be toeing the line of our Race for Vocations downtown Indianapolis! In these weeks ahead, let us be reminded of the following powerful words from Saint Paul about the race for eternal life, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." (II Timothy 4:7) May this scripture be a guiding light for both the Race for Vocations and in our lives as we run the good race for holiness, which is the primary vocation that we all share!

In these coming weeks, you will be receiving emails with reflections on the various vocations in the Church. The reflections are from the hearts of a number of the individuals from our Race for Vocations Committee who have been working diligently since last years Race for Vocations to get us ready for 2011. As well, I would encourage you to continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood, consecrated/religious life, sacred married life and sacred single life as you train in these final weeks of preparation.

This week, let us focus on the aforementioned scripture from II Timothy 4:7. In reflecting on this passage, you might contemplate the following questions in your prayer and as you train:

1) How am doing in running the race to holiness?
2) How am I allowing God to feed me and help me in growing in faithfulness?
3) Am I competing well in my relationship with God and with His people?
4) How am I encouraging others to run the good race?

5) Am I remaining open to God with the life He has given to me?

Please be sure to ask others to pledge prayers for your Race. You may post their prayer pledges on Facebook at our Facebook page Race for Vocations.

Please Save the Following Important Dates!!!

Mass for Vocations: Friday, May 6, 2011, 6:30 pm at St. John's downtown! We are not sure if Archbishop Buechlein or Bishop Coyne will be presiding. Either way, we will have one of them to celebrate the Mass for Vocations along with many priests, seminarians, religious and lay people.

Pasta Dinner: Friday, May 6, 2011, immediately following the Mass for Vocations under the big top tent in St. John's parking lot! Free will donation accepted. All runners and their families/friends are invited to attend. RSVP with Courtney Mitchell at cmitchell@archindy.org

Race for Vocations: Saturday, May 7, 2011, Indianapolis Mini-Marathon and 5K.

OK Race for Vocations Team, have a great April and get ready for the 2011 Race for Vocations!!!

I will leave you with some great words from the Servant of God John Paul II for some food for thought in the days to come:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). What we have here is not simply a moral exhortation, or a command which comes to us from without. The inclination to give is rooted in the depths of the human heart: every person is conscious of a desire to interact with others and everyone finds fulfillment in a free gift of self to others” (MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II FOR LENT 2003).

In His Priesthood,

Father Joshua M. Janko

Prayers for a brother priest... Father Mel Bennett

This past Friday, on April 1st, I received some terrible news. I learned that a priest from my Dad's parish, Saint Elizabeth Seton in Carmel, was involved in a very bad car accident. The news reports confirmed what I had learned. Fr. Mel was badly injured and others were involved as well. Please pray for them. This news was very difficult for me to take. Fr. Mel has been so supportive of my Dad and I over the years. I have been very thankful to visit Fr. Mel at the hospital a few times since the accident. On April 6th, I sat next to his bed and prayed the Holy Rosary for him and for this difficult situation.

I would ask you to please join me in praying for Father Mel Bennett and the other people involved. Especially, dear Lord, I pray for the family who has lost a loved one. "Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen." If you are able, please join me in offering some rosaries. God bless you... Father Joshua

The Perfect Birthday Gift for Pope Benedict XVI for His 84th...

84,000 Novenas for the Pope’s 84th Birthday!
Will you join me in giving the Pope a huge gift for his birthday? Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating his birthday on April 16th and I’m joining up with praymorenovenas.com to get 84,000 people to pray a novena for the Pope’s 84th birthday.

On April 8th, we will begin praying for nine days leading up to and ending on the Pope Benedict’s birthday. The Pope prays for us everyday so it’s time to return the gift to him on the anniversary of his birth.

Read on to learn how you can contribute to Pope Benedict's Birthday Gift of Prayers:

+ Sign up here: http://bit.ly/h0052O
+ Join the Facebook event and invite your friends here: http://on.fb.me/eE2Xs7
+ If you have a website or blog, post about it there!
+ Email your friends and family and get them praying too!

I’m sure the Pope will love that we are all praying for him! Please help us reach the goal of 84,000 novenas for the Pope!

Remember to sign up to pray your novena for the pope here: http://bit.ly/h0052O

Planned Parenthood CEO's False Mammogram Claim Exposed

via liveaction.org

Contact: Amy Kim, 323.454.3304, media@liveaction.org
 
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 30–A series of new undercover phone calls reveals that contrary to the claims of Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards and other supporters of the nation’s largest abortion chain, the organization does not provide mammograms for women.

In the tapes, a Live Action actor calls 30 Planned Parenthood clinics in 27 different states, inquiring about mammograms at Planned Parenthood. Every Planned Parenthood, without exception, tells her she will have to go elsewhere for a mammogram, and many clinics admit that no Planned Parenthood clinics provide this breast cancer screening procedure. “We don’t provide those services whatsoever,” admits a staffer at Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Planned Parenthood’s Comprehensive Health Center clinic in Overland Park, KS explains to the caller, “We actually don’t have a, um, mammogram machine, at our clinics.”

Opponents of defunding Planned Parenthood have argued in Congress and elsewhere that the organization provides many vital health care services other than abortion, such as mammograms. Most prominently, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards recently appeared on The Joy Behar Show to oppose the Pence Amendment to end Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer subsidies, claiming, “If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are gonna lose their healthcare access–not to abortion services–to basic family planning, you know, mammograms.”

The calls were recorded by Live Action, the youth-led pro-life group responsible for recent undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood staff, from management on down, willing to aid and abet the sex trafficking of young girls at 7 clinics in 4 different states. Live Action president Lila Rose says the new recordings further confirm Planned Parenthood’s corruption: “Planned Parenthood is first and foremost an abortion business, but Planned Parenthood and its allies will say almost anything to try and cover up that fact and preserve its taxpayer funding. It’s not surprising that an organization found concealing statutory rape and helping child sex traffickers would misrepresent its own services so brazenly, playing on women’s fears in order to protect their tax dollars.”

Former Planned Parenthood Director Abby Johnson notes that the recordings demonstrate Planned Parenthood is not a comprehensive health care provider. “For so long PP has touted that they are a provider of mammogram services. This is just one of the lies that PP uses to draw people into their clinics. PP is not able to provide quality services on their own, so they are forced to lie to the public about services they don’t provide–and mammograms are just one of those services.”

Both Rose and Johnson call on Congress to revoke all taxpayer subsidies from Planned Parenthood. In the last reported year, Planned Parenthood received $363 million in government money.

The new undercover recordings are available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq0kBkUZbvQ

A Parental Perspective on Discernment

Parents: You are such a blessing to your children. Please continue to pray for them, that that would be holy and that they would serve God with their lives.

Life (The Annunciation) vs. Death (Planned Parenthood)

Happy Belated Solemnity of the Annunciation! Just think, nine months from now, we will celebrate the birthday of Jesus on the Feast of Christmas. I am already excited. Well, yesterday we recalled the encounter Mary had with the Archangel Gabriel who told her: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." Saint Gabriel also announced "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus."  Mary learned from God through the message of one of His angels that she was being called to be a mother - the mother of Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Her "fiat" (yes) to God in her own words "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" are meaningful to us even today. They not only provide a witness  to anyone who would make themselves available to a vocation from God, but particularly they resound in the hearts of women who may find themselves in a similar situation to Mary. 

Unfortunately, a current attitude in the culture of death has been leading many women to "be very afraid" and to decide to not say yes to the vocation of being a mother and not giving their children an opportunity to live. With the current "legal" option for "abortion," so many women know in their heart of hearts that they became mothers the moment they found out they were pregnant. Please pray for all women that they would heed the words of Saint Gabriel the Archangel - "Do not be afraid." Fear and being afraid is what drives so many people to turn to the culture of death and organizations like Planned Parenthood (PP) to take the "easy" way out of their situation. It is a very sad situation. It reminds me of the 9th Station of the Cross that we meditate on with Jesus' Meeting the Women of Jerusalem. His response to them resonates to so many women today: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed." (Luke 23: 28-29).

Thankfully, more and more people are taking a stand against organizations like PP with opportunities for prayer the Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. and the 40 Days for Life! The current campaign runs from March 9 - April 17, 2011. I am also pleased with initiatives like "Live Action" and Lila Rose who are working tirelessly to uncover the lies and atrocities that are going on all the time not too far from our homes, especially at PP locations.

seminarians and others praying the Rosary at PP

Hopefully, one day, the holocaust of abortion will end in our country and in our world. Since 1973, abortion on demand in America has been a legal option. In our country, millions of innocent lives have been lost because of the legal "choice" of abortion. We must not stop praying, speaking on behalf of the unborn and never lose hope! 

Here are some pictures from yesterday on the Solemnity of the Annunciation at the Indianapolis PP with 40 Days for Life participants praying for life. The place definitely is dismal, dreary and unwelcoming. I wonder what goes on in the minds of people who drive onto the property of PP. Again, this is all so very sad!

very sad... very cold (not just the temperature)

not very welcoming... "No Trespassing"

More from Archbishop Timothy Dolan (60 Minutes)

What can I say, I think this guy is a blessing! I wanted to share with you a segment of the episode that CBS provided. Here it is:

Saints, Saints and Even More Saints...

The first full week of Lent normally includes three wonderful saints. For me personally and for members of my family, last week was kind of a tough one this year in 2011. My mother Laurie Janko of happy memory passed away on March 18th, 2001. This was the 10th year of her passing. I cannot believe how quickly 10 years have flown by. 

But, last week was very special to me. During the final days of my mother's life in March of 2001, I witnessed an outpouring of love from so many amazing people. My mother's friends came from as far as Baltimore, MD to share with her their love and concern. Additionally, her siblings (she has five) were either on their way to Indiana to see her or were calling just about everyday. I was so delighted to be reminded of just how much my mom had impacted so many lives in her 59 years of life. It was truly amazing to me. I am also thankful for the priestly support mom received prior to her passing. She must have received the Anointing of the Sick 2-3 times while she was at Saint Vincent's Hospice in Indianapolis. She had multiple priests visit her and even more seminarians from my seminary, the Pontifical College Josephinum (Columbus, OH),who came to visit my mother Laurie Janko. 

The date of her going home to the Lord was no coincidence. Mom's final day on this earth was couched between March 17th, the Feast of Saint Patrick (Apostle of Ireland) and March 19th, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph (Patron Saint of a Happy Death). March 18th happened to also be another saint day - Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (Bishop and Doctor of the Church). My mother and all of us who loved her felt such strong support from members of our family, friends, priests, religious and seminarians. But, we also felt strong support and encouragement from many of the members of our family in Heaven: God our Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son and our Savior, Holy Spirit who guides our every step, Mary the Mother of our Lord and our Spiritual Mother, Saint Joseph, Saint Patrick and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. Thank you everyone who prayed for my mom and thank you family in heaven who continue to pray for me! 

Saint Patrick!
Thursday March 17th brought to our attention you,the Apostle of Ireland, who worked tirelessly as a bishop for many years assisting the native peoples and winning many converts to the Catholic Faith. The connection you have with our family is awesome. Great-Grandpa Moran and his wife were Irish through and through. I am honored to have as my middle name "Moran." Your prayer, the Breast-Plate (Lorica),has always been a favorite of mine. I am so thankful that Jesus is with me in my life. Please keep praying for me Saint Patrick!

Saint Joseph!
Saturday March 19th was your day, a day for such a special man who was called by God to be the Foster Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a honor it must have been to hold him in your arms when He was just a baby, to teach Him the carpenter's trade and to take your final breaths in His presence and in the presence of Mary your wife. You are such a wonderful model for me in my life. Thank you also for praying for my mom Laurie in her final hour. She truly had a peaceful death surrounded by her family and friends. I am always encouraged when I read the 1900 year old prayer with you in mind.

Well, that is all for now. I just had to get some thoughts out after last week. It was a beautiful week with so many Lenten blessings, wonderful saints to be encouraged by and of course the memories of my mom Laurie Janko. Mom, I love you forever! I will see you in the Eucharist tomorrow at 11:00AM at Saint Joan of Arc in Kokomo, IN. 


Father Joshua (Josh)

Prayers and Praying in the Desert of Lent

Today is Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent. There is so much going on in our world. We are of course praying for and concerned for our brothers and sisters in Japan. It is incredible to know that so many people are already reaching out to help with prayers, financial assistance and even personal visits to extend a helping hand. This is another reminder of the goodness of God that resides inside every person on this planet. There is so much visible hope when disaster in our world strikes. I am also thankful to share that a friend of mine from college who is from Japan named Aki and her family are safe and sound. I pray for people who have loved ones in Japan who are still missing and all the victims.

There is also the Season of Lent, a time of renewal and going deeper into our hearts, in order for us to be able to battle the temptations and evil in our lives. This is one of the points that I shared this past weekend in my homily for the First Sunday of Lent. The point I tried to make was that Jesus was led out into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, but according to Saint Matthew's Gospel account (4:1-11), it seems that Jesus wasn't tempted UNTIL AFTER He had His experience in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. I shared the thought that Jesus' time in the desert prepared Him for the impending temptations because He had the time to pray, to look more deeply into Himself, to grow in His relationship with the Father and to grow in His dependence on the Father for everything. Of course, this connection we have with Jesus is helpful to us as we are also striving to grow during the Season of Lent, especially in our relationship with God the Father. 


This Season of Lent has also been a blessing for me as a priest. The schedule is getting to be more busy, but I am making sure that I do not allow this reality to distract me from allowing myself the time for more prayer. I recently met with a couple other priests. We were able to support each other as brothers by sharing with each other how we were each REALLY doing. The format we had for the meeting gave us ample time to share our struggles as well as our successes. It will also help us in the future to be able to regularly share with each other good ideas that we have found helpful in our work as priests. I am thankful to God for my brother priests who know exactly what I am going through in the vocation God has called me to. 

Well, I will leave you with a great prayer that I was recently re-introduced to when I was invited to a family's home for dinner. They were so gracious to have me over and we started our evening out with some prayers, including a great prayer by St. Therese of Lisieux. Please pray for priests in our world who are struggling and for priests who have made terrible mistakes, but also for priests who are faithful and priests who are bringing so many souls to God through their ministry as doctors of souls.

Prayer for Priests by St. Therese of Lisieux

O Jesus, eternal Priest,
keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart,
where none may touch them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands,
which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips,
daily purpled with your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts,
sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.

Let Your holy love surround them and
shield them from the world's contagion.

Bless their labors with abundant fruit and
may the souls to whom they minister
be their joy and consolation
here and in heaven their beautiful and
everlasting crown.

Amen.

Ash Wednesday (Two More Takes...)

Just above is a great little explanation of Ash Wednesday by Archbishop Dolan of New York. These bishops are doing a great job with using the media to help us to learn and to grow. Please pray for them!

Also, Pope Benedict XVI had a good message for Ash Wednesday during his Wednesday Audience in Rome. I love our Holy Father! Here are his words for you to take to heart as you begin Lent:

Ash Wednesday
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday, the beginning of her Lenten journey towards Easter. The Christian life is itself a constant journey of conversion and renewal in the company of the Lord, as we follow him along the path that leads through the Cross to the joy of the Resurrection. The primary way by which we follow Christ is by the liturgy, in which his person and his saving power become present and effective in our lives. In the Lenten liturgy, as we accompany the catechumens preparing for Baptism, we open our hearts anew to the grace of our rebirth in Christ. This spiritual journey is traditionally marked by the practice of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. The Fathers of the Church teach that these three pious exercises are closely related: indeed, Saint Augustine calls fasting and almsgiving the “wings of prayer”, since they prepare our hearts to take flight and seek the things of heaven, where Christ has prepared a place for us. As this Lent begins, let us accept Christ’s invitation to follow him more closely, renew our commitment to conversion and prayer, and look forward to celebrating the Resurrection in joy and newness of life.

* * *

I welcome all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from Ireland, Japan, South Korea and the United States. My special greeting goes to the priests and seminarians of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. With prayerful good wishes for a spiritually fruitful Lent, I cordially invoke upon you and your families God’s blessings of joy and peace!

Source: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110309_en.html 

Ash Wednesday and the 40 Days of Lent and the 40 Days for Life!

Are you ready? Ash Wednesday is tomorrow March 9th and begins the Penitential Season of Lent. This is one of my favorite times of year. We come to Mass to begin Lent by hearing God's Word, by receiving the Holy Eucharist, the very Body and Blood of Jesus and we leave wearing that outward symbol of ashes on our foreheads to remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Hopefully, this is not a time of the year that we dread or despair of because in Lent we join Jesus in remembering the trials He faced, especially when He went into the desert for 40 days. I came across a little video on Facebook via the Busted Halo Show that gives a great two minute explanation of Ash Wednesday . Here you go:



Providentially, during Lent this year, there is the opportunity to also participate in the next 40 Days for Life Campaign. That begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. You can learn more about our local campaign here in Indianapolis by visiting http://www.40daysforlife.com/indianapolis/ which details the location, times and other pertinent information that will help you to get involved. If you are not familiar with 40 Days for Life, I will also include a video trailer to give you a good overview. 



The 40 Days for Life in Indianapolis takes place at the Planned Parenthood which is located 8590 Georgetown Road in Indianapolis, IN.  I hope to see you there during the Season of Lent and the 40 Days for Life.