Lenten Observances

WOONSOCKET AREA
CHURCHES PLAN LENTEN OBSERVANCES

       Again this year the Christian community
in Woonsocket will join on the Thursdays of Lent in area churches for services
of song, prayer and reflection. 
Following an initiative begun a number of years ago by St. Mark Lutheran
Church, five evening gatherings open to the public will mark the forty day
preparation for Easter.  On Thursday, March
13, at 7pm, St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church, 190 North Main Street,
will host the evening’s devotions.  On Thursday,
March 20, at 7pm, St. Mark Lutheran Church, 871 Harris Avenue, will be the
gathering place for the night’s rituals. 
On Thursday, March 27, at 7pm participants will gather at St. James
Baptist Church, 340 South Main Street, for that week’s prayer. On Thursday, April
3, at 7pm, the area Lenten observers will assemble at the Polish National
Catholic Church, 500 Smithfield Road.  On
Thursday, April 10, at 7pm these Lenten services will conclude at Holy Family
Church, 414 South Main Street.  All
donations received will benefit local non-denominational programs for the
needy.  There will also be a Good Friday
walk on April 18 beginning at 11:00 am at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, St.
Paul Street, Blackstone, walking to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Woonsocket,
singing hymns while some men carry a cross. 
This observance concludes at St. Mark Church followed by a light lunch
to which everyone is invited.  Woonsocket
has a strong tradition of ecumenical and interfaith services largely under the
guidance Fr. Edward St. Godard long time pastor of Holy Family Church in the
city who has sponsored an annual Thanksgiving service drawing on clergy and
laity from around the state.  In October,
principally initiated by the area’s Pentecostal communities, the various
churches of Woonsocket gathered at River Island Park for a day of prayer and
intercession on behalf of the city’s troubles economic situation.  A meeting of clergy also took place at the
First Assembly of God Church in January again to encourage city wide prayer on
behalf of the city’s needs.  All
Woonsocket residents are encouraged to support and participate in these
citywide events.