Join Us for 2026 Lenten Activities

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18, this year. Below are some resources provided by the parish to help you make the most of your Lenten journey.

Lenten Prayer Books
Lenten prayer books will be available in both churches on the weekend of February 7-8, 2026. Students in the F3 program will receive their Lenten booklets the previous Wednesday, February 4. 

The Little Black Book for Lent offers daily reflections from February 16 through Easter Sunday, April 5, based on the Passion according to the Gospel of Mark.

Books are located in pews and on courtesy tables at all entrances. Parishioners in long-term care centers have already received copies.

For more information about the Lenten prayer books, contact Ms. Jess Fischer,
Evangelization and Discipleship Coordinator. 

Ash Wednesday Services
With Lent beginning on Wednesday, February 18, St. Boniface and St. Meinrad parishes have scheduled various events that are open to parishioners, friends and neighbors.

Here is the schedule for Ash Wednesday, February 18:
•    Blessing and distribution of ashes only: 6:30 a.m., Historic St. Boniface Catholic Church
Three Masses, with the distribution of ashes, will be held at:
•    12:05 p.m., St. Meinrad Catholic Church
•    4:15 p.m., St. Meinrad Catholic Church
•    6:15 p.m., Historic St. Boniface Catholic Church 

Stations of the Cross and Eucharistic Adoration
Each Friday during Lent, the Stations of the Cross will be prayed at 3 p.m. at St. Meinrad Catholic Church, led by Deacon Mike Fish. 

Eucharistic Adoration is available each week on Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. at St. Meinrad Catholic Church.

Confessions and Penance Service
Confession is available at St. Meinrad Catholic Church on Wednesdays, 3:15 to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 7:45 to 8:15 a.m. At Historic St. Boniface Catholic Church, confession is available Saturdays at 3:15 to 3:45 p.m.

A communal penance service will be held Wednesday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Historic St. Boniface Catholic Church.

CRS Rice Bowls
Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowls will be available in churches the weekend of February 7-8. Students in the F3 program will receive their Rice Bowls the previous Wednesday.
Rice Bowls will be on courtesy tables after that weekend. Parishioners in long-term care centers have already received them.

The CRS Rice Bowl program invites Catholics to live in solidarity with our poorest and most vulnerable brothers and sisters through the three Lenten pillars of praying, fasting, and almsgiving. 

When you give to CRS Rice Bowl, 75% of your donation supports CRS’s humanitarian relief programs in nearly 100 countries worldwide. The remaining 25% goes to hunger and poverty alleviation efforts here within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis as part of the Matthew 25: CRS Rice Bowl Grant. Electronic or recurring donations are available. Scan the QR code on the collection container.

Rice bowls and old palm branches may be returned at all church entrances beginning Palm Sunday, March 29, 2026, through Divine Mercy Sunday, April 12. Blessed palms are a sacramental, and they need to be disposed of in a proper manner. It is our custom to take those blessed palms, burn them, and use them for the ashes that, next year, are sprinkled or traced on our heads as a reminder that we “are dust and to dust we shall return.”

For information about the CRS Rice Bowls, contact Sue Kloeck, chair of the Service and Outreach Commission.

Special Lenten Series for Adults
Deacon Mike Fish will offer three Lenten sessions for adults, beginning at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, February 24. 2026. Other dates are March 3 and March 10. 
At each 45-minute session, participants will look to the Old Testament to see who has experienced God face-to-face and what can be learned from those experiences. 
Each session covers different encounters. Parishioners are welcome to attend one, two or all three sessions.