The clustered parishes of Our Lady of the Lakes in Balsam Lake and St. Joseph in Amery are launching a Lenten event series aimed at long-term spiritual enrichment. Liturgical composer Francesca LaRosa will return to the diocese, speaking and performing in Balsam Lake, to support their mission.
“‘On The Road To Emmaus,’ we are inviting our community to travel with us to experience and explore the riches of our Catholic faith and imagine what would it have been like to walk with the risen Jesus then and now,” explained parish business administrator Jennifer Lefler. “Our hope is that the journey goes on in perpetuity, so people continue to grow in their faith.”
Beginning Feb. 15, the parishes are hosting Eucharistic adoration on Thursday in Balsam Lake and Fridays in Amery; publicizing regular hours for Reconciliation and the Rosary at both parishes; and offering Stations of the Cross weekly in Balsam Lake and three times weekly in Amery.
On three Fridays, March 14, 21 and 28, the Amery parish will host fish fries from 4:30-7 p.m. (See the calendar for details). Lefler said the Stations of the Cross will take place before the dinner to encourage parishioners to attend both events.
March 7 event in Balsam Lake
Music will also be a big part of the journey, Lefler said, which includes a visit from Francesca LaRosa, the mezzo-soprano, pianist and composer from Indiana who led last fall’s Music Ministry Retreat and Workshop. The event begins with a light supper at 5 p.m. in Balsam Lake.
“Francesca will be sharing her Emmaus testimony, along with Stations of the Cross music, on March 7 at 6 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lakes,” Lefler added.
The parishes have also ordered Jesus backpacks that look like the backpack in “The Chosen,” so participants have a visual for the journey, and there is a biblical marketplace in the gathering space so parishioners can pick up supplies for the journey, including rosaries, little black Lenten books, and more, Lefler said.
Finally, the parishes are also sharing interesting information about food from the Bible with recipes from the book “Dining with the Saints,” by Fr. Leo Patalinghug.
Francesa Larosa
