Father Bill Keown ~ Our Pastor

2026 Lent

February 21, 2026

Dear St. Peter the Apostle Parish Family,

On this First Sunday of Lent, we are already a few days into our forty–day journey with the Lord. Perhaps Ash Wednesday felt like a strong and clear beginning. Perhaps it came quickly, and we entered the season still feeling distracted, tired, or even discouraged. Wherever we find ourselves, Lent meets us there.

If the promises of January have faded, if prayer has been inconsistent, if we feel weighed down by habits we had hoped to leave behind, there is good news. Lent is not about proving ourselves to God. It is about allowing God to draw us back to Himself. It is the Church’s invitation to begin again and to return to the Lord with renewed trust.

And we do not make this journey alone. As a parish family here at St. Peter the Apostle, we walk these forty days together. We fast together. We pray together. We encourage one another. The Body of Christ supports each of its members. Your sacrifices, your prayers, your quiet acts of charity strengthen not only your own heart, but the whole parish.

If you were with us for Lent last year, you will also notice that some Latin Mass responses have returned. Like the Church’s Lenten devotions, Latin connects us to the generations of Christians who have gone before us. There can be a slight uneasiness when responding in a language that is not our own, but over the coming weeks, it will become more familiar. This practice is limited to Lent, and it serves as a reminder that we belong to something much bigger than ourselves, a Church that spans centuries and continents. I find this especially meaningful during Lent. Our Lord was crucified under the authority of the Roman Empire. He suffered under Roman occupation. The very language of that empire, the language of those who nailed Him to the Cross, became, in time, a language of praise, worship, and proclamation of the Gospel. What once symbolized oppression became a vehicle for adoration.

That transformation is a powerful reminder for us. No heart is beyond redemption. No past is too broken. No sin is too great for the mercy of Christ.

May this Lent be a season in which Christ’s self-giving love conquers our hearts more deeply. May He take whatever is hardened, distracted, or weary within us and transform it by His grace. And may we arrive at Easter renewed, not because of our strength, but because of His mercy.

Know of my prayers for each of you during these forty days. Let us walk this journey together, confident in the hope that the Lord is leading us toward new life.

In Christ’s peace,

Fr. Bill