For the past 10 years, Father James Statz has been inspiring Lenten devotions with his missionary-style chaplet. The chaplet consists of a cross on a cord with seven sets of three knots each that is worn around the neck over one's clothing, visible for all of Lent. Starting Ash Wednesday, parishioners wear the cross and pray seven Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory Bes everyday for a specific member of the parish or community. On Good Friday, that cross is then given to that person. During his time as a missionary in Venezuela, Father Statz noted that there was need for a visible sign of the cross. The opportunity afforded by Ash Wednesday to visibly display the cross gave him the idea for what would later become the Lenten chaplet. "It's a good way to evangelize our own people and others in the barrios," he said. He views it a powerful tool in bringing the word of God to everyone. Through the cross, "people are brought into the church," said Father Statz. The Venezuelans assembled rosary-type crosses out of "wood and leaves" in such a manner that they could be worn for the whole of Lent. "The immediate response was very positive," the priest said. After returning to the United States, Father Statz introduced the tradition to his own parish, Our Lady of the Angels in Sauk Centre, Minn. His parishioners were receptive to the practice and immediately adopted the idea. Since its introduction almost10 years ago, the local youth groups also have incorporated it into their fundraisers. "We've done it since it started," said one parishioner, Maria Minette. "I like it a lot because it helps to focus on others during Lent. Sometimes we do it as a family and sometimes we do it individually," she said. Commenting on the effectiveness and the power of the cross, she added, "It's especially powerful for teens, for younger adults -- visually wearing the cross for the days of Lent and having people ask about it gives them a chance to talk about their faith." The youth groups in the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn., make the chaplets. "Each year we get a new crucifix and this year we had them blessed by (Pope) Benedict XVI," Father Statz said. This tradition is used especially for the confirmation students, but the entire congregation is invited to participate. And the practice has started to spread to other churches in the area, including St. Paul's Parish, also in Sauk Centre. "Sacramentals assist the sacraments -- they go with the liturgy and extend it. Some other parishes have picked up on it and benefited," Father Statz said. The parishioners have been instrumental in the spreading of the tradition and in participating in the Lenten devotion. "I actually would like to see it spread farther," said Minette.
The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
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