Welcome to our Lent specialty store.

A Brief History and Definition of Lent

The Germanic word Lent (lecten), which we use to denote the forty days' of preparation preceding the Paschal feast, originally meant simply the spring season. It has been used since the Anglo-Saxon period (9^th Century) to translate the more significant Latin term quadragesima, meaning the "forty days", or more literally the "fortieth day". This in turn imitated the Greek name for Lent, tessarakoste (fortieth), a word formed from the relationship to the word Pentecost (pentekoste), which had been used as a name for the Jewish festival before the time of Christ.

In the first three centuries of Christian experience, preparation for the Paschal feast usually covered a period of one or two days, perhaps a week at the most. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (ca AD 140-202) even speaks of a forty-hour preparation for the Paschal celebration.

The first reference to Lent as a period of forty days preparation occurs in the teachings of the First Council of Nicea in AD 325. By the end of the fourth century, a Lenten period of forty days was established and accepted in the Church. Pope St. Leo (d. 461) exhorts the faithful to abstain they they may “fulfill with their fasts the Apostolic institution of the forty days.”

In it's early development Lent quickly became associated with the sacrament of baptism, since Easter was the great baptismal feast. Those who were preparing to be baptized participated in the season of Lent in preparation for the reception of the sacrament of baptism. Eventually, those who were already baptized considered it important to join these candidates preparing for baptism in their preparation for Easter. The customs and practices of Lent, as we know them today, soon took hold.

Adapted from the “Lent and Easter Wisdom” series and the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Compiled by John V. Kruse Beloved Pope John Paul II was one of the most popular and inspirational religious figures of our time. In Lent and Easter Wisdom From Pope John Paul II, the late Holy Father's thought-provoking words lead readers through a journey of conversion throughout the season Lent and Easter week. Each daily reflection--from Ash Wednesday through the Second Sunday of …

Beginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus of Nazareth brings to life all the majesty and sweeping drama of the life of Jesus (portrayed here by Robert Powell) as told in the Gospels. A star-studded international cast, featuring Michael York, Sir Laurence Olivier, James Earl Jones, Anne Bancroft, Olivia Hussey, Rod Steiger and Anthony Quinn, …

Book Description:   G. K. Chesterton is one of the few Catholic Christian thinkers admired and quoted equally by Christians of all types and even by non-Christians. Each daily reflection in this book--from Ash Wednesday through the Second Sunday of Easter--begins with thoughts from the finest writings of Chesterton on an appropriate theme and supported by Scripture, a prayer, and a …

Easter Card with gold foil. 25 per box. Inside Verse: On this day of our Lord’s glorious Resurrection, may the Spirit of the Risen Christ always live within you, and may you always have the gift of love, the blessing of Hope, and the promise of Peace.

This book contains the official text of the Passion used when the Gospel is proclaimed in parts on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Each part is clearly marked in a different font and the large print makes it easy to use at Mass. The book contains the Passion for all three Sunday cycles of Palm Sunday, the rubrics for the reading of the Passion and a table through 2014 that lists which cycle …

We are all at least a little bit reluctant about going to Confession, principally because none of us really wants to face the fact that he or she is not perfect. But a host of other reasons can also arise to suggest themselves to various people as to why they should not go to Confession. In this famous little booklet, Msgr. de Segur, an eminently popular French Catholic writer of the 19th …

Benedict XVI Pray through the mystery of salvation with our new pope, Benedict XVI! Experience for yourself the Way of the Cross that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger—now Pope Benedict XVI—wrote for this time-honored devotion held on Good Friday at Rome’s Colosseum. Curiosity regarding Benedict’s spiritual writings has sparked worldwide interest in these meditations and prayers that highlight the new …

Step By Step To Calvary: Praying The Stations Of The Cross Angela Burrin This book will help readers to grasp the reality of Jesus' suffering along the Via Dolorosa--and bring them into a closer relationship with their Lord and Savior. Each of the traditional fourteen Stations of the Cross begins with a moving description of Jesus' passion. Other sections for each station follow and include, …

What He Did For Love: A Companion for the Forty Days of Lent By Francis X. Gaeta LENT IS A TIME OF FASTING - We fast from: discontent • anger • bitterness • self-concern • despair guilt • suspicion • laziness LENT IS A TIME OF FEASTING - We feast on: gratitude • forgiveness • compassion • commitment hope • truth • patience • the mercy of God "What this book is meant to do is to bring us to the …

This is the Large Print Edition.

This pamphlet contains an abridged version of the prayers of Pope Benedict XVI that he wrote less than a month before he was elected pope for the Way of the Cross to be prayed at the Coliseum in Rome on March 25, 2005.

Allegri's Miserere, one of the best known works of the Renaissance, is renowned for its haunting high treble solo part. Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli demonstrates his simpler style which gives precedence to clarity and comprehensibility of the sacred text. Music by the Tallis Scholars

A Treasure Chest of Traditions For Catholic Families This fantastic and user-friendly resource offers ideas for activities, crafts and recipes to help families celebrate the various Seasons and Feast Days of the Liturgical Calendar.  With fun-filled activities, we can build our own family traditions while passing on the richness of our Catholic Faith. Suggested activities are intended to …

This pamphlet is the Stations of the Cross according to the method of St. Alphonse Ligouri.  Illustrations are by Fratelli Bonella of Milan, Italy. 

Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S. V. D. This full-color illustrated children's book from the collection of St. Joseph Picture Books has the Stations of the Cross with prayers for young children. 

Fr. A. G. Sertillanges These pages will intensify your love of Jesus by burning the events of His Passion into your memory and imagination. Written by a priest who lived in Jerusalem and spent many a day walking and praying in the streets where Jesus walked and prayed, this famous devotional classic gives you vivid details not included in the Gospels; and it brings the Gospel events to …

Meditations On The Interior Life For Every Day Of The Liturgical Year This is the classic book of daily meditations on the interior life, revised and expanded to correspond with the feasts of the Catholic liturgical year, issued in four separate volumes. Volume I covers from the First Sunday of Advent through the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time. Volume II, from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost. …

Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D. This full-color illustrated book is a perfect guide for young children in making a good confession.  It explains the method of receiving the Sacrament, plus it has a good examination of conscience based on the 10 Commandments.  Also included are prayers to be said after Confession.

Book Description:   Fr. Daniel Lowery leads us in Daily reflections based on the Gospel with a prayer and suggested practice for making the most of Lent.

This series of Lenten and Easter meditations can also be used throughout the year as reflections on the death, Resurrection, and Ascension of the Lord. The readings are fully appropriate for Christians of all traditions. The meditations are not scriptural commentaries or even thoughts on the liturgy. Rather they focus your mind and heart on the Scriptures and their traditional interpretations. …