Lenten 2022: Divine Mercy Fish Fry at Brother Andre’s Cafe

Lent is on the horizon and this is Brother Andre’s first Lent in business! We are SO excited to be part of your Lenten experience.

Lent is the 40 days before Easter, helping those who partake to remember Jesus’ great sacrifice of love by engaging in prayer, almsgiving, and fasting/sacrificing in preparation for the Resurrection. The number 40 is used significantly throughout the Bible: Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, being tempted by the devil - but Jesus did not cave, putting His faith in God to maintain his fast; Noah floated through the floods for 40 days; and the Israelites wandered through the desert for 40 years toward the Promised Land.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, celebrated in part by everyone gathering in Church to get ashes on their foreheads. These ashes represent penance, mourning, and mortality. Something new I learned is that the Church uses leftover palms from Palm Sunday the prior year to make ashes for Ash Wednesday.

As mentioned previously, a large part of Lent is sacrifice. In giving up something you really enjoy, denying yourself, your struggle with that temptation is a sacrifice to God, which brings you closer to Him. Since I have Diabetes, it can be really hard to find something to give up because I need to eat certain foods - but with a little extra thought, I make it work along with other acts of sacrifice.

Lent isn’t only about giving something up, it’s about growing closer to God. I really want to strengthen my relationship with God, and Lent is the perfect time to do that! One way I’ve started to do this recently is by doing a daily reading from a prayer book that includes several Bible verses. It’s already helped my relationship with Him!

Brother Andre’s has many Lenten activities going on this year, but one event I’m looking forward to is the Divine Mercy Parish Fish Fry! It is being held in the Cafe’s kitchen and dining space, and it begins on Ash Wednesday at 11am, going until 6pm that day and then 11am-6pm every Friday during Lent.

The Brother Andre’s staff is pumped for this season of Lent! We hope you’ll come and enjoy all of the fun activities with us.