Thank you for your support of this year’s Lenten Project. You can return your donation box by placing the contents of your box in the glass cylinders in the Gathering Area or Narthex. If you wish to contribute by writing a check, the check should be made out to St. Thomas OSJ with Lenten Project in the memo line. Or you can donate online. Donations will be collected through April 12.
Your donation helps St. Agnes Parish to continue to be a vital source of hope, support and stability for the people of St. Agnes and those in the surrounding communities.
St. Agnes Parish on the Pine Ridge Reservation is this year’s Lenten Project.
Pine Ridge, located in southwestern South Dakota, is home to the Oglala Lakota Nation and is one of the most economically challenged communities in the United States. St. Agnes Parish serves not only as a place of worship, but also as a vital source of hope, support and stability for families facing persistent poverty, limited access to healthcare, food insecurity and inadequate housing. Through pastoral care, outreach programs and a faithful daily presence, St. Agnes Parish walks alongside its people with compassion, resilience and deep faith.
The funds collected will be used for much needed repairs to the parish community center. This will create a more welcoming space for the St. Agnes faith community to gather. In addition, it will allow the center to be rented to others needing a space for meetings and events and, in that way, generate some income for St. Agnes. Our goal is to raise $20,000 for the St. Agnes community.
By directing our Lenten almsgiving to this community, we respond to the Gospel call to stand in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, honoring their dignity, culture and faith. During this holy season of Lent, may our prayer, fasting and almsgiving draw us closer to Christ and to one another, and may our generosity bring hope and encouragement to the people of St. Agnes Parish.
Why St. Agnes Parish?
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is rich in culture, faith, and resilience, yet it faces ongoing challenges shaped by historical injustice and present-day inequality. St. Agnes Parish is a spiritual and communal anchor on the reservation, offering pastoral care, sacramental life and concrete support to those most in need.
How will the funds be used?
The funds collected will be used for much needed repairs to the parish community center. This will create a more welcoming space for the St. Agnes faith community to gather.
Prayer for Our Lenten Project
God of all peoples and nations,
You created us in love and call us into communion.
Bless the people of St. Agnes Parish and the Pine Ridge Reservation.
May our Lenten sacrifices become signs of hope,
our generosity a bridge of solidarity,
and our faith a source of justice and peace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Take home a brown box (found in the Gathering Area and Narthex) and collect donations throughout Lent. Return your donation box to St. Thomas by April 12. Checks can be made out to St. Thomas OSJ with Lenten Project in the memo line. to donate online, please click here.
Thank you for your generosity.
