On April 5-6, the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers will be celebrated in Rome and around the world. You can observe this jubilee by:

1. Praying for the Sick

2. Sending a note of gratitude to health care workers that serve your family

3. Sending a tray of treats to your doctor's office

4. Making a visit to a nursing home

5. Supporting the needs of the Ronald McDonald house or another charity that supports families with sick children

Here is a parent overview of the Stations of the Cross prayer so that you can share this traditional Lenten prayer with your children.

Gerty and Carl Cori were a husband and wife team of Catholic scientists who studied carbohydrates and the chemical reactions the body uses to break them down. Their work studying sugar metabolism was important in understanding how to treat diabetes. The Coris worked in research for many years, right down the thruway in Buffalo at what is now known as Roswell Park. Both were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, making Gerty the first American woman to win a Nobel Prize.

Silvia semeraro, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In honor of the work of the Coris, try this experiment with your kids to see how sugar mixes with yeast to blow up a balloon! Don't forget your goggles!

Here is a nice assortment of prayers from Hallow, to keep your Lent going strong!

Areas of our own country and those around the world are experiencing a water crisis with over 2 billion people lacking access to clean water. We can each do our own part to keep the water sources we do have, clean. This will help to provide clean water access for future generations and is a way your family can "give drink to the thirsty." With spring in the air, here are some ways to keep water clean in your area:

1. Use a commercial car wash instead of letting soapy water flow into storm drains

2. Properly dispose of cleansers, beauty products, medicine, auto fluids, paint, and lawn care products at a local household hazardous waste facility.

3. Create a rain garden: https://dec.ny.gov/get-involved/living-green/keep-water-clean/create-rain-garden

Rainy day getting you down? How about a family cooking project?!

As we inch toward warmer weather, many of us are coming out of a bit of hibernation time from the depths of winter. Now is a perfect time to get out and be with people! There was recently a social media post of a widowed man who lived alone and sent a note to his neighbors inviting them to his home for a party. He was surprised to witness a multitude of positive RSVPs and a great night. People DO want to spend time with one another. How can your family build the tradition of community among your church and neighborhood families? Community is a blessing; we are not built to go it alone! Here are some ideas to try:

1. Invite families to gather at a playground after Mass for a sharing lunch and playtime.

2. Host a Lenten soup supper for a few families from church and encourage everyone to bring their favorite soup. Stress that it's not about the cooking, but about the time with one another!

3. Invite neighbors over for a game night or some backyard fun!

4. Hold a driveway pancake breakfast and encourage the neighbors to drop by with their own coffee or beverages and chairs. Pancakes are an inexpensive way to entertain!

5. Encourage some church friends to join you at the parish Lenten gathering or better yet, go alone and make new friends!

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Editor: Leslie Barkin leslie.barkin@dor.org

Debtor in Possession

Email: oec@dor.org
Website: oec.dor.org
Location: Diocese of Rochester, Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-328-3210

See them all here!