This holiday weekend started off at St. Monica with a fantastic Lenten Fish Fry hosted by the Fishers of Men as a festive alternative to weekly soup and Stations of the Cross which take place every Friday throughout Lent. 

A parishioner offers his account, “I attended expecting a little fellowship, some sustenance, and a bit of spiritual centering prior to Stations of the Cross. What I actually experienced was an joyful, overflowing crowd of at least 150 hungry parishioners and families. Everyone was full of a vibrant and welcoming spirit, anticipating the pleasure of each others company at dinner and fully determined to launch their individual Lenten journeys as a community. Guests were cared for by an impressive and very hard-working cadre of volunteers who cooked, plated, served and took on clean-up chores afterwards. I couldn't think of a better way of following Christ's example—though I'm not sure he completed his meals with chocolate layer cake.”

Lloyd Fredricks, from the leadership team of Fishers of Men, began the evening with a brief film clip outlining the scope of this faith-sharing group which arose as an initiative from recent Cornerstone retreat weekends. This group of 20–30 men meet each Wednesday morning, 6:30–7:30 a.m. on the bluffs in Santa Monica, at Alta & Ocean Avenues. This is an open group which actively invites new interested members. If you would like more information, contact .

Fr. Matt personally greeted most of the guests and led us in meaningful prayer linking the spiritual activities of Fishers of Men with the season of Lent, and added a personal spirit of gratitude for our community and the food we were about to eat.

#hopebegins