Lent and Easter Season 2025

38th Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
5pm-7:30pm | Parish Hall
Before the start of Lent, we celebrate Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday or more commonly known as Mardi Gras. On this day, many enjoy pancakes as a symbolic way to prepare for Lent. Learn more about the history HERE. 

Join the Scouts and leaders of Troop 215 and 1215 and enjoy fresh, buttery pancakes at their 38th Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper! While there is no admission fee, donations are greatly appreciated. Proceeds after covering expenses will be given to one or two local charities. 

Ash Wednesday (Day of Fasting and Abstinence)
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. 

Ash Wednesday Mass and Service Times:

• 6:30am-7:15am: Liturgy of the Word and Distribution of Ashes

• 8:30am: English Mass with St. Mark Catholic School

• No regular 10am Spanish Mass

• 12pm-1pm: Distribution of Ashes ONLY

• 5pm: English Mass

• No regular 6pm confessions.

• 7pm: Spanish Mass

Please take home a complimentary Lenten book, Daily Reflections for Lent: Not by Bread Alone 2025 and a CRS Rice Bowl the weekend of March 1-2. Books are available in English and Spanish and designed to guide you through the Lenten Season. 

On Fridays during Lent, practicing Catholics are called to abstain from eating meat and participate in the Stations of the Cross, meditating on Jesus' Passion and death on the Cross.

Adoration: 9am-4pm, Chapel

Soup Suppers and/or Fish Frys: 5pm-7pm, Parish Hall

This year, we are excited to offer THREE Soup Suppers and THREE Fish Frys on Fridays during Lent. See below for the dates. 

Soup Suppers
March 14, 28, and April 11
Soup Suppers, which feature homemade meatless soups are FREE and hosted by different St. Mark ministries. Come enjoy a warm bowl of soup with a side of crackers or bread with fellow parishioners! 

Fish Frys
March 7*, 21, and April 4
Fish Frys are hosted by the Knights of Columbus. Cost is $6/child and $12/adult. Each plate comes with fried fish, tater tots, coleslaw, and dinner rolls. 

*Proceeds from the first Fish Fry on March 7th will support our Youth Ministry and help fund their summer trips! 

Click HERE to Pre-Order for Fish Frys

Stations of the Cross (English): 6:30pm-7:15pm, Church/Sanctuary
Stations of the Cross (Spanish): 7:15pm-8pm, Church/Sanctuary

During Lent, confession times are extended on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Extended Confession Times:

• Wednesdays: 6pm-7pm (starting March 12)
• Saturdays: 3pm-4:30pm (starting March 8)

• Thursday, March 13, 2025: 7pm-8pm (Spanish ONLY)
• Thursday, March 27, 2025: 7pm-8pm
• Thursday, April 3, 2025: 11am-12pm

St. Mark Catholic Church is excited to host a Parish Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 29, 2025, 11am-1pm, in the Parish Hall. We invite you to continue your Lenten journey and prepare for Christ's resurrection by exploring a deeper appreciation of the last things in life and what they mean for how we are living now and for our life to come.

The central focus of Come, Lord Jesus will include a video presentation by Rev. Paul Scalia, Episcopal Vicar for the Clergy and Pastor of St. James Church in the Diocese of Arlington. 

Register at https://bit.ly/2025LentRetreat or by contacting Terrie Baldwin at [email protected] or (910) 880-1282. 

Tenebrae, which means "shadows" or "darkness" in Latin, is a Holy Week service that was established a thousand years ago. Like the "lessons and carols" services familiar at Christmas, Tenebrae consists of hymns and readings, the ones proper to Lauds and Matins for the day of the Triduum. Originally held in churches after midnight, but later held at a variety of times, Tenebrae would be sung each day of the Triduum lit only by 15 candles. The candles were extinguished one by one until the church was left in darkness. At that point, a loud noise called the "strepitus" would be produced, sometimes by slamming a hymnal or other book shut or stomping on the floor - symbolizing the earthquake after Christ's death.

Holy Week is the week before Easter. It begins on Palm Sunday and concludes with Easter Sunday. During this time, Catholics remember and celebrate the Paschal Mystery, the passion and death of Jesus Christ, and his triumphant resurrection and defeat of sin and death!

Palm Sunday
Blessed palms distributed at Masses. Procession at 5pm Vigil Mass and Spanish Masses.
April 12: 5pm (English), 6pm (Spanish, Christ the King*)
April 13: 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am (English), 1:30pm (Spanish), and 6:30pm (Vietnamese)

April 14: Monday of Holy Week
Mass: 8:30am (English)

April 15: Tuesday of Holy Week
No daily Masses.
10:30am: Chrism Mass, Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC
Watch the livestream of the Chrism Mass on the Diocese of Raleigh's YouTube channel.

April 16: Wednesday of Holy Week
Mass: 8:30am (English), 10am (Spanish)
No confessions due to Tenebrae
7pm: Tenebrae (St. Mark)

PASCHAL TRIDUUM
April 17: Holy Thursday
No daily Masses on Holy Thursday.
Mass of the Lord's Supper (followed by Adoration)
6pm: Christ the King (Spanish), Adoration 7:30pm-9pm
7pm: St. Mark (English), Adoration 8:30pm-10pm

April 18: Good Friday
Day of Fasting and Abstinence
No daily Mass or Adoration on Good Friday.
12pm: Stations of the Cross (English)
3pm: Veneration of the Cross (St. Mark and Christ the King)
6:30pm: Stations of the Cross (Spanish)

April 19: Holy Saturday
No confessions, regular 5pm Vigil Mass, or 6pm Spanish Vigil Mass at Christ the King on Holy Saturday.
8pm: Easter Vigil Mass (St. Mark and Christ the King)

April 20: Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
Masses: 7:30am (English), 9:30am (English), 11:30am (English), 1:30pm (Spanish), and 6:30pm (Vietnamese)

All Easter Masses in church. Overflow in Parish Hall with livestream of the Mass and distribution of Holy Communion. 

April 21: Easter Monday
Mass: 8:30am (English)

April 27: Second Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday
3pm: Divine Mercy Chaplet (St. Mark, bilingual)

*Christ the King is our mission parish.