During Lent, Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Central City will be praying the Polish Lenten devotions known as Gorzkie Zale, or Bitter Lamentations. These devotions, sung in English, are composed of a three-week cycle of meditations on the passion of Christ and form a rich part of the Polish liturgical tradition.
The devotions will be prayed on March 19, March 26, and April 2 at 3:00 p.m. at the parish’s Sacred Heart site, 738 Sunshine Avenue, Central City. A different speaker will be featured each week. All are welcome.Â
March 19 – Pilgrim George Walter
George Walter spent 12 years in the seminary where he was ordained a deacon, but never a priest. Dispensed from the responsibilities of being a deacon, George Walter spent the last 50 years walking over 40,000 miles living hand to mouth, including walking from Pittsburgh to Jerusalem, relying solely on Divine Providence. His story, captured in the book The Forty Thousand Mile Man, has been the subject of much inspiration and is a powerful example of moving from a notion of God’s care to actually relying on God’s care.Â
March 26 – Marie Joseph
Marie Joseph was raised in a nominal Catholic home. After graduating from Cornell University, she lived a successful, yet non-religious life. After a painful divorce, Marie’s life was turned upside down. The emptiness of her life allowed her to be open to the promptings of grace and she returned to the Catholic Church. Marie has appeared several times on the EWTN program The Journey Home. Marie’s story is one of a nominal faith turned into a rediscovery of the breadth and depth of our Catholic faith.Â
April 2 – Dr. Gregory Sweeney
Dr. Gregory Sweeney is a graduate of Georgetown University Medical School and currently practices family medicine in Hollidaysburg. Dr. Sweeny and his wife are the parents of eight children, the youngest being Regina. In 2011, at the age of eleven Regina suffered a sudden and rapid decline that culminated in her death shortly after the onset of her sickness. Dr. Sweeny will speak about finding hope and faith even in the most painful circumstances. Following the devotions on April 2nd there will be a spaghetti dinner in the parish hall open to all.
