40 Lenten Practices for Catholic Ministries
Looking for ideas to mark the season as a Catholic ministry leader? Here are some ways to integrate prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as an organization of one or 100.
Prayer
Pray for your clients/parishioners/supports. Ask God to let your ministry and your work bless them.
Take a half hour each week for Eucharistic Adoration, either individually or as a team. If you're really busy, make it an hour. :) Consider even bringing quiet work there to offer to the Lord!
Pray the Novena of Surrender as a team, handing over your organization and the results of your work to God.
Pray a decade of the rosary at the end of every hour.
Pray the Angelus together as a staff at noon.
Say a Hail Mary or some other prayer for every person you email or talk with on the phone.
Pick a parishioner or client of the day to pray for.
Pray for the success of your competitors each day.
Create a dedicated prayer space or room in your office for team members to go to whenever they'd like.
Make an effort to start each day or project with a prayer, as a group if possible!
Come up with a Lenten prayer as a team and post it on social media.
Put out a call for prayer requests on your social media accounts and actually pray for each of the requests.
Take a mini-pilgrimage with your team members to a local shrine or cathedral.
Fasting
Fast from one of your outreach methods (social media, email marketing, etc.) and trust that God will provide in the gap!
Fast from taking on new projects that are not essential (whether that be putting off that thing on your to do list or not taking on any more than a certain number of new clients). Use that time and energy to pray or do works of charity instead.
Fast from talking badly about your competition or co-workers.
Pick an hour to not schedule any meetings during Lent (ie. 3 pm). Every time you go to schedule a meeting, you'll remember why and hopefully even say a prayer during that time!
Start a carpool program and fast from the freedom of having your own car at work.
Fast from snacking during work.
Fast from saying yes to everything. Allow yourself the opportunity to say no and prioritize this Lent.
Refrain from playing music while you do mindless tasks.
Fast from promoting specific products or services on social media (it's a good time to explain the "why" of what you do, and not just direct links to your website!).
Fast from internal emails (if you work in the same office with your other team members) and instead go and talk to them in person whenever you need something.
Fast from your online calendar or to-do list and use paper lists and calendars only.
Give up using your phones during meetings and focus on having in-person interactions.
Almsgiving
Donate a portion of your profits this season to a charitable organization.
Take off a day of work as a team and donate your time to an organization who can use it.
Sponsor your local parish's mission or other Lenten event on behalf of your organization.
Offer to pay for a portion of your church's Easter flowers with profits from your ministry.
Run a contest for your clients or parishioners and give something away to them.
Offer advice to someone in your industry for free without expecting anything in return.
Take on a pro bono client for someone in need this Lent.
Take a course or go to a conference to learn a new skill that will benefit others.
Offer a free event for your local community to raise awareness of your ministry and help out.
Offer a day off or to stay late for someone on your team who needs it.
Share something on your ministry's social media page from another ministry that could use an engagement boost.
Take money you might have spent on office parties during Lent and use it to buy food for your local food pantry.
Offer to teach your ministry's specialty (chastity, technology, healthy living, etc.) to your parish's youth group or other age-appropriate community group.
Encourage your team members to bring in canned goods or nonperishables to donate as a group to your local food pantry.
Set up a tip jar in the office and have team members donate loose change to a good cause.