Lent at Gesu

Click on the tabs below for more information about Gesu's Lenten Offerings.

  • Holy Week: March 29 - April 5

    Palm Sunday

    Masses: 4:30 pm Vigil Mass (Saturday)

    8:00, 10:00, & 11:30 am


    Holy Thursday

    Mass of the Lord's Supper: 7:00 pm


    Good Friday

    Good Friday Service: 3:00 pm

    Stations of the Cross: 7:00 pm


    Holy Saturday 

    Blessing of Easter Food: 12:00 pm

    Easter Vigil Mass: 8:45 pm


    Easter Sunday

    Masses: 8:00, 10:00, & 11:30 am


  • Lenten Ignatian Retreat

    Join the company of St. Ignatius of Loyola and Gesu parishioners as we prepare to celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter. Lent offers a wonderful opportunity to prayerfully reflect on our relationships with God, with the people around us, and with the world. St. Ignatius recommended prayer methods based on his own experience of these relationships, and we will use these practices during the retreat. 


    No text or fee is required although we encourage the use of a journal or notebook. The retreat will include meditations from the Pray-as-you-go website and app — a mixture of music, scripture, commentary, and short reflective questions. Facilitators Karen Broer and Marcia Leous will offer additional commentary on the material. 


    Four small group meetings are scheduled for prayer and sharing in two different formats: Tuesday evenings via Zoom or Thursday mornings in person. All we ask is a commitment to regular time for prayer in between the small group meetings and an openness to God's spirit moving within you.


    Tuesdays at 7:00-8:30 pm via Zoom: February 3 & 17, March 3 & 24

    OR Thursdays at 9:15-10:45 am on February 5 & 19, March 5 & 26 in the Dietz Room of the Parish Office. 


    Attendance at all four sessions is encouraged but not mandatory and participants may switch formats between Zoom and in-person if conflicts arise. There is also an option to participate without attending the small group meetings although the sharing truly enriches the retreat experience.


    Registration is required. Contact Marcia Leous for more information.

  • Men's Lenten Bible Study on the Crucifixion of Jesus in the Four Gospels

    For several years, Gesu has offered a "Women's Bible Study," and a similar opportunity is now being offered for men during the Lenten season. A Bible Study on the Crucifixion of Jesus in the Four Gospels will meet every Friday morning of Lent at 6:30 am in the Parish Office's Sacred Heart Room, just off the office's entrance vestibule. 


    The time is chosen for busy working men. Each session will last for 50 minutes, ending in time for those who wish to attend the Friday 7:30 am Mass in the Marian Chapel. Doors will open at 6:20 am each Friday of Lent — February 20 and 27, March 6, 13, 20, and 27. On Good Friday, April 3, there will be an optional final session, on personal prayer about the crucifixion.


    All are welcome. Bring a neighbor, a friend from work, or a son. Please RSVP so that the appropriate number of study guide books can be ordered. The fee for the two required books will be approximately $22. There is no other cost for this program. 


    Email Fr. Vincent or call the Parish Office to RSVP. 

  • Women's Lenten Bible Study

    Crux by Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR, Ascension Press

    $8 per book

    Tuesdays February 24 - March 31

    8:15-9:45 am

    In-Person, McAuley Hall


    Join Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR for daily meditations that will help you learn to rely on God's strength. The entirety of the Gospel of Mark is read - reflecting on your identity as God's beloved child. Our response is prayer and practical action. 


    The study is designed for individuals, families, and parish groups. Crux unites the physical and spiritual disciplines of fasting, exercise, Scripture reading, and a daily Examen into one transformative Lenten experience, leading you closer to Christ. 


    Please RSVP to Debbie Bruening if you are interested. 

  • Fish Fries

    Church of the Gesu is pleased to host our annual Lenten Fish Fries in partnership with EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute. Join us on select Fridays during Lent to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the EDWINS team while gathering in community this sacred season. 


    When: 5:00 - 8:00 pm

    February 27

    March 6, 13, 20, and 27


    Where: Gesu School Cafeteria


    All proceeds will go to support Gesu's Outreach Ministries and EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute. We look forward to welcoming you for a great meal and a great cause throughout the Lenten season. 


    Pre-order now!

  • Midwest Jesuits Parish Lent Event

    The Midwest Jesuits invite you to join us for coffee, donuts, and a short reflection following the 11:30 am Mass on March 1. Fr. Lukas M. Laniauskas, SJ, will preside at Mass and Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at John Carroll University, will offer a brief reflection. So that we can offer you our best hospitality, please let us know you're coming by registering here. 

  • Novena of Grace 2026: "Gesu at Home and Gesu on Mission"

    As we celebrate our parish's centennial in 2026, our annual Novena of Grace honors Saint Francis Xavier, the Jesuit Order's greatest missionary, and Saint Ignatius of Loyola, co-founder of the society of Jesus. This year's Lenten Speaker Series is also devoted to exploring the life and mission of our parish. 


    Over the past several years, we have talked about Gesu's purpose or mission. We have looked inward, to see what Gesu does "at home" — our worship, our education, how we prepare our young people and those seeking membership in the Church for the Sacraments, as well as what we do in our school to prepare young Catholics for future parish leadership.


    But Gesu also has a strong and long-lasting reputation for being oriented to serve our larger community, Cleveland, as well as the world. Our mission fields include our Honduras Mission — the medical brigade and helping our partners there build up their own families and communities, as well as what we do right here in the mission fields of Cleveland itself, work with the poor, the hungry, the homeless, at the St. Pat's Center or in our work with Habitat for Humanity.


    Come join us March 4-12, each evening in the Marian Chapel at 7:00 pm to hear from those most closely involved with the many ways that Gesu helps to build up the Universal Church, both here at home, as well as in our many projects for the wider world.


    March 4: Erin Kennedy Ryan - Gesu Young Families

    March 5: Brian Smith - Our Honduras Mission and the Honduras Children Rescue Fund

    March 6: Cynthia Druckenbrod - Gesu Lectors: Proclaiming God's Word to God's People

    March 7: David Bongorno - Our Gesu Involvement in Habitat for Humanity

    March 8: Deacon Jim O'Donnell - Gesu's OCIA Program and Sacramental Preparation

    March 9: Gil Holzheimer - Our Mission at Saint Pat's

    March 10: Kenneth Grant - Gesu Catholic School, the Parish's Major Apostolic Work

    March 11: Maureen Brennan - Gesu's Saint Vincent de Paul Society's Activities for the Poor

    March 12: Fr. Lukas M. Laniauskas, SJ - A Vision for Gesu's Worship: The Liturgy and our Church Renovations

  • Diocesan Evening of Confession

    The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland invites all Catholics to the Evening of Confession this Lenten season on Wednesday, March 4 from 5:00-8:00 pm in the Church. 

  • Ignatian Prayer & Faith Sharing

    Once each month, we pray and reflect, via Zoom, on the upcoming Sunday scriptures using prayer methods that St. Ignatius himself used. These include the Examen prayer of gratitude, using our imaginations to enter the Gospel scene, and "listening" to where God might be calling us in the scriptures and our daily lives. 


    There will be two gatherings during Lent, on February 19 and March 19, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm via Zoom. Please get in touch with Marcia Leous for more information and/or to receive the Zoom link. 

  • EXALT

    Join us for EXALT, an evening of prayer and praise on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 pm. 


    EXALT is an evening of Eucharistic adoration, confession, and praise and worship music. No registration required. Just show up for prayer and community. 

  • CRS Rice Bowl

    At this very moment, millions of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers are experiencing life-threatening levels of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition. While there is no one solution to breaking the cycle of hunger, we can make a difference by answering Jesus' invitation to us to share Bread for Life with our global family—so all may live with dignity. During the 40 days of Lent, let us journey together through CRS Rice Bowl to meet people in Ghana, Guatemala, and Timor-Leste, whose stories help us discover how God is asking us to help. Pick up your family's Rice Bowl at one of the Church entrances. Visit crsricebowl.org/join to share your Lenten prayer intentions.  

  • Encounter Christ Retreat with Fr. Lukas M. Laniauskas, SJ

    Join us for a day of prayer, reflection, and Eucharist on Saturday, February 28 at Church of the Gesu, from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm (including the 4:30 pm Vigil Mass).


    This all-day retreat invites participants to step away from daily life and deepen their relationship with Christ through Ignatian spirituality and prayer. This retreat will be led by Fr. Lukas M. Laniauskas, SJ, and is based on his research and prayer practices developed while completing his doctoral studies. 


    Cost: $50 (includes food and materials)

    Payment: Submit cash or a check in an envelope marked "Encounter Christ Retreat" to the Parish Office. 


    Registration is now closed.