Open Our Hearts: A Small-Group Guide for an Active Lent (Cycle B)

This perennial favorite from pastoral experts Sr. Donna Ciangio, O.P., and Fr. Thomas B. Iwanowski returns for Lent 2012. The small-group program calls Catholics to active discipleship by connecting their everyday lives to the Cycle B Lectionary texts, Church teaching, and the wellspring of Catholic spiritual traditions.

This Lectionary-based, small-group booklet contains everything needed for a successful parish-based Lenten program, including meatless soup recipes for groups that want to begin faith-sharing with a simple meal. It provides a basic introduction, guidelines for six weekly, small-group faith-sharing sessions, and daily scripture meditations to keep participants engaged throughout each week.

Sunday gospel texts are printed right in the booklet, and citations with brief commentaries on the first and second readings appear as sidebars. Group sessions link the scriptures with informative and practical commentary and reflection questions, space for written responses, prayers, and suggested activities to help reinforce the week's message.

Sr. Donna L. Ciangio, O.P., a Dominican sister of Caldwell, New Jersey, is a church leadership consultant and has worked previously at Renew International and the National Pastoral Life Center. She has published widely on parish life and serves as the chair of the board of the North American Forum for Small Christian Communities.


Fr. Thomas B. Iwanowski is a highly visible parish and diocesan leader in the Archdiocese of Newark. He writes and teaches extensively on liturgy and worship, and has published more than sixty-five articles in various publications. He also publishes a weekly e-mail newsletter called Looking To Sunday®, which focuses on the gospel of the coming Sunday. He is currently pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Oradell, New Jersey.