LENT BEGINS: The middle of next week...

LENT BEGINS: The middle of next week marks the beginning of Lent, a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter. A one-day program on the Lenten journey will be offered Wednesday at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center. The day will offer reflections from scripture, time for personal prayer, faith sharing and ritual. In keeping with the Lenten fast, a simple meal of soup and bread will be provided. The program runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center, located at 4316 Lanai Road, Encino. Cost is $18 per person. In addition, the center will offer a program on Taize prayer at 7:30 p.m. every Friday during Lent. Participants will sing the simple Taize chants, listen and reflect upon the word of God and pray for the needs of the local and global community. Admission is free. (818) 784-4515.

Every Friday during Lent, St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church will offer “Soup and Stations,” featuring a soup dinner and a service commemorating the steps Jesus took on his way to the cross called “Stations of the Cross.” Soup will be served from 6 to 7:15 p.m., followed by the service at 7:30 p.m. at the church located at 13001 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood. Admission is free. (818) 985-8600.

PANCAKE RACE: To mark Shrove Tuesday--the day of confessing sins on the eve of Lent--the Woodland Hills United Methodist Church will hold a pancake supper and its first annual “pancake race” at 6 p.m. Eating pancakes on this day recalls a European custom to use up all fat in the house before Lent. The “pancake race” dates to 1445, commemorating the story of a woman in Olney, England, who was cooking pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and heard the bells ring the last summons to church. With frying pan in hand, she ran to the church while the pancakes cooked in the last of the fat. Admission is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children. The church is located at 5650 Shoup Ave. Reservations are requested by Sunday. (818) 346-6528.

MIDEAST TRIP MEMORIES: Rabbi William M. Kramer, rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth Emet, will speak Sunday about his discussions with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan’s King Hussien during a recent trip to the Mideast. In addition, Rabbi Mark H. Sobel will share his thoughts on his recent trip to Israel during a program beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the synagogue located at 600 N. Buena Vista St., Burbank. Admission is $2.50 per person. Reservations: (818) 843-4787 or (818) 705-2838.

“DR. LAURA”: Popular radio marriage and family therapist Dr. Laura Schlessinger will share her thoughts in a discussion during Friday evening services beginning at 8 p.m. at the synagogue located at 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. A reception will follow. Prior to the service, Schlessinger will lead a question-and-answer session during a traditional Shabbat dinner, attendance by reservation only. Cost for the dinner is $20 for adults and $15 for children. The service is free and open to the public. (818) 346-0811.

MEDITATING MARY: The San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council’s Spirituality Practice Group will meet for a guided meditation on Mary the Virgin Mother at 7 p.m. Sunday at Congregational Church of Chatsworth, 20400 Lassen St. Journalist and Roman Catholic layman Ron Austin will lead the session. The interfaith group meets on the second Sunday of each month to offer a period of group silence and an opportunity to share spiritual issues and problems. Admission is free. (818) 718-6460, Ext. 3002.

SPECIAL EVENTS: A program titled “Life Cycles II: Jewish Women on Torah and Our Lives” will be presented by Rabbi Jane Litman as part of the Temple Beth Hillel Forum on Wednesday. Coffee and bagels will be served at 10 a.m., followed by the lecture at 10:30 a.m. at the Reform synagogue located at 12326 Riverside Drive, Valley Village. Cost is $2 per person. As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the synagogue will host California Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk speaking on “Fifty Years of American Justice” during Friday evening services beginning at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. (818) 763-9148.

CITY COUNCIL HONOREES: Students of Kadima Hebrew Academy were recently honored by the Los Angeles City Council for their grass-roots effort in creating the first U.S. Hanukkah postage stamp. The 300 students at the school launched a letter-writing campaign in 1995, lobbying the government to formally recognize the Jewish holiday with a stamp. The stamp, unveiled last March, depicts a menorah with colorful candles, the main symbol of the holiday known as the Festival of Lights.

CRYPTO JEWS: Arthur Benveniste will speak Wednesday on “The Amazing Saga of the Crypto Jews,” as part of Adat Ari El Sisterhood’s Multi-Interest Day lecture series. The program begins at 12:30 p.m. at the synagogue, located at 12020 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. Cost is $3 for the public. (818) 766-9426.