School Evangelisation

Ash Wednesday and Lent in a COVID world

The Vatican recently sent down the new rules to churches worldwide but the sprinkling tradition itself is not an innovation because of the pandemic. Rather, it is a practice that has roots deep in the tradition of the church and is to this day the customary practice of the distribution of Ashes in many other countries, including Italy and Poland. 

While this year is different, the symbolism stays the same.

Ash Wednesday symbolizes repentance and mortality, marking the beginning of the Lenten season, a solemn 40-day period devoted to prayer, fasting and reflection, and leading up to Easter Sunday.

Our school will also be launching Project Compassion at our Ash Wednesday Liturgy. This year, Caritas Australia takes the theme of ‘Be More’ for Project Compassion 2021. It challenges us to venture into a new experience of compassion, and is taken from the invitation of St. Oscar Romero to “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” This message invites us to step up and step out for those who do not have the essential resources they need for their survival; those whose needs at this time are far beyond ours. 

During Lent we will be sharing five heroic stories of people who are stepping up within their communities and “being more” with the students, staff and community of SJPC. 

This challenge to ‘Be More’ to our brothers and sisters in need is at the heart of the Christian message. Jesus, Pope Francis writes, “asks us not to decide who is close enough to be our neighbour, but rather that we ourselves become neighbours to all.” (Fratelli Tutti, No. 80) The work of Caritas Australia is a light in dark places and your generosity illuminates hope for those in dire circumstances.