The liturgical season of Lent is a time of abstinence and personal reflection in preparation for Easter. The 40 day period of Lent (which does not include Sundays) is symbolic of the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent praying and fasting in the desert before starting his ministry.
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This year, in the Ukrainian Catholic faith, the season of Lent began on Monday, March 3rd and continues until Easter, which is on Sunday, April 20th.
At IHMS, the 2014 theme for Lent was “Journey of Faith”. |
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| The Lent display set up in the school’s front foyer |
| Every year, the students of IHMS observe the season of Lent with a different Christian service project. For this year’s project, everyone was encouraged to bring a $1 or $2 coin on any or all Tuesdays during Lent. The money collected will go towards helping some of the people affected by the problems in Ukraine. |  |
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| Russian troops have recently invaded the Crimean peninsula, the southernmost part of the sovereign country of Ukraine. As a part of the school’s Lenten Christian service project, the staff and students of IHMS are collecting money every Tuesday and praying for a peaceful resolution to the current crisis in Ukraine. |
In addition, the grade 5 to 8 students of IHMS led a Lenten prayer service (which included the Stations of the Cross) on Friday, March 7th in the school gym.
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| Students participated in a prayer service during the first week of Lent |
| Click here to view photos of the Lenten prayer service |
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| Grade 8 student Nick S. poses with a “lap book” that every student will fill out during each of the 6 weeks of Lent |
The liturgical season of Lent is an important part of school life at IHMS. Focusing on people less fortunate than ourselves helps us to prepare for Easter. It gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves and become more aware of our relationship with God. This is what Lent is all about – it helps us to become better people.
