Lent

 

The liturgical season of Lent is a time of abstinence, prayer, 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.

 

Constantine Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar. Although there’s evidence of some kind of Lenten preparation for Easter in the early days of the Church, Lent becomes more regularized after the legalization of Christianity by the Roman emperor Constantine in the early 4th century.  Like all Christian holy days and holidays, Lent has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same – the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self denial. This year, in the Ukrainian Catholic faith, the season of Lent began on Monday, March 4 and continues until Easter, which for 2019 is on Sunday on April 21.

 

To keep the school’s approach to Lent vibrant and interesting, a new and different Lenten theme is selected every year. This year’s theme is: “The Stations of the Cross”.

 

You can’t go wrong with this year’s Lenten theme: “The Stations of the Cross”.

 

During the season of Lent, students and staff will recite “The Prayer of St. Ephrem” every morning during opening exercises. The Prayer of St. Ephram “is considered to be the most succinct summation of the spirit of Great Lent and is hence the Lenten prayer par excellence, prayed during all Lenten weekday services”.

 

“The Prayer of St. Ephram” is recited every morning during opening exercises by both students and staff during the season of Lent.

 

“The Prayer of St. Ephram” is recited every morning during opening exercises by both students and staff during the season of Lent.

 

Every year, the students of IHMS observe the season of Lent by participating in a Christian service project. Helping others without an expectation of getting something back in return can be a life-changing event. In fact, Christian service is one of the most powerful ways to show youth the Gospel in action.

 

For this year’s Christian service project, Mrs. Walkow and the school’s social justice team (SMAC) will be raising money to support “The Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg”. The Boys and Girls Club offers a safe and supportive atmosphere for inner city children, after school hours..

 

Grade 8 members of SMAC explaining this year’s Christian service project to the rest of the students – raising money for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg.

 

In addition to the various activities taught during Religion class by the K-8 teachers, there was one planned activity that was appropriate for all grades and involved the entire school – a Lenten Prayer Service. The Prayer Service took place on Thursday, March 7 in the school gym immediately after opening exercises. During the service, students went through and explained the various Stations of the Cross. The entire program took about 40 minutes, and ended with a short song.

 

Students from the younger grades reading the Stations of the Cross at the March 7th Lenten service

 

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.