Faith, Justice and Formation 

Lent at St Patrick’s College

Today marks the commencement of the Lenten Season in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar. As an inclusive community, we also remember the Maronite community who commenced on Monday and our Orthodox brothers and sisters who do not begin until 7 March. For all of us we are called to Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

As a College, we commemorated Ash Wednesday today with a liturgy in Homerooms, while Year 12 gathered in the Chapel. The Liturgy reminded us of our purpose during Lent, marked us with the ashes and encouraged us to pray for peace in our world as requested by Pope Francis…

I invite everyone to make this coming 2nd March, Ash Wednesday, a Day of Fasting for Peace: let believers dedicate themselves intensively to prayer and fasting. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war. (Twitter, Feb 2022)

The concept of peace is also much larger than just the absence of war, so part of our liturgy called on us to care for our earth – God’s creation. Each homeroom planted a seedling in front of the Chapel that will grow throughout Lent just as our efforts for peace and our focus on God grows.

To help guide our whole community throughout Lent to fast from many luxuries of the modern world thus helping to heal our environment, I have placed our Lenten Carbon Fast on the College Website which you can see here - Justice | St Patrick's College Strathfield (spc.nsw.edu.au) Perhaps families could pin it up somewhere and make an effort to do as many days as possible. Hopefully then we remember why we do these things – in devotion to God and for the common good.

Throughout Lent various opportunities for prayer will be offered including the continuation of Friday Morning Mass, the Rosary in the Chapel every Monday lunch and the Divine Mercy Chaplet every Friday lunch. Also, every Wednesday lunch in the Chapel will be Stations of the Cross, and every Friday will be the opportunity to see Fr Jack for Reconciliation. 

As a physical reminder of fasting and as one of our Carbon Fast actions, there will be no meat sold in the canteen or at the College on Ash Wednesday and each Friday in Lent. It helps us to stop and think about what we are doing as we prepare for Easter – cleansing ourselves and returning to God. It’s not about the item as such, but the action and simplification of life.

The SPC Lenten Appeal is our biggest fundraising initiative at the College, fostering our responsibility in almsgiving (charity) for those in greatest need, commencing today and running until Easter. Our Lenten Partner this year is the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice who advocate for various issues, most notably recognition for the original Australians (First Nations peoples), support and advocacy for the most recently arrived Australians (refugees and peoples seeking asylum) and care and protection of the Earth. All money raised goes directly to our partners – no administration fees (apart from the Junior School Fun Run which contributes to the Lenten Appeal). Homerooms are asked to run different initiatives (following very specific guidelines) to raise funds, but most importantly boys are asked to give without expecting anything in return.  This could be giving up a treat at the canteen or similar and placing that money in the collection pouches. This arm of Lent is about sacrifice to remind us of the sacrifice made by Jesus.

Lent is a very specific season which guides each of us as Christians to ‘turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel’ so that at the coming of Easter we can celebrate fully the salvation offered by God. It’s a season that helps ground us and commits us to a more just life. God bless you all as you undertake your Lenten promises.

Another Opportunity for SOL Service 

Boys in Years 5 to 8 can volunteer for the event in the flyer to earn SOL Service points. If a boy is keen to volunteer, they can contact Fr Tom on 9743 1017 or at thomas.stevens@sydneycatholic.org. This event would earn a boy three SOL points.

Even if not volunteering, all families are invited to attend the event.

Gillian Daley

Director of Identity