Religious Education 

Coordinator

Welcome Parents/Carers, Students and Staff to 2024,

Next Wednesday, 14th February, we will gather as a community to celebrate Ash Wednesday. This is a significant day in the church calendar as it marks the beginning of the Lenten season. As we begin Lent, children will notice that our prayer spaces in classrooms and our churches will be dressed with purple cloth.  

We will be marked with ashes on this special day, as a symbol of the beginning of our Lenten journey. The ashes traditionally come from burnt palms from the previous year’s palms. Palms are a living plant, and a symbol of victory and triumph, but they are burned to dust and become a symbol of sorrow and repentance.

Wearing ashes on our foreheads is a tradition of repentance, or sorrow, that comes from the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, when Jonah preached about repentance or sorrow, the king covered himself in sackcloth and ashes and ordered the people to do the same. Ashes and scratchy clothes were a way for people to show that they were willing to make a big change in their lives. We are marked with ashes for the same reason: to show that we are willing to change. 

The physical symbol—ashes—is a sign that we are prepared to commit to becoming a better person during Lent. God knows what is in our hearts; the ashes remind us to turn our hearts toward God and be more like him by following Jesus’ example and teachings.

The Church gives us Lent as a time to change, to become a better version of ourselves, and to become more like Jesus. The ashes we receive remind us of our call to ask forgiveness and believe in the Gospel. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (giving to others) are ways that help us prepare for the celebration of Easter. It is important to take time to think about who we can pray for during Lent, what we might go without and who we might be able to help.

We are blessed to be joined by Father Wojciech in our Ash Wednesday liturgy. Primary students will be attending a liturgy in the hall.  Due to our limited space, this will be for students and staff only. This will be followed by an infant's liturgy in their learning spaces where the students will receive the ashes and engage in prayer.

All parents are encouraged to attend the St Margaret Mary’s Parish celebrations for Ash Wednesday at 9am or 7pm.

Your sincerely,

Nancy Kubti

Religious Education Coordinator