Religious Education & Faith Life
Shrove Tuesday 4 March
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. The name comes from the old word ‘shriving’, which means to listen to someone’s sins and forgive them.
Traditionally Catholic's would go to church on Shrove Tuesday to confess their sins and clean their soul. In other words, they would be ‘shriven’.
In the past, during Lent, Catholic's would give up rich, tasty foods such as butter, eggs, sugar and fat. Shrove Tuesday was the last chance to eat them so pancakes were often made.
In Italy, Shrove Tuesday is part of Carnevale.
Ash Wednesday Wednesday 5 March
Ash Wednesday is a special day in the Catholic tradition that marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of preparation for Easter. On this day, Catholics attend church services where they receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross.
The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.
The ashes are a symbol of repentance and symbolise the dust from which God made us. As the priest applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Alternatively, the priest may speak the words, "Repent and believe in the Gospel.". This helps Catholics reflect on their lives, seek forgiveness for their sins, and strive to be better people.
Lent is a time for prayer, fasting, and giving to others. It encourages Catholics to grow closer to God and prepare their hearts for the joy of Easter, when they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent. Lent is a time of praying, fasting and giving. Throughout Lent, we fundraise Caritas through the Project Compassion initiative. Each child will be given a Project Compassion donation box to take home and by donating money, they’ll be answering the Gospels’ call to care for our global family and walk alongside the most vulnerable.
Your family’s generous support this Lenten season will enable Caritas Australia to provide life-changing support to communities facing poverty, food insecurity, lack of education, and water shortages, while building resilience against future challenges. Together, through faith and action, we can bring compassion and opportunity to those most in need.
To bring Project Compassion and Christian service to life, classes will organise different fundraising events throughout Lent. Thank you in advance for all family’s generous support to these projects.
In addition, Project Compassion tells a story each week of an individual or community that Caritas has helped through the generous donations of previous Project Compassion projects. By listening to these stories, and keeping these individuals in their prayers, the children will learn about how lucky we are in Australia.
