Catholic Identity

College community marks beginning of Lent

Staff were up bright and early on Shrove Tuesday to prepare pancakes for the students to enjoy on arrival at the college. 'Shrove' comes from the word 'shrive', which means to give absolution after hearing confession. Shrove Tuesday is when people went to confession to prepare themselves for Lent, which begins on the following day, Ash Wednesday. Why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? It started when Pope St Gregory prohibited Christians from eating all forms of meat and animal products during Lent, around AD 600. People made pancakes as a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk and butter, before the beginning of Lent. 

Ash Wednesday liturgies were held at the college to mark the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. The ashes, made from palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, are applied to the forehead in the shape of a cross as a public expression of faith and penance.

During Lent, Caritas Australia's Project Compassion raises much-needed funds to support the less fortunate. Students who wish to donate to Project Compassion can place money in the Project Compassion boxes that are situated throughout the college.