Catholic Identity

Caritas - Project Compassion

This week, the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today extends to impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.  We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving in support of Project Compassion. 

Each class will have a Project Compassion box in their room. There will be several fundraisers announced in the coming weeks where we ask students to contribute donations to their class box. 

Each week there will be stories on Facebook about people who have benefited from Caritas and Project Compassion. Your child will also learn about these people and their story in class. 

for more information visit the Caritas website: https://www.caritas.org.au/resources/project-compassion/

Lent is a liturgical season beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday. It includes six Sundays, the five Sundays of Lent plus Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.

Lent is a time for reflecting on our lives, for refocusing on God’s love for us, and God’s call to love and serve others, beginning with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time for renewal through prayer, fasting and giving, as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at Easter – the most important feast in the Church’s calendar. Lent provides us with an opportunity to consider how we might help those in need, rather than thinking about ourselves.

Porreca. K 2015, “Some Sundays in Lent” Good News for Catechists Term 1 p. 17

Lent is a season of the Church’s Liturgical Year and the liturgical colour during Lent is purple.  Lent is commonly referred to as a 40-day period but there are actually 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Saturday.  It is a time of preparation and prayer leading to the Easter Season. 

The number "40" has always had special spiritual significance regarding preparation. On Mount Sinai, preparing to receive the Ten Commandments, "Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, without eating any food or drinking any water" (Ex 34:28). Elijah walked "40 days and 40 nights'' to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb (another name for Sinai) (I Kgs 19:8). Most importantly, Jesus fasted and prayed for "40 days and 40 nights" in the desert before He began His public ministry (Mt 4:2).

Saunders, Rev. William. "History of Lent." Arlington Catholic Herald

During Lent the tradition has been to focus on 3 key aspects:

Prayer

Fasting – (Penance, Sacrifice)

Almsgiving – (self-giving)