A Reflective Lenten Mass

Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, and good works in preparation for the celebration of Easter.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.  Since Ash Wednesday fell during our half-term holiday this year, we came together as a school for a reflective Lenten Mass on Friday 23 February, celebrating the first full week of Lent. 

We welcomed the Right Reverend Dom Cuthbert Brogan, OSB, and one of the postulants, or young Benedictine monks, Brother Richard Hawker, to preside and serve at our Whole School Eucharistic Celebration.  Abbot Cuthbert reminded everyone about the importance of Lent; a time of spiritual 'spring cleaning' of ourselves.  We began the Mass with the hymn, Forty Days and Forty Nights.  This hymn reminds us of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness praying, fasting and preparing for his public ministry; similarly we focus on our prayer life and eliminate habits that distract us from fully becoming the person God calls us to be during our forty days of Lent. 

Director of Music, Mr Joe Adams, conducted the Senior Choir, while Mr Patrick Martin played the organ leading our entire School Community in beautiful hymns of worship.  We had nine Altar Servers in Years 7 - 9 and the Year 9 pupils read the First Reading and Bidding prayers, and brought forward the bread and wine at the Offertory.  We are grateful to all who made this reflective Lenten Mass possible.