February 1, 2012
Dear Parents and Friends,
The season of Lent begins on Wednesday, February 22. During this six-week period, there will be lots of talk about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time to make our faith grow stronger by increasing our awareness of how we treat others and by our love for God. We talk about those less fortunate and try to be more charitable. We pray to God for guidance in our search to be better people. We make sacrifices so that we may appreciate all that we have. All of these activities help to make the Lenten season especially meaningful.
Our 8th graders will be providing weekly Stations of the Cross on Fridays to honor the Lenten season. Stations began in the fourth century when pilgrims began to gather and walk in the footsteps of where Jesus did. They would start in the Garden of Gethsemane and end at Calvary. Along the way they would stop, remember and pray at significant points. Through the years, this pilgrimage to the Holy Lands became harder because of political strife or other hardships. Rather than abandoning the practice it was updated to meet modern demands using statues, art work or other images to remind people of Jesus’ suffering. This furthered the interest of people looking into Jesus’ life and sharing similarities with their own. The Stations of the Cross remind us of how human Jesus was.
As I always say in these newsletters, consider gathering together as a family for a few minutes. I am really big on families doing things together. You may wish to talk about one or two ways that each of you will make a change this Lenten season. A great way is to meet as a family and pray. When I was in grade school my father decided that we were going to read a chapter in the bible each Sunday after mass. I know that my brothers, sisters and I threw a fit…but we did it! It only took a few minutes and I still remember it to this day. After the passage was read, we would talk about its meaning. I still remember those days. I remember that I was always eager to hurry and get outside with my friends, but I also have fond memories of our family time together each week.
Blessings on you and your family this Lenten season,
Sincerely,
Pam Huelsman
Principal
