Shrove TuesdayAsh Wednesday

St Mary’s Catholic PrimaryTeresa Rush 2014

Explaining next week and the special days we are about to enter.

What is Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the day that precedes Ash Wednesday. As it is determined by Easter the actual date changes on an annual basis.With Lent on the way and 40 days of fasting and religious obligations, Shrove Tuesday provides one last opportunity to splurge a little and eat whatever you want.

Shrove Tuesday – Also known as Fat Tuesday – Madi Gras

Why do Christians call the day 'Shrove Tuesday'?The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

Why pancakes?

Pancakes are now forever associated with Shrove Tuesday as it is a sort of all-in-one way of using up some fatty foods before Lent.Eggs, milk and sugar aren't traditionally eaten in fasting season, so need to be scoffed beforehand.

What are we doing here at St Mary’s

Wonderful students from our Parish are selling Pancakes on Tuesday.Please order as you would sausage sizzle$1 per pancakeFundraiser for World Youth Day

Promises

All students in the school on Monday will be writing promises to God. These are called their Lent promises, they remind us to be more like Jesus. Traditionally many people ‘give things up’ for lent, we also encourage ‘taking things up’ such as supporting Caritas, Being nice to people, phoning a lonely family member more and such like.

Promise Ceremony

During the promise ceremony students offer up their promises to God with prayer and reflection.These promises are then burnt for ashes.

What we try to do better in Lent:

Prayer, fasting and almsgivingThe three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The key to renewed appropriationof these practices is to see their link to baptismal renewal.

Lent is a time for:

Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord.Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. Almsgiving: It should be obvious at this point that almsgiving, the third traditional pillar, is linked to our baptismal commitment in the same way. It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us

Ash Wednesday

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.Many different Christian Churches celebrate Ash Wednesday and Lent

Ash WednesdayWhy do we put ash on our forehead?Ashes are applied to our forehead in the sign of the cross as the words, "Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return" are spoken to us. The other formula which is used, "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" emphasizes our call to continual conversion and holiness of life. This act symbolizes our mortality as well as our need for ongoing repentance. It is a reminder that this life is short and merely a foreshadowing of what we shall become through the redemption of Jesus Christ on the cross. The work of our redemption will not be complete until we are raised from the dead, in resurrected bodies like His own and called to the eternal communion of heaven.

CARITAS Lent Appeal

The theme for the Lent 2014 Appeal is Open up a Horizon of Hope, taken from Pope Francis' Inauguration Homily, where he said: Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!

The Lent Appeal is run by Caritas on behalf of New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops to support our work of charity and justice for the world's poorest – in New Zealand and overseas.

Lent Appeal At St Mary’s

We ask students to give up some “lolly money” and give to the appeal.Special ‘thinking of others days’ eg. Rice lunch for middle school – money raised will be put into the fund.

This year the money will go to assisting in the Solomon Islands.For more information visit www.caritas.org.nz

Join us in prayer

Please feel welcome to join us in our liturgies:

Tuesday 4th MarchPromise Ceremony – 10am, school hall

Wednesday 5th MarchAsh Wednesday -10am, St Mary’s Church

Credits

• http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pancake-day-2014-you-need-3170237#ixzz2uaZx56Jy

• http://projectbritain.com/shrove.html• http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/faq.php• http://www.caritas.org.nz/lent• http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/

qt/whatisashwednes.htm• http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysand

holidays/p/Ash_Wednesday.htm