Today, students and faculty celebrated Ash Wednesday in the Stuart Hall gymnasium. This celebration included both Convent and Stuart Hall, and was followed by club meeting time.
Ash Wednesday is a Christian holiday which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a 40 day period, in which many Christians choose to fast, refocus and reflect on their faith, according to freshman Bibiana Reñazco Magelssen,
“It’s really special that our school celebrates Ash Wednesday each year,” Reñazco-Magelssen said. “It creates a strong feeling of community and togetherness within the school,”
In the middle of the service, students had the opportunity to receive ashes on their foreheads. Made out of burned palm branches, these ashes represent outward faith and repentance, according to art teacher Julie Martin,
I really love this day in particular, and love words that the priest said to me once as he distributed the ashes,” said Martin. “This day reminds me of impermanence in the world,”
Convent and Stuart Hall annually organizes a service to celebrate Ash Wednesday. Lasting an hour, this service consisted of worship songs, the sacrament of ashes and a homily read by the priest, according to sophomore Noella Tae,
“I appreciate how our school tries to include others who don’t take part in Ash Wednesday, not just people who are Catholic,” Tae said. “Even though Convent and Stuart Hall takes this religious holiday seriously, we do not force everyone to celebrate it.”
Ash Wednesday shares the same holiday as Valentine’s day this year, because it does not have a definitive date each year. This occurs each decade, as the last time this occurred was in 2018,
It’s really ironic how Ash wednesday overlapped Valentine’s day this year,” Reñazco-Magelssen said. “Especially since these two holidays are the complete opposite, one celebrating sacrifice and fasting and the other celebrating abundance and love”.
