This week is a very special week in the calendar of every Catholic kura as we enter into the holy season of Lent. This year the staff of St Paul's decided to start the 40-day-long season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as the Church has always done: with Shrove Tuesday. 

Also known as Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday is a last call for treats before we take on the spiritual practice of self-denial for the 40 days leading up to Easter, just as Jesus did in the desert. Our Paulo staff were blessed to have a handful of Year 12 students cook pancakes for us, topped with bananas, cream and maple syrup. It was an impressive turnout; most of the staff were present, though the more health-conscious members appear to have embraced a Lenten lifestyle already! Ka pai.

On the following day we celebrated Ash Wednesday. The entire College gathered with all our staff in the Chapel for a special liturgy led by Mr Toua and his team. As is our custom, each student was invited forward to receive the Sign of the Cross on their foreheads marked in ash. The ash for this liturgy actually comes from the burnt palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration. This year, Mr Schryvers and his Year 11 Religious Education class prepared the ashes with a small ceremony down on the basketball courts.

There was a sense of reverence that our ākonga showed at our Ash Wednesday liturgy. It was encouraging to see our young men embrace this season with respect and participation. Mr Toua's reflection prompted them to think of practical ways in which they could personally put into practice prayer, fasting and almsgiving between now and Easter. Going forward in Lent, St Paul's College will have The Stations of the Cross at morning assemblies on Fridays as a way of keeping us in the spirit of the season.