The Saint Joseph Academy community came together in solemn celebration to begin the Lenten season with All-School Mass for Ash Wednesday.
Students, faculty, staff and administration were joined by celebrant Fr. Andrew Hoover of St. Ambrose Parish and several Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph.
The season of Lent, which extends for 40 days from Ash Wednesday until Easter, is a time when all Christians are encouraged to recommit to our faith in the Gospel of Jesus. In his homily, Fr. Andrew reminded the community of the importance of the traditional disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as a way of removing comforts and distractions that get in the way of our relationship with God. He encouraged those who were gathered to challenge themselves to grow this Lent, knowing that God is always loving and merciful, even when we don’t live up to our commitments.
Following the homily, members of the faculty and staff distributed ashes as a reminder of human mortality (“remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”), and then the community joined in the liturgy of the Eucharist to receive the Body of Christ as spiritual nourishment for the season.
Please follow the newsletter and other media for opportunities to join our Saint Joseph Academy community in prayer and giving throughout the Lenten season!