LIVING OUT THE WORD Father Mark Cruz reads the Liturgy of the Word during Mater Dei’s 2024 Ash Wednesday Mass. This allowed him to share the word of God to the student body, helping students to prepare for the upcoming Lenten season. The Monarch community participates in the Mass, growing in honor, glory, and love. “Ash Wednesday reminds me that life is fleeting, but faith is eternal,” senior Duong Nguyen said. “Today, I walk forward with gratitude, seeking renewal, growth, and a heart closer to God.” Photo by Angelin Tran.

Mater Dei High School’s commitment to embracing Catholic traditions shines brightly as the school community prepares for the Lenten season. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is a day filled with profound spiritual meaning and marked by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Teachers and staff at Mater Dei share their reflections on the significance of this sacred time, emphasizing how it fosters a deeper connection with faith, community, and God.

Religion Teacher Claudia Pham highlights Ash Wednesday’s role in initiating the Lenten season and inviting Catholics to reflect on their faith. She explained the symbolic act of receiving ashes during Mass and its deeper meaning.

“Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season,” Pham said. “On this day, millions of Catholics around the world go to Church and receive ashes on their forehead as a symbol of their mortality and to invite each person to reconnect or grow closer in their relationship with God.”

Pham further elaborates on the practices of Lent, describing it as a time for spiritual renewal. These traditions often involve prayer, reflection, repentance, and recommitment to spiritual values.

“In the Catholic tradition, Lent is a solemn time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving,” Pham said. “You could say that Lent is like a time for spiritual ‘spring cleaning.’ Catholics are encouraged to spend more intentional time in prayer, as Jesus prayed in the desert for 40 days. During Lent, it is a common practice for Catholics to choose something to give up or fast from, as well as fasting from meat on Fridays. Lastly, almsgiving means offering our time or money towards charitable works or organizations.”

At Mater Dei, the significance of Lent is deeply felt through community activities. The school organizes special events such as Reconciliation services and all-school Masses to encourage reflection and prayer.

“The Lenten season is important to the Church because it’s that time of the year where some of us may have strayed from our new year’s resolutions or our personal relationship with God,” Pham said. “Lent helps us reconnect and recommit ourselves to our relationship with God and make better choices for ourselves.”

Reflecting back on her favorite Lenten memory, Pham recalls a meaningful experience from her high school days.

“One of my favorite memories of Lent is having a Lenten Lock-In at my parish when I was in high school,” Pham said. “Students get to watch a live station of the cross and then engage in different prayer activities like praise worship and adoration. The event would be from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, so we would stay up all night and then all go have breakfast together. It was fun to stay out with friends, but also in a way that helped us get closer to God.”

Religion Teacher Kathryn Bystedt offers her perspective on the meaning of Ash Wednesday. She describes the day as a powerful reminder of human reliance on God’s mercy and love.

“Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40-day Lenten season,” Bystedt said. “It is actually not a Holy Day of Obligation, but many start their Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday Mass, where they receive ashes in the form of a cross on their forehead. This serves as a sign that we fully rely on God and to remember God’s mercy and unending love as we repent and atone for the ways we have failed to love.”

Mater Dei integrates the Lenten season into its community life through rich liturgical traditions, which is a deeply rooted and structured form of worship that includes rituals, prayers, sacraments, sacred music, and symbolism passed down through generations.

“As a Catholic school, we fully immerse ourselves in the liturgical seasons and feasts of the Church,” Bystedt said. “During Lent, we have so many beautiful prayer traditions, from Taizé [evening] prayer, Stations of the Cross, [a prayer service called] Tenebrae, Washing of the Feet, service opportunities, reconciliation, and more.”

Bystedt also shares a personal story about one of her most meaningful Lenten sacrifices.

“One year, prior to being a parent, I gave up coffee for 40 days,” Bystedt said. “It was a real personal sacrifice, and every time I craved a coffee—which was often—I instead intentionally prayed for others in my life. That Easter, Christ’s resurrection and my Easter brunch latte never tasted sweeter!”

Senior Derek Virgen reflects on Ash Wednesday’s role in fostering reconciliation with God. He highlights the symbolic importance of the ashes and their reminder of mortality.

“From what I learned, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten season and is a reminder or opportunity for us to get closer to God through prayer, good deeds, giving something up for Lent, and fasting,” Virgen said. “We also get palm ashes placed on our foreheads as a reminder and symbol of death and the temporary life span of worldly things.”

Virgen’s favorite memory of Lent focuses on the shared experiences of the community.

“My favorite memory from Lent is hearing what everybody is going to give up for Lent and later hearing they broke it,” Virgen said. “I don’t see it as a bad thing. We are human, we are all fallible, and that’s okay. Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season is a time of reflection and almsgiving.”

Through the reflections of Mater Dei’s dedicated staff, the beauty and purpose of the Lenten season come to life. Ash Wednesday serves as a call to spiritual renewal, and the community’s collective efforts help foster a deeper connection to faith, one another, and the traditions of the Church.