Lent
Prayer
Lent is an opportunity to deepen our prayer lives.
How does God want to speak to you?
Worship Playlists
"Prayer is the breath of faith
[It is] like a cry that issues from the heart
of those who believe and entrust themselves to God."
Pope Francis
Fasting Guidelines
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence. What does that mean for you?
What is fasting and abstinence?
Fasting means limiting what you eat and drink to one regular meal and two smaller meals (that together do not equal the regular meal in size). In the spirit of it, we typically also avoid any sweets or treats, like dessert or alcohol, and don’t snack between meals.
Abstinence means to cut out particular food items or drinks, specifically meat. While all Fridays are meant to be days of abstinence, in Canada the CCCB has decreed that “Catholics can substitute special acts of charity or piety on this day”.
Why do we fast?
Fasting isn’t a punishment for our sins. Instead, it’s a way to honour Jesus’ sacrifice and to unite our sufferings to his. He took on his shoulders our every sin and carried it with him to the cross. Fasting and abstaining for two days a year is a small way to show him our love and gratitude.
Fasting also helps form us in discipline. By saying no to something we crave, we can develop our self-control. A little self-denial is healthy. For those of us fortunate enough to have food to eat, it gives a hint of the suffering many in the world experience regularly.
Who has to fast and abstain?
If you are a Catholic 14 years or older, you must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. If you are between the ages of 18 and 59, you must also fast on those days.
What if I have a medical condition?
Not everyone can fast in the same way! Some people have medical conditions that make fasting dangerous. If this is the case, look for another way to fulfill the spirit of fasting while still taking care of your body. You could fast from desserts and rich food or choose to eat simple meals that day.
"Denying material food, which nourishes our body,
nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ
and be fed by His saving word.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Almsgiving
During Lent, we look to the needs of others
and ask, "What can I give?"
Shovel your neighbour's driveway
Get involved with a local ministry serving others
Donate to Shepherds of Good Hope
Become a donor for evangelistic movements
Give away items you don't need to a Buy Nothing Group
Register to tithe (donate) regularly to your parish
Donate blood through Canadian Blood Services
Double your recipe and make a meal for someone
Take time to listen to someone who needs to talk
“The bread you do not use is the bread of the hungry.
The shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot.
The money you keep locked away is the money of the poor."
St. Basil the Great
Upcoming Lenten Events
Dive deeper into Lent through local parish and ministry events.
Lenten Encounter of Formation and Prayer
2340 Baseline Road
Lenten Adoration & Stations of the Cross – Our Lady of Mount Carmel
400 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa ON K1K 2Z6
Oblate Lenten Parish Retreat (Mar 13-15)
100 Main Street
Lenten Penance Service
44 Rothesay Dr.
Lenten Day of Confessions – Annunciation Parish
2414 Ogilvie Road
St. Mary’s Lenten Confessions
100 Young Street
Lenten Retreat – St. George’s Parish – “Return to the Father”
415 Piccadilly Ave N, Ottawa
Chrism Mass
56 Guigues Ave, Ottawa, K1N 5H5
Way of the Cross (Good Friday)
281 Nepean Street Ottawa ON K1R 5G2st
"O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again."
Henri Nouwen
