Lent

Lent is the forty day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer and self-denial – for the annual remembrance of Holy Week, which recalls the events linked to the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

• Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent with a noon-day service that includes receiving the mark of the cross in ashes on one’s forehead or hand.
• Palm Sunday is the Sunday immediately preceeding Easter Sunday and recalls Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
• Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week when the church recalls and re-lives the Last Supper that Jesus spent with his disciples before his arrest.
• Good Friday is the day on which the crucifixion of Jesus is remembered with a service of darkness.
• St Paul’s conducts a 24 hour Prayer Vigil of constant prayer from the end of the Good Friday service through Holy Saturday.