Prep students began the Lenten season with a great start at the cathedral this week. With the start of the Lenten journey, there are many students looking to better themselves with goals for the next forty days. Although bettering ourselves is a huge part of Lent, it is not the main reason why Catholics celebrate it.

Lent is the time of the year in which we give praise and love to God for gifting us Jesus Christ on earth and to reflect on Jesus’ suffering in the desert. In dying for our sins on the cross, Jesus was able to help gift us to eternal life, and it helps us to remember our sins and to repent for them. The journey as a whole begins with the celebration of Ash Wednesday, where we receive ashes to remind us of our sins and mortality.

When we do receive the ashes on our forehead with the cross, it also reminds Catholics back to our baptism at a younger age. In receiving the sign of cross, we are reminded of the eternal redemption that Jesus gifted us in his death and how we are able to be redeemed for our sins. The ashes stand for that we were once dust before, and that is where we will return.

Many students at Cathedral Prep have celebrated Ash Wednesday before at previous schools or churches, but not many of them got to celebrate it at the cathedral due to the construction for the four past years. With a return to the cathedral, senior Gabe Allegretto spoke about a more authentic Catholic experience to Ash Wednesday.

“The scenery is more immersive and a lot better to look at then when you’re just sitting in the auditorium,” Gabe said.

Prep wants to do their best as a Catholic school to give their students the best Catholic experience. In the celebrations of these holidays as a school, it helps students and faculty to grow the Prep community as a whole. Although some seniors have been in the cathedral before, many underclass students haven’t been in there before and haven’t gotten to experience a Mass at the cathedral.

Freshman Anthony Allegretto spoke about how it was much easier to be attentive during Mass in the cathedral.

“The music and the imagery all around the cathedral help me to pay attention to Mass and understand better,” Anthony said.

All around, being in the cathedral helps to better the experience of the Catholic faith, especially Ash Wednesday. Together as a community of Prep, we all look to better ourselves and to work together to become closer to God through our Lenten journey.

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