PRAYER, FASTING, & ALMSGIVING

Lent is the Church's primary penitential season in the liturgical year.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.  The season has six Sundays: the final one, known as Passion (or Palm) Sunday, begins Holy Week. The origin of Lenten observances dates back to the fourth century or earlier.  The length of the season reflects the forty days Christ spent praying and fasting in the desert (see Matthew 4: 1-11) and is a time of preparation for the great feast of Easter.​

• Pope Francis message for Lent 2023:  Lenten Penance and the Synodal Journey  "Lenten penance is a commitment,  substained by grace..."
• Vatican News

Lenten Videos

What are the Faith Practices of Lent? Bishop Barron Explains (Word on Fire)

• What Does Lent Mean? (The Religion Teacher)
• Catholic Kids Homilies for Ash Wednesday and all the Weeks of Lent  (Catholic Kids Media) An upbeat animated video with a kid-friendly homily based on the readings for Ash Wednesday and all the weeks of Lent.
• NEW! Songs to Journey with Jesus during Lent featuring Miss Heidi and John Burland (Pflaum Publishing)
• Ash Wednesday & Lent in Two Minutes (Busted Halo) Looking for a quick way to explain Ash Wednesday to your friends? Look no further than Busted Halo’s® two-minute video that describes the day which begins the season of Lent, and why Catholics and many Christians receive ashes on their foreheads. You can download this video from the website. 
• What is Ash Wednesday? (Catholic Kids Media)
• Lent Frequently Asked Questions: With Joe Paprocki (Loyola Press)
• Lenten Video Series (The Religion Teacher)
• Reflecting on the Lenten Scriptures Cycle A and Cycle C Video Options: Joe Paprocki (Loyola Press)
• Psalm 22 (Catholic Kids Media) children's guided prayer
• Palm Sunday (Outside da Box)
• What is Lent? (Catholic Relief Services) Why do we set aside this season and change our practices? What does it accomplish? Fr. Jim Martin, Kerry Weber, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Chris West and others answer.  Has subtitles in Spanish.
•  NEW! Corporal Works of Mercy Chart (Diocese of Des Moines)
• See Station of the Cross videos below.

Lenten Resources for Adults

•  Lenten Meditations for Married Couples 2022 (Marriage in Christ) 20 Minutes/Day!  Prayers, conversation starters and tips for how to love your spouse. 
• Lent: Season of Hope  Weekly reflections, suggested journal prompts, discussion opportunities, and doable action steps (Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish, Jefferson City MO)
• Lenten Creation Justice Resource  This Lenten reflection and action guide will help individuals take time to learn, reflect, repent, ask God for forgiveness, and take concrete steps to change course. (Creation Justice Ministries)
• Forty Lenten Ideas (Janet Schaeffler, OP) Lent approaches each year, our minds turn to, “what will we do; what will we give up?” Instead of giving up, why not put something in ... something that will take hold and stay with us for the rest of our lives – since Lent is about change/conversion. Remember that real penance is to live life well: to be the mercy and peace of God toward others. Perhaps one or two of these ideas will be helpful.
• ​Living Lent Daily - 40 Hours to Inspire Your Journey through Lent (Loyola Press) Each year, Lent is celebrated by millions of Catholics throughout the world. But what is truly at the heart of Lent, and how can each of us participate fully in this special season of the church year? Let Fr. James Martin, Fr. William Barry, best-selling author Vinita Hampton Wright, and many others lead you to a deeper appreciation of your faith through the Living Lent Daily series. 
• Lenten Reflections from Fr. Robert Barron (Word on Fire) Fr. Barron sends daily Lenten reflections right to your inbox.
• Live Lent: Things to Do (Renew International)
• Live Lent: A Forty-Day Challenge (Renew International)
• ​USCCB Lent 2023 Resources (USCCB)
• Lenten Stations of the Cross (USCCB)
• Lent with the Saints: Do You Want to be a Saint? (Franciscan Media)
• Meditation Stations on Jesus' Forgiveness (Renew International)
• New! My Lenten Plan (Diocese of Des Moines) For Adults and Teens

Lenten Activities for Families and Children

• Ash Wednesday (Loyola Press) 
• Ash Wednesday Lesson Plan (The Religion Teacher) 
• Families Lenten Journey/CRS Rice Bowl (CRS) CRS Rice Bowl can serve as the foundation to your family’s Lenten journey. We have prayer resources and activities to use during dinner, in the car on the way to school or whenever you have just a few moments to gather together, pause and pray. Use these holy days of Lent to respond to Pope Francis’ call to deepen your family’s faith life-and let CRS Rice Bowl accompany your family along the way.
• Simple, meatless meals from around the world (CRS) Perfect for Fridays during Lent for those who want to eat in Solidarity
• Catholic Social Teaching Stations of the Cross (CRS) Short video reflections that help us recognize Christ still walking to Calvary in the lives of so many of our brothers and sisters
• Share the Journey Lenten resources (CRS) Videos and digital retreats to help families live Pope Francis' invitation to care for the refugee and migrant during their Lenten journey
• CRS Rice Bowl mobile app (CRS) Daily reflections for Lent
• Resources for your Lenten Journey  (Loyola Press) Activities, Stations of the Cross, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Articles, Videos, Prayers, Retreats, Art, Books
• Recursos Cuaresmales (Loyola Press)
• 40 Ideas for 40 Days (Catechist's Journey-Joe Paprocki-Loyola Press) Faith formation activities to use with children.
• Lenten Resources for Catechists (Catechist's Journey-Joe Paprocki-Loyola Press) Check out the curated links on this site for a wide variety of kid-friendly activities.
• Lent at Home: Activities for Busy Catholic Families (Loyola Press) Simple ideas for Lent including crafts, mealtime sharing, reaching out in kindness and reading for families.
• Lenten Resources (Sadlier) Family Lenten Calendar, Stations of the Cross Prayer, Living out Lent Activity, Act of Contrition Prayer Card
• Resources for the Season of Lent (Sadlier)
• Lent Activities (The Religion Teacher) Check out the curated links on this site for a wide variety of kid-friendly activities.
• Lent Resources (catholicmom.com) Scroll through the index to find lessons and activities for Lent.
• NEW! Living Lent (Diocese of Des Moines) Creative ideas to live Lent for families
•  Seven Meatless Soups for Lent  (Diocese of Des Moines) 
•  Lent with Little Ones  (Diocese of Des Moines)   Ages 2-6 
•  Family Almsgiving Project Planner (Diocese of Des Moines)
•  Hiding the Alleluia  (Diocese of Des Moines) Activity for pre-schoolers and grade school children at the start of Lent 
•  Lenten Prayer Card for Children  (Diocese of Des Moines)                                                                           
• NEW! Lent Faith Conversations  (Diocese of Des Moines) Adult Reflection, Family Conversation Starters for each week of Lent

             Week 1        Week 2         Week 3       Week 4       Week 5     Week 6                                                                                                        

• Lenten Activities for Children (Catholic Icing) Activities for preschoolers 
• ​Lenten Calendar for Kids (Catholic Icing) Catholic Icing offers families a nice "Journey through Lent" calendar that can help kids track the days through Lent and write into the days the Lenten actions and sacrifices that they do.  It is offered in a variety of languages.  
• Creating a Lenten Prayer Space in the Home (Building Faith) Children, especially young children, often relate to what they can see  and touch better than what they hear.  A small table with a cross an empty bowl and purple cloth, among other things, is the beginning of a sensory journey through Lent for families. 
• Ideas for Celebrating Lent and Easter at Home (Simply Catholic/Our Sunday Visitor) A blog post by Joanne Bogle on Simply Catholic.
• Lenten Adventure (Holy Heroes)'
  
•  Best Lent Ever (Dynamic Catholic)

​Stations of the Cross

• Lenten Stations of the Cross (USCCB) 
• Stations of the Cross - Overcoming Racism (USCCB)   
• Vía Crucis: Superando el racismo (USCCB) 
• ​Stations of the Cross for Children (Loyola Press) 
• Doing the Stations of the Cross with your kids  (Our Sunday Visitor) 
• Walking the Stations of the Cross this Lent (Our Sunday Visitor) 
• ​Taking the Journey at the Shrine of Christ's Passion - St. John, Indiana (The Shrine of Christ's Passion) virtual tour 
• Stations of the Cross Videos (Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl)
• Stations of the Cross for Kids (Catholic Kids Media)
• Estaciones de la Cruz para ninos (Catholic Kids Media)
• Stations of the Cross Video-English (American Bible Society) Featuring unique works of art from sculptor Gib Singleton, this video provides an opportunity for viewers to meditate on the Passion of Christ.
• Station of the Cross Prayers (Dynamic Catholic)

Pinterest Boards with Ideas for Lent

• Best Lent Ever  (Dynamic Catholic)
• Catholic Icing Lent Board (Catholic Icing) Ideas for Kids
• Lent Activity Ideas and Lenten Explanation for Pre-schoolers (Diocese of Des Moines)
• Catholic Diocese of Toledo Lent Recipe Board - (Diocese of Toledo) help families focus on meatless meals together during Lent 
• Catholic Diocese of Toledo Lent Activities Board (Diocese of Toledo)
• ​Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (Durham) Pinterest Page (Immaculate Conception, Durham)
• ​Our Sunday Visitor Lent and Easter Board (Our Sunday Visitor)
• Redeemed Online Share Jesus Project (Redeemed Online)
• ​St. Jude Faith Formation Church Season: Lent, Tritium, Easter Board (St. Jude Faith Formation)
• St. Michael Catholic Church Lent Board (St. Michael)
• The Catholic Muse Lent Meals and Traditions Board (The Catholic Muse)

Holy Week

• 25 things for your kids to spot during Palm Sunday and Triduum (Teaching Catholic Kids)
• Lenten Hymn - Were You There? (Catholic Kids Media) video reflection 
• ​Holy Week Activities (Loyola Press) 
• ​Holy Week Resources for Families (Sadlier) 
• Recursos de Semana Santa para las  Familias (Sadlier) 
• How to Make the Most of Holy Week at Home (Our Sunday Visitor) 
• Unleash the Gospel - Worshipping from Home preparing for Holy Week (Archdiocese of Detroit) family resources and activities 
• Holy Week at Home (Liturgical Press) These prayers are not intended to replace the liturgies of Holy Week. Rather, they are a sincere effort to cultivate some of the rituals and spirit of Holy Week in our own homes when public celebration might not be possible.
• Palm Sunday and Holy Week Resources (The Religion Teacher)​
• Palm Sunday Worksheet for Catholic Children (Sadlier)
• The Passion of Jesus Christ  Catholic Kids Homilies    Spanish  (Catholic Kids Media)  video 
• Your Essential Guide to the Triduum (Busted Halo) Taking you step-by-step through the three-day celebration of the Church.
• The Easter Triduum ( Sadlier) Explanation for children
• ​Eighteen Questions on the Paschal Triduum (USCCB)​
• Good Friday (Pinterest)

Holy Week@Home Experience (Pastoral Center) Worship services, prayers, and activities for the family.  (Please read the leader page for this and the pages below, and request a free license. )

• Palm Sunday (Pastoral Center)
• Holy Thursday (Pastoral Center)
• Good Friday (Pastoral Center)
• Easter Sunday​ (Pastoral Center)​

Holidays, Holy Days, and Special Remembrances

• NEW! Catholic Feast Days (Catholic Apostolate Center) This website features profiles of saints, special devotions in the church, including those who are blessed and Marian devotions, and other important events in the liturgical calendar.  This ever-growing website can serve as a reference to learn about the lives of holiness of saints throughout the whole Catholic Church.
• Mardi Gras Prayer (Loyola Press)
• St. Patrick's Day Crafts and Activities - March 17 (Catholic Icing) Crafts for Catholic Kids
• Saint Patrick's Day Reproducible Prayer - March 17 (Sadlier)
•  New! Feast Days Within Lent, St Patrick- March 17, St. Joseph- March 19,  Solemnity of the Annunciation- March 25 (Diocese of Des Moines)
• Annunciation of the Lord - March 25 (Franciscan Media)
• Twelve (Simple!) Ways to Celebrate the Annunciation (Mary Haseltine)
• Learning to Say Yes - Lesson Plan  (Loyola Press)
• Mary and the Angel - Lesson Plan  (The Catholic Toolbox)
• NEW! Learning the Hail Mary Flash-Card Book (Diocese of Des Moines)