Keeping the Faith Alive Through the Liturgical Seasons

Lent is the most important liturgical season for Catholics. Together as a faith community, Josephians embarked on the 40-day Lenten journey to reflect on the life and Passion of Christ that culminated in the final celebration of His resurrection on Easter Sunday. Although our spirits and activities were dampened by the ongoing pandemic and social distancing measures put in place, the Catholics persevered in faith and service to the community throughout the season of Lent. We began the Lenten season on 17 February with an Ash Wednesday service at 3 locations across the school. Weekly Lenten reflections by Fr Danker were shared during our daily morning prayer. Josephians also conducted prayers of the Stations of the Cross in small groups. The school also launched three Lenten projects across different levels, where Josephians contributed food, digital devices for learning and other daily essentials for the underprivileged beyond our community. The Palm Sunday Mass was also celebrated for students after their Year 5 Day of Recollection.

On the evening of Maundy Thursday, as part of Lenten observance, Catholic students and staff celebrated the Eucharist in school. The atmosphere was solemn and sombre as Catholics recollected the night of the Last Supper before the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday. After the Eucharist, 22 students from the Legion of Mary (Queen of All Saints praesidium), together with Mr Bernard Teo and Mr Dominic Ang made a pilgrimage on foot to the Church of St Joseph (Bukit Timah) to mark the Year of St Joseph as proclaimed by Pope Francis.

During the 13-kilometres walk to the Church that took about 2 hours, the students in small groups of 4 or 5 reflected on the Stations of the Cross. They took time to relate the theme of each Station with their daily life and conversed with one another about this as part of their reflection. When they arrived on the grounds of the church, they were met by Fr Edward Seah, who imparted his blessings.

Ian Lee (LE201) from the Queen of All Saints praesidium shared, "This night-walk on Maundy Thursday was really an enriching experience, both for my Catholic faith as well as the bonding between me and my fellow legionnaires, as we were able to pray in a meaningful manner in a serene environment, as well learn more about the lives and struggles of the people around me. To me, this is a completely new experience and such a step-up from my Year One, where we could not have these activities last Easter. I am glad I stayed on to experience this with my friends.

One part that was really meaningful during our walk together with Mr Bernard Teo was the sharing of our experiences. I had the opportunity to express my opinion and impart some knowledge and wisdom to the Y1s. I could sense the strong faith when everyone prayed together, including Mr Teo. When I joined SJI, I really didn’t know I would be able to experience this with my schoolmates and I am thankful for God, who has worked through the admins of SJI to get us together like this. Hopefully, we can have more experiences like this together, especially with the lively Y1s."