The Auburn community is preparing for the season of Lent, a period of 40 days when many Christians fast and pray to prepare for Easter.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter, and ends on the Thursday before Easter. During this time, many Christians fast and reflect on Jesus’ life by attending church services, abstaining from eating meat on Fridays and giving up certain luxuries as a form of penance.
According to Father Bill Skoneki, the pastor of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Lent serves as a time to form habits that exemplify Christian living.
“Lent really is spring training and is a great time to get ourselves back into what we should be doing all of the time,” Skoneki said. “It takes six weeks to form a habit and lent is six weeks long.”
Some of Auburn’s local churches, including St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Trinity Lutheran Church and Auburn United Methodist Church, will be holding Lent services throughout the season. All three of these churches, along with many others, will be holding Ash Wednesday services on March 1, 2017.
In addition to these services, St. Michael’s will be holding Stations of The Cross, a service where the church tries to recreate and reflect on the story of Jesus’ passion and death, every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.
St. Michael’s will also be hosting a presentation called The Shroud Encounter on April 1 and 2. This presentation will focus on the Shroud of Turin, which is thought to be Jesus’ burial cloth. The multimedia presentation will go over the scientific mystery of the shroud and attendees can see a replica of the famous shroud.
Auburn United Methodist Church will be hosting a Pancake Supper on Tuesday Feb. 28 to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is a celebration held the day before Ash Wednesday to prepare for the Lent season.
Many Auburn University students are preparing for Lent by committing to cutting out their favorite indulgences for 40 days.
“I’m giving up dessert for Lent and also making an effort to read the Bible a little each night,” said Megan Hackett, a sophomore. “I like to do that because I give one thing up that I like and try to do an extra thing that makes me better.”
Most Christians who observe Lent do not eat meat on Fridays during the season, but Victoria Tucker, and Auburn University sophomore, is giving up meat for the entirety of Lent.
“I feel like it’s a harder thing to give up because we live in such a meat dependent area, so I felt like it was a good sacrifice for Lent," Tucker said.
Some college students, like Auburn University freshman Alyssa Parfrey, see Lent as the perfect time to reconnect with your faith.
"In college it is hard to stay close to your faith, as I have realized, and having something to ground me back is great,” Parfrey said. “The main purpose is to relate to how Jesus abstained from food for 40 days, but it’s also just a great way to cut out bad things from your diet and connect with God and that’s why I do it and encourage others to try.”
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Gabby Dance, senior in journalism with a minor in women's studies, is the assistant campus editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
