The Uy family takes time for prayer year round, but especially during Lent. (Photo by David Bernacchi)

ANH CLAUSEN
SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC HERALD

Ash Wednesday, March 5, marks the start of Lent — a season inviting families to embark on 40 days in the desert.

Lent is a time to take away distractions, preparing our hearts and transforming our lives to fully embrace the Paschal Mystery.

Yet, it’s also a season where many families struggle to balance daily life with Lenten practices. From prayer and fasting to almsgiving and personal sacrifice, families find their own paths through the 40-day journey toward Easter.

For LaTanya and Patrick Bacon, who were initiated into the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil in 2019, Lent is a time of penance and walking closely with Jesus. LaTanya, raised Baptist, joined a non-denominational church but grew disillusioned with its teachings. “Through a Catholic homeschool community, I was drawn to the Catholic faith, and the Eucharist resonated with me,” LaTanya recalls.

Alongside her husband, Patrick, who was raised Catholic but then also joined a non-denominational church, LaTanya explored the questions she had about Catholicism through the process of fully joining the Catholic Church.

“As I started to research the early Church, I started to believe that was where I needed to be. I wanted to follow Jesus, and it really hit home about the Eucharist. I can’t argue with the Eucharist. I want to be where the Eucharist is, and my husband felt the same thing,” LaTanya said.

The journey of these parishioners of Ss. Peter and Paul, Milwaukee, reflects the power of faith and conversion, and they are now dedicated to sharing that faith with their children.

Lent is the autumn of the spiritual life during which we gather the fruit to keep us going for the rest of the year. — St. Francis de Sales

The Bacons embrace Lenten traditions such as attending the Family of Five Parishes’ Outdoor Stations of the Cross and participating in the Triduum, helping their children connect with the journey of Christ. Patrick Bacon shares that the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday particularly resonates with their daughters, while LaTanya finds Good Friday’s veneration of the cross a deeply moving experience.

One year, LaTanya planted bulbs with her daughters during Lent and watched them grow and bloom during the Easter season, a tangible reminder of the new life that comes with Christ’s Resurrection.

“Going to Mass, Stations of the Cross and the Triduum — these are all ways we teach our kids about their faith,” LaTanya says. “We believe that we are planting seeds in their hearts, and God will grow that faith.”

However, living out these Lenten practices, especially as a young family, is not easy. LaTanya admits, “It’s hard because Lent doesn’t have the same resources as Advent — there are no Advent calendars or festive decorations to help you stay focused.” For her, keeping the kids engaged in a penitential season that the world doesn’t highlight can be challenging.

The Bacons are not alone. David and Mary Kate Uy, parishioners at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Milwaukee, share similar experiences. Their family’s Lenten practices include attending Holy Family Parish School fish fries, praying the Stations of the Cross at Holy Hill, attending the Triduum and donating food items each week to the Kinship Community Food Center in Milwaukee.

Mary Kate, who strives to give up complaining during Lent, says, “Lent is a time of expectation and preparation for Easter but always with joy.” Despite busy schedules, she is intentional about spending time every day in quiet prayer, either alone or sometimes while she walks their dog.

David, who helps coordinate a men’s retreat at the Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh during Lent, also focuses on almsgiving. “I try to be mindful of the Kinship Food Center and bring items to donate,” he says. “It’s about living out our faith in a tangible way.”

Similarly, Sean and Carmen Urness and their three daughters keep their Lenten practices simple but meaningful. They pray their MagnifiKid Lenten daily scripture together and spend time in their family prayer corner, which features their family Bible, St. Joseph statue, Divine Mercy image and other prayer cards. Carmen, who homeschools their younger daughters and volunteers as a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd assistant, says, “I try to incorporate faith formation at home by creating a space for prayer and reflecting on scripture as a family.”

For April and Chris Kuss, parishioners at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lent is a time to focus on living out their faith. “I’ve taught the kids to do two things during Lent: sacrifice one thing and add one thing,” Chris says. For instance, Chris gives up swearing and anger, while adding a daily reading of the Passion from the Gospel of John. April cuts back on her coffee consumption, which is no small feat for a mother of six. Focusing on consistency, their fifth grader, Zachary, shares that he prefers giving up candy during Lent, as he’s found it’s harder to stick with bigger sacrifices, like screen time, for more than a couple of weeks.

The Kuss family also values attending the Triduum at their parish. “We usually travel to visit relatives during Christmas, but we always stay home for Holy Week and Easter so we can fully participate in the sacred liturgies,” April says.

The challenge of keeping kids focused during Lent is a common thread for these families. “It’s hard to sustain, especially when the world isn’t focusing on Lent,” LaTanya reflects. “But we try to remind ourselves and our kids that Lent is about growing closer to God and understanding his sacrifice for us.”

Despite the struggles, the fruits of the Lenten season are clear. For many families, the Triduum — the three days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil — are especially important to participate in as a family since it is three of the most solemn days of the year. The Easter Vigil is the highest point of the liturgical year. Even though families with young children may struggle with keeping their children up past bedtimes, it is worth the effort because as Mary Kate Uy says, “it’s the best Mass of the year.”

LaTanya Bacon is grateful for the devotion of the Stations of the Cross since it is unique to Catholicism. Patrick Bacon says of the outdoor Stations of the Cross, “It’s always been a powerful way for our family to see what Jesus had to go through and connect to the journey Jesus took to the cross.”

For families like the Bacons, the Uys, the Urnesses and the Kusses, Lent is a time to step back, refocus and grow in faith — no matter the challenges. And as LaTanya says, “I love that the Church, in her wisdom, gives us this long season of 40 days to walk with Jesus in the desert, to prepare for his Resurrection.”

Through sacrifice, prayer and community, these families are finding ways to deepen their love for Christ and his sacrifice, preparing for the Easter season with a renewed joy in the promise of new life.

Anh Clausen is Associate Director of Evangelization and Catechesis, Child Formation K-5, for the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

LENT: DID YOU KNOW?

  • Lent begins March 5 on Ash Wednesday.
  • Ashes are burned palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday, symbolically connecting the beginning of Lent to the end of Lent.
  • As ashes are distributed, you will hear either “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
  • Catholics (18 years through age 59) are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting means eating no more than one full meal and two smaller meals.
  • Catholics (14 years and older) are to abstain from eating meat on Friday during Lent.
  • During Lent, the “Gloria” and “Alleluia” are not sung during Mass to focus on the penitential aspect of the season.
  • Purple is the liturgical color for Lent and Advent, seasons of repentance and preparation.