The Ashes Have Washed Off

We're one week into Lent. The ashes have washed off, but the work continues. This is the season of the three pillars: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These aren't just personal disciplines—they're meant to be practiced together, as a family.

For homeschoolers, Lent offers a built-in curriculum. Teach your children to pray by praying with them. Let them see you fast, and talk about why. Give alms together—let them choose what to donate, count the coins, deliver the goods. The goal isn't perfection; it's formation. We're not just teaching our children about the faith. We're showing them how to live it.

How is your family's Lenten rule holding up? If you've already stumbled, begin again. That's what this season is for.

"Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." — Joel 2:12

Community Spotlight

Collect and Connect

Upcoming in Houston

Forming the Imagination with J.R.R. Tolkien | Friday, February 27 | 2:00–3:30 p.m. | Ages 13–19 | $5 | Sr. Maria Frassati Jakupcak, OP | Part of CHECH Philosophy & Theology Lecture Series | Parent session: "Ethical Use of AI" with UST Admissions + Honors House open house

Lenten Lecture: Penance in the Middle Ages | Thursday, March 5 | 1:00 p.m. | Welder 108 | Sr. Albert Marie Surmanski explores penance as virtue, sacrament, and Lenten practice | Part of the UST Theology Department Lenten Lecture Series

First Saturday Mass for Homeschool Families | Saturday, March 7 | Shrine of the True Cross, Dickinson | Latin Novus Ordo (ad orientem) with English & Spanish homily | 8:30 a.m. Confessions, 9:00 a.m. Mass, 10:15 a.m. Rosary procession to outdoor Marian grotto | Commemoration of Sts. Perpetua & Felicity | Flyer

Thomas Aquinas College: High School Great Books Summer Programs | One- and two-week programs in California or New England | Rising seniors | Early bird: $200–$400 off for first 30 registrants