Lenten Retreat with Pope Francis 2024

The journey begins in sombre purple but ends in the joy and celebration of

white vestments as we celebrate the Resurrection. The season of Lent, which

begins on Ash Wednesday, is the start of that journey to the joy of Easter.

Why Join?

We are probably used to packing suitcases for our travels and then un-packing

and re-packing them because there is a limit on how much we can bring. The

important thing is to have the essentials. The Lenten journey needs no suitcase

but is an opportunity to focus on the essentials, on what truly matters in our life

of faith.

“We have been given forty days, a ‘favourable time' to remind ourselves that the world is bigger than our narrow personal needs, and to rediscover the joy, not of accumulating material goods, but of caring for those who are poor and afflicted. Let us set out, then, on the path of prayer and use these forty days to restore God's primacy in our lives and to dialogue with him from the heart, and not only in spare moments”

Pope Francis

The Programme

Every Sunday and Wednesday in Lent and everyday in Holy Week a series of

meditations and questions for reflections, linked to Pope Francis' Message for

Lent, will be posted to help us prepare for the joy of the Resurrection.

Liam Kelly

Liam Kelly works at Ampleforth Abbey and has written a number of books,

most recently Lent in 50 Moments, a series of reflections from Ash Wednesday

to Easter Wednesday.