The holiday of Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This holiday is one of the principal festivals of the Catholic Church and is being celebrated on April 17 this year. 

The holiday occurs after the period of Lent, which is forty days dedicated to the act of fasting leading up to Easter. This period is meant for one to prepare for the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter. 

During Lent, Christians and Catholics often give up a particular item, belief, etc. that stops them from being truly faithful to God. People usually abstain from using luxuries during the days of Lent. 

Sundays are the only days that people participating in the fasting period can indulge in what they gave up. This is because Sundays are not technically considered part of Lent since they are regarded as celebratory feast days to remember the death and Resurrection of Christ. 

Many Xavier girls partake in the activities of Lent leading up to Easter. Girls have given up various things, ranging from food items to ideas of self-doubt.

For example, junior Evelynn Papez gave up cafeteria food as her Lenten promise. She said, “I chose cafeteria food to give up, particularly because I wanted to focus on eating a healthier diet during the period of Lent. I wanted to cleanse myself of bad foods I would eat earlier in the year.” 

Moreover, Papez wanted to start making her own healthy recipes to develop good eating habits, leading to her decision to choose cafeteria food as her item to give up. 

On the other hand, junior Bryn Murphy focused on improving aspects of her mental health rather than giving up material goods. She felt that with the start of her junior year, she focused more on making sure others around her were content rather than concentrating on her much-needed health and the stresses of junior year. 

She decided to focus more upon her Lenten promise of taking care of herself. By doing this, she hoped to feel more confident in herself and her faith. 

In addition to Xavier students doing their individual periods of Lent leading up to Easter, many of Xavier’s theology teachers, like Gina Iker, have reformed “Fiat 40,” a program Xavier girls had created in the past as a sister program to “Exodus 90.”

Like Exodus 90, Fiat 40 is a way for students to form groups during Lent for 40 days (Exodus 90 is for 90 days).  Instead of going through giving up something alone, these girls encourage each other to continue with their hard Lenten promises until Easter. 

Junior Amelia Grace Feix is currently doing Fiat 40. “I really love Fiat 40. It’s a close group of girls helping each other reach their goals of becoming closer to God and strengthening their faith,” Feix said.

In addition to individual Lenten promises, the Xavier community continues to create opportunities for Xavier girls to bond over their faith, creating strength between all the students.