Caritas Diocese of Brentwood is inviting you to take part in several activities during Lent. Within Essex and East London, we are blessed with rural and urban areas, from the natural countryside to modern cityscapes and together we can make a big impact in our local areas.

We are inviting everyone to take part in activities this Lent that can help those most in need and also celebrate the beauty of the local areas around us. Below you will see the different resources; just click the drop-down menus to find out more information about each activity. You will also find resources from other great charitable organisations such as SVP and CAFOD.

Our Lenten photo challenge is a great chance to get people of all ages involved!

Start conversations about where we each see the joy of God in the world around us, talk about the differences between rural and urban beauty, the way we are impacted by the world around us and ways in which we can protect our common home.

This Lent we want you to send us what you get to see across Essex and East London because we have so much to offer. We would like to share the joy you experience and remind us all of the God-given home we are blessed with.

How to:

  1. Have some time in your local environment in prayer
  2. Take your photo
  3. Email [email protected]
  4. Say the School/Parish you are from and why you took this particular photo

You can download the poster by clicking here.

For Confirmation groups and Schools Yr 9-13

Caritas Diocese of Brentwood and the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service invite you to celebrate the Way of the Cross from the official celebrations of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023, it is a youthful and contemporary approach to the Stations, with each of them focused on a specific fragility of young people today, across the globe. In the booklet is a guide on how to pray the stations, as well as PowerPoint version.

You can download the booklet by clicking here.

You can download the PPT version by clicking here.

SVP has also created reflections that are perfect for form time in secondary schools.

Download the resource by clicking here.

For Holy Communion and Primary Schools groups

SVP Minnie Vinnies has created reflections on the Stations of the Cross which are a great way to engage young people in this age range.

Download the resource by clicking here.

You can download the calendar PDF by clicking here.

The Lenten Giving Calendar is designed to encourage people to collect items that can be placed into a box or container, topped with an Easter Egg, and then donated to your local foodbank just in time for Holy Week.

Foodbanks are there to support anyone in need, no matter the reason and your food and essential donations can ensure that food banks continue to provide emergency parcels, as well as practical and emotional support.

If you need assistance finding your local foodbank or would like to have someone from the foodbank come and speak to your students/parishioners, please search the Trussell Trust Website by clicking here

Your chance to help the homeless and young people in our Diocese.

Over the last few years young people, leaders and catechists have spent time fundraising and even spending the night sleeping out in gardens, car parks and on school fields to better understand how it feels for those sleeping rough throughout the Diocese, as well as raising thousands of pounds to help local homeless charities.

  1. Host your own “Sponsored Sleepout” (For more information and resources click here)
  2. Have a non-uniform day
  3. Host a quiz night
  4. Have a bake sale
  5. Fairtrade coffee morning
  6. Take part in a Sponsored Walk
  7. Volunteer to raise awareness
  8. Speak to your year group / local parish
  9. Hosting a Lenten Lunch

Money raised from these events will go towards supporting the homeless charities across Essex and East London.

If you have any questions about running your own Sleepout, you are welcome to email [email protected] for more information and resources.

If you know of other resources we could share, please email [email protected]

“Lent is a time of going very deeply into ourselves… What is it that stands between us and God? Between us and our brothers and sisters? Between us and life, the life of the Spirit? Whatever it is, let us relentlessly tear it out, without a moment’s hesitation.”