Ash Wednesday

Posted: 28th February 2020

Our prayerful beginning to Lent.

Following the excitement of the pancakes on Shrove Tuesday the next day we marked Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  Lent is the period of forty days leading up to Easter, a time when we prepare through fasting, penitence and prayer for Easter.   Two Masses were held on Wednesday,  celebrated for the Juniors and Seniors by Fr Thomas, and ashes were distributed throughout the school.  The ashes symbolize penance. When foreheads are marked with the ashes the phrases used often are, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

In the Junior Mass, prepared by Upper IIA, the girls composed and delivered some very beautiful bidding prayers which we would like to share with you:

On this day of repentance, we pray that the leaders of the Church throughout the world will become a beacon of hope and life to us all.

Lord in Your Mercy

Hear our prayer

We pray for the world and its expanse of beauty; that people repent for their neglect of the Earth and reach out for forgiveness, courage and love.

Lord in Your Mercy

Hear our prayer

We pray that everyone in the world puts renewed effort into looking after God’s creation. May He guide us to become stewards of the Earth so we can all live happy and healthy lives.

Lord in Your Mercy

Hear our prayer

We pray for our Parish community; that we may be moved by God’s love to reach out to others, especially to those who are poor and downtrodden so that no one is alone and forgotten. May we become closer to God.

Lord in Your Mercy

Hear our prayer

We pray that we are both able to forgive and ask for forgiveness with love and compassion for what we are doing. May we too see that love and forgiveness is the way forward.

Lord in Your Mercy

Hear our prayer

We pray for each other, that we all leave this Mass fulfilled with the Holy Spirit. May the ones who feel abandoned, forgotten or alone, feel loved. We pray for everyone to trust God and feel safe in the loving comfort of his arms.

Lord in Your Mercy

Hear our prayer

We ask our Mother Mary to intercede for us as we pray…

Hail Mary, Full of Grace

The Lord is with Thee

Blessed art thou among women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners,

Now, and at the hour of our death,

Amen

Categories: Faith Life Junior Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form Whole School
Strengthening Our Community: The Return of Boys to our Preps and Pre-Preps

We are excited to share that, from September 2026, boys will begin moving up from our Nursery into Reception, marking the gradual reintroduction of boys into our Prep and Pre-Prep School.

This step reflects growing interest from families who value our strong holistic ethos and unique grounds and setting and would like their sons and daughters to share their educational journey together.

At St Augustine’s, our strong sense of community, academic excellence, and deep care for each individual child remain at the heart of everything we do. This is a natural evolution of our school rather than a change to who we are, building on our strengths and allowing us to offer the same joyful, inspiring education to even more children.