Lent Guide for Orthodox Christians
Great Lent is a special gift that the Church gives us in order to help us re-focus our lives on Christ. As we approach lent, let us give special attention to how we might observe so as to not squander the gift the Church is offering us. The Orthodox Church has set aside 40 days (plus Holy Week) as a special time of repentance and calls us to a long and sustained spiritual effort. It is comparable to a school of repentance in which every Christian can go yearly in order to deepen their faith, re-evaluate, and, if possible, to change their lives. It’s a wonderful journey to the very source of the Orthodox faith; a rediscovery of the Christian way of life. A chance to renew or zeal, set aright our priorities, and live as true Christians. As we recognize this significant shift in our liturgical calendar, I wanted to provide resources and ideas to help you cultivate a lenten environment in your homes and with your families. May this be a fruitful Lent season for us all!
In this guide you will find various resources to help you set apart this time of Lent in your home: countdowns, devotionals, daily readings, fasting resources, and more.
As the Church calls our attention to this upcoming fasting period, you might be feeling the itch to prepare your household as well. I love this analogy - according to Saint John Chrysostom, the home is a little church. The home is central to our very Christian life. Everything we do begins at home.
Home is where we learn how to be Christians - how to pray, piety and manners, where we learn how to struggle and gain virtue, where we learn how to love and forgive, the importance of following Gods commandments. It’s where we continue to encounter Christ by seeking Him through prayer, fasting, serving those in need, attending services, and ultimately acquiring the virtues of the Christian life. The home is central to everything we do. So it is fitting to make sure our homes are also prepared for this Lenten season so we can be engaged in the true spiritual nourishment that the Church is offering us through Lent. This is the training ground for us to live the Christian life.
As a mother and a wife, this practice of cultivating our home into a little church is such a joy and one I am very grateful to continue to cultivate. No matter your home circumstances, whether you have a family with children, or not, maybe you are married without children or with grown children no longer in your home, or you live alone, or with roommates, or perhaps with other non-orthodox family members, I want you to ponder with me for a bit, that the place we dwell has an affect on our spiritual life. I have no doubt about that. So with that in mind, let’s talk about some practical ways we can prepare our home for lent:
Here are 5 areas to focus on during lent:
(1) Cultivate a Lenten Environment
In Orthodox Christian theology, we understand that the physical and spiritual worlds are transformed by the Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ. So, our environments are important! Giving attention to creating a peaceful and prayerful home is a worthy endeavor and we can use the liturgical seasons of feasting and fasting to create lovely rhythms and traditions for our families.
Decorating for Lent
This may seem frivolous, but hang in there with me, let me explain. Since the home is a little church, we can use the Church as our model. One of the first things you’ll notice at the beginning of Lent is the change in liturgical colors - the Priest and Deacon vestments change to a purple color (of varying degrees), the altar cloths and covers under the icons change. So using the Church as my model, I like to sprinkle in some purple as well. I add purple touches throughout my home, starting with my home altar and building from there. I love making a visual change in my own home as well reflecting the changes we see in the church. I usually put out my icon of the Bridegoom from Legacy Icons as well as some purple flowers. These touches don’t have to be pricey. I use my same decorations year after year. But what I love about this is to communicates to me, and everyone in my household that there has been a change…. we are in a new season; the season Lent. You can check out my Amazon storefront for lent for some ideas.
Sights, Sounds, and Smells
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
Sights: As I mentioned above, we can make visual changes during lent in our homes. I find that decluttering is also a helpful endeavor during Lent. It aligns well with “spring cleaning” season and purging the excess, even finding others who might need our excess is very Lenten. Afterall, everything we own is ours to manage, so perhaps it is our work to ensure that the items we possess are given to those in need. Work on restoring some peace in your home this lenten season by lightening your load and clearing some of the excess clutter. This plays nicely with almsgiving as well, if you think about it in these terms. Sounds: Again, the Church as our model, what are some of the other changes we see during lent? The hymns change a bit, taking on a more somber tone. I like to make a similar change in my home. I love listening to music while I work in my home, but instead during lent I listen to liturgical music. I have a Great Lent Playlist on Spotify I made years ago and it’s been so helpful to reframe my days and be more attentive to what the Church is showing us during this time. I also play it while driving too! This is a simple way to bring a lenten influence into our homes. Smells: When I think of lenten smells, I think of the smell of incense, and a bustling kitchen! During this season especially, I love lighting incense during morning prayers and filling my home with the sweet fragrance of our prayers. One of the hymns we will hear during lent is the prayer of Psalm 141 verse 2: “Let my prayer be set before You a incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
Recently someone (in real life) told me they were searching online for “what incense should I burn during lent?” and although they didn’t find the answer they were searching for, they told me they found my blog! How fun! I love this question though. The truth is though, there is no rubrics for what incense to burn during lent. Every Church and local community has their own practice. Me personally, I light pure frankincense during lent, and I just noticed that our Parish does too for the first week of lent! Perhaps a coincidence, if such a thing exists. But there isn’t a liturgical rubric for it, so burn whichever incense you please. If you need more information on how to burn incense or a list of where to buy supplies, check out this blogpost:
Additional Ideas for a Lenten Home
Add pops of purple to indicate the Lenten season in your home
The Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem by Emilias Post (pictured below)
Avlea Folk Embroidery Consider adding a beautiful embroidered fabric to your icon corner or as a table runner in your table. Avlea is run by a Priest wife (Kh Krista West) and she has a collection of embroidery designs inspired by the rich and beautiful embroidery traditions of the Mediterranean including BitKit series of small projects to a Library Edition of historic designs, there's something for any level of stitcher who wants to make and enjoy these timeless designs.
Especially for families - Add a countdown calendar!
Great Lent is quite the marathon for the faithful, as it’s 40 days of fasting followed by Holy Week, which of course ends with the greatest feast of all, PASCHA! For children especially, I find that having a visual of the days leading up to Pascha is not only fun and engaging, but also gives insights into how many days we have left until the Feast of Feasts! There are many ways to visually represent the days of Lent. Below I’ve shared some resources available for purchase and some that can be made using materials you might already own!
Using our Draw Near Designs Fabric Lent Calendar
Fabric Lent Calendar by Draw Near Designs - We personally use this count down calendar and have for several years now. My kids LOVE to move their popcicle stick each morning as we journey along. This is something they have taken over all on their own and I don’t need to remind them anymore. You can buy a DIY version or a handmade version ready to go on their site! I also love that we can use this year after year.
The Cradle to Cross Wooden Wreath by The Keeping Company - this is not only an heirloom piece, made out of cherry wood and oiled stained, but it can also be used for both Lent and the Advent/Nativity Fast as it has a 40 day represented, a small figure of Christ carrying the Cross, and includes a figure riding a donkey as represented in both stories. This is a wreath that will be a stunning centerpiece to any table and offers a beautiful visual as we count down the days to Pascha. The kit is available for purchase HERE.
Additional Countdown Printables:
Lent and Holy Week Countdown by Quis Ut Deus Press - We use this particular one for our parish and I love the design! It’s available for both Western (Catholic) and Eastern tradition. HERE
ByziMom Created a new Countdown for Great Lent for 2025: Download HERE
Orthodox Christian Countdown Calendar by Cherished Creations: Find it on Etsy
Lent Calendar Printable by Ascetic Life of Motherhood (aka me!) - The weekly breakdown download is free for email subscribers! So sign up today and you can get a free download!
(2) Consider how your household will pray
One of the most important aspects of Lent is our participation in prayer and the services. If you are not in the habit of daily prayer (i.e. morning and evening prayers), then that is where I would start! Use lent to build a strong habit of daily prayer. Do you have a place in your home set apart for prayer? A place where everyone in your family can comfortably gather together for daily prayer? If not, use this lenten season to create a prayerful place in your home. Prayer is not confined to one space, we can pray anywhere, but it is a defining characteristic of Orthodox homes to have an icon corner to gather for daily prayer. Generally things that we use in our prayer corner include : icons, a cross, a candle, holy water (you can ask your local Church for some), a prayer book, incense & charcoal and a censor. We also have an oil burning candle which we light for longer periods of time.
If you would like some inspiration on a daily habit of prayer, check out this video about the importance of having a prayer rule. I also have a reel on Instagram on Setting up a Prayer Corner which you watch:
Attend the Lenten Services
A defining factor of Lent is a unique marathon of services offered throughout the 40 days including: Canon of St Andrew, Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Akathists, Saturday of Souls, Great Vespers and our course Sunday Orthros and Liturgy. (Check with your local parish to see what services are being offered during Lent). They are all different and the Church in her wisdom has given them to us as a gift, a balm to our souls. The hymnography is rich with theology and depths beyond what my anemic words could offer. Just go!
Even if attending the entire cycle of lenten worship is unattainable, we can certainly attend many of them! I would encourage you to make Lent a time for increased attendance and participation in the liturgy of the church. The needs of each family will vary, but attending at least one of each of the special services would be a great place to start! I usually suggest, if you are used to attending service once a week (Sunday), make it your goal to attend one more service each week, so you plan to attend at least 2 services a week. Note, if you only attend services on Sundays, you will miss out on most of the variables during Lent that the Church is offering us, so do your best to draw near as much as you are able to get the benefits of these divine services only offered during this time of year.
“Because Lent is sweet”
I heard a story once about a mom who would take her precious children to as many services during Lent that they were able to attend, and after they would get home, she would hand each of them a piece of candy and say “Because Lent is sweet”. She wanted her children to have a positive association with attending lenten services. That concept has stuck with me ever since!
There are a number of fun ways to do this - including the Pascha Passport booklets - in which each child can receive an icon sticker for each service they attend. It takes great effort for both adults and children to attend services, so having a sweet reminder or reward for such an effort makes for a more positive experience. I hope and pray that my children will continue to long to be in Church, worshiping our Lord, and find it to be a place of refuge and peace.
You can watch my reel on Instagram Lent is Sweet here.
Source: Krista Fedorchak IG
(3) Consider how you will fast
Christian fasting is the most effective weapon we can have next to prayer. The two together can do wonders for our spiritual strength. Fasting is an essential Christian practice. One day, His disciples asked Jesus why they could not heal a boy by expelling a demon from within him. They asked, "Why could we not cast it out?" The Lord's reply was, "This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
Fasting makes us realize that we are dependent on God. We are reminded that without God, we can do nothing. Naturally so, we will feel the affects of fasting in our weakness (literally), but also you will find an increase in passions rising to the surface. Do not be alarmed. This is how we fight the passions, by starving them and relying on God. It also has the potential to increase our spiritual strength, true obedience to God, and total patience with our fellow man. It assists us to take control of our appetites that involve the physical senses. We fast from food to help us build up our self control “muscles” so to speak - so that ultimately we can resist the temptation to sin and live according to God’s will.
Fasting Rule
Orthodox Christians generally follow the same fast, as prescribed by the Church. We fast from meat, dairy, fish with backbones, wine and oil. On Saturdays and Sundays are Wine and Oil Days which means on these days the fast is relaxed to permit wine and oil. Of course, fasting is a spiritual discipline that should be practiced with the oversight and direction of your spiritual father. You should consult your Priest if you have any specific questions about the fasting discipline as it applies to you, and your children.
Check out these blogposts:
Fast from Technology
Now more than ever, we have an even greater need to set limits and “fast” from technology, social media, constant entertainment, etc. Consider speaking with your Priest about adding this to your fasting rule as well.
Source: Parousia Press
Reflection on Fasting
Fasting is a way of training in the spiritual life. The way I explain fasting to my children, I say: we are fasting from certain foods so that by denying ourselves, we might gain self-control. It’s like working our self control muscles, so that when we encounter temptations to sin, we may have some self control to deny that impusle to sin, and instead choose Christ. This is an example of how we can deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and following Christ - just as he has asked us to do. That’s one benefit.
I want to add, fasting is difficult. It is like entering into the arena. You’ll find that almost immediately upon fasting, the passions will rise to the surface, and we will be faced with many temptations. This is not a cause for alarm. This is precisely how it ought to be. The prescribed fast in the Orthodox Church can be a test of ones spiritual strength. Naturally, we will feel of weak, as we are not eating foods like meat, dairy, eggs that give us strength. But this weakness is purposeful. It's through our weakness we are made strong through Christ. Read this passage from St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Through fasting, we are reminded that we are completely dependent on our Lord and we need him. He is LIFE - so cling to him. What a beautiful opportunity we have ahead of us to be humble and needful of Christ's strength and mercy. If you remember that old snickers commercial? The tagline is “you aren't yourself when you're hungry, grab a snickers.” I think many of us can relate to that when we start fasting. The world knows about “Hangry”. This is a common passion of anger. This “hangry angry side” of us that starts to bubble up to the surface when we begin fasting. We blame it on the fasting, but truly this is something we ought to address. The temptation is there “oh maybe I just need some meat that'll fix my anger problems.” I'm sure many of you have felt this before when fasting. But instead of trying to grab a snickers (the temptation to satiate our passions by reaching for the forbidden fruit, so to speak) let's instead use that as an opportunity to say, “Lord Jesus Christ and of God have mercy on me, I am weak. Help me Lord! I have a lot of anger inside of me please help me!” We have an opportunity for us to gain dependence on the Lord and, in those things that are inside of us, it gives us an opportunity to work through those and offer them back to the Lord.
Modified Fasting
The church offers us the fasting rules as a general rule. If you find that you are in need of an exception to that rule, then we can get an adjustment. I love this analogy: the Church is often described as the hospital, and our priest is the physician. So if you need an adjustment to the general fasting rule for health reasons, then you can ask your physician to adjust your prescription. This is the beauty of the Orthodox Church, we are never doing this alone, the Church is our guide and we have someone who can help us. Typically young children, those with health issues, the elderly, and nursing/pregnant mothers have a modified fast or don't fast at all- so if you fall into those categories, then speak with your physician and he will offer you modified prescription that will work for you.
modified fasting meal
For children or the non-fasting family members in your home, simply add chicken to your fast-friendly meal.
That being said, in our household, we have varying degrees of fasting participation, so it can be a challenge to make sure that everyone has what they need during the fast. Now for my younger children who do not fast, one of the easiest ways I’ve found is to cook fast-friendly dinners, and for the non-fasters add chicken. I'll prepare a bunch of chicken at once and add it to their meal. This way I am not cooking separate meals for everyone. I also will add meat and dairy into their meals throughout the day, for example, I prepare eggs for breakfast, and a glass of milk for lunch. This ensures they are getting the nutrients that are necessary for their growing bodies but also allows us to eat together as a family.
One tip I picked up from a seasoned mother of 6 - she would prepare their meal ‘family style’ and include all the options on the table. Everyone would choose what they added to their plate, passing each item around the table to one another. This allowed those who were fasting to make their own choices (very good practice), and for the ones who were not fasting, to partake without feeling alienated. I loved this example!
Simplify Fasting
When we talk about fasting, for those of us who are newer to fasting (as I was), it can often feel very daunting, maybe even overwhelming. But my hope is to help us reframe that way of thinking a little bit. Our goal with fasting is not to become a vegan chef. Our goal is to follow the general rule, and to simplify our lives and eating so that we have more time (and resources) to pray, attend services, help the poor and be attentive to our spiritual lives. So with that in mind, we can’t spend all day in the kitchen preparing luscious fast-friendly food. With some intention, we can still eat nourishing foods, while also trying to cut out the overwhelm a bit.
Here are some tips to simplifying your fasting meals:
Standardize breakfast and lunch - (i.e. same breakfast every day, leftovers for lunch, etc) - this eliminates the need for too much variety, will reduce the mental energy of planning, and will simplify your pantry. We make the same smoothie every morning for breakfast during the fast.
Find 5 - 7 recipes everyone LOVES and cook them on repeat. I find that cooking new recipes all the time exhausts me. Nothing is better than cooking a meal you know everyone likes and that you have made countless times before. You wont have to keep reinventing the wheel, trying new recipes and shopping for new ingredients.
Double or triple your recipes to save for later - your future self with thank you! Freeze or store in the fridge for easy grab and go meals. I store meals portioned out into individual glass containers so they are ready to go!
Cook rice or quinoa in a rice cooker and have on hand for easy meals. This life hack has been a game changer for us the past few years. Always having a grain on hand makes for easy grain bowls: our go to is veggies, beans, kimchi, and some protein (lentils, shrimp, tofu) on top of a bed of quinoa or rice.
Steamer or Air Fryer for easy and fast cooking! My favorite tools in the kitchen are the ones that make cooking super fast and easy. I throw in seasoned veggies and shrimp, for example, into the air fryer or steamer and within 10 mins I’ve got a meal ready to go! Check out my Amazon storefront for my favorite kitchen tools!
Chop veggies in the food processor - if you can’t tell, I am all about kitchen gadgets. They are there to help us save time and energy. Recently a friend shared with me that she uses the food processor to chop her onions/veggies. Absolutely brilliant! I used this recently and it made soup prep unbelievable easy! An easy way to chop and add
Grain bowls
My favorite go-to easy meal! Grain base, protein, veggies,fermented food, and add hummus or avocado!
Favorite Go-To Fasting Meals:
This will have to be it’s own blogpost but for I have to mention some of my favorite fasting recipes here:
Breakfast Smoothie: 1/2 banana, handful of spinach, 2 TBSP peanut butter, 3/4 cup frozen mixed berries, 3/4 cup coconut water, 1 TBSP of the following: hemp hearts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
Grain bowls: This is the simplest way for me to eat a nourishing fasting meal with little prep. The formula is simple:
Base grain (brown rice, quinoa, cousous, millet, bulgar)
Protein (shrimp, tofu, tempeh, scallops, lentils)
Veggies (steamed carrots, broccoli, green beans, asparagus)
Beans
Fermented food (kimchi, sauerkraut)
Hummus or avocado
Greens and hot sauce optional
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Hash: This is said to be a breakfast dish, but we eat this for dinner! Pair with some quinoa and its a complete meal! Recipe HERE.
The Best Lentil Soup: This is a favorite in our house! We eat it with sourdough bread. Kids love it too! Recipe HERE.
Here is my fasting ideas cheat sheet:
(4) Consider how you will give:
In Christ’s teaching, almsgiving goes together with fasting and prayer. According to St John Chrysostom, no one can be saved without giving alms and without caring for the poor. St Basil the Great says that a man who has two coats or two pair of shoes, when his neighbor has none, is a thief. All earthly things are the possessions of God. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell in it” (Psalms 24:1). We are stewards of what belongs to the Lord and should share the gifts of His creation with one another as much as we can. During lent, consider the ways your household will serve those in need. We should always seek to give generously, not only of our money and resources, but also our time. There are many simple ways to serve.
Ideas:
Bring a meal to someone in need - maybe a family who had a baby, or someone who recently had surgery, or an elderly couple (shut-ins). Food = love, and I think this is especially important as Christians and an easy way for families to serve the community.
Love at Lent Cards - are a set of cards with daily tasks that reinforce the Lenten values. These beautifully illustrated cards have a picture on one side and on the back is a new task to complete , perfect for kids to participate in. Tasks such as "Bring someone flower" or even “Connect with an elder”. This set includes 50 activity cards to be used during Lent. You can find them HERE.
Visit the lonely - Loneliness is on the rise - people are hungry (even starving) for connection. Time is invaluable. Consider inviting others to your home -a meal or just for coffee. Write cards to shut ins, or those far away who need our encouragement. Make some phone calls to people who are on your heart. Ask the Lord to show you who He has in mind for you to serve this lent.
Encourage your Priest- this is an especially busy season for clergy and their families. Write a note, bring a meal, find ways to serve him as well as our priests work tirelessly for their flock.
Bring a meal to a stranger - As you are putting away your leftovers, pack an extra meal in a disposable container (along with a fork, napkin and water bottle), and put it in a grocery bag in the fridge. The next day, as you head out to work (or school), pray and ask the Lord to bring you to the person who needs this meal. You’ll be amazed the connections and people the Lord brings you to serve. This was one of my favorite ways to give during Lent.
Donate to Food for Hungry People - An organization of the Orthodox Antiochian Archdiocese- over the span of 45 years, this charity organization has had a tremendous impact throughout the world, helping to alleviate the suffering and hunger caused by poverty, war, and numberless tragedies.
Get Involved with FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in the US) - Every day, FOCUS opens its doors to people who are out of work, experiencing homelessness, or struggling to make ends meet. Every day, people turn to FOCUS for a hot meal, health care, transitional housing, clothing, groceries, job training, and compassionate support. You can find out more ways to be involved HERE.
40 bags in 40 days - one creative idea is each day of the fast, clean out some portion of your house. It doesn't have to be garbage bags full, it could be a sandwich bag full from one drawer. But do one bag each day and donate to charity or to those who need them.
Support Missionaries through OCMC - If you would like a Coin Box from OCMC, fill out this form HERE and they will send you one!
(5) Choose something to read
Lent is an opportunity to re-prioritize our spiritual well-being. Now more than ever, we need to intentionally set aside our distractions (electronics, entertainment, etc), and tend to our souls. I find that having something to edifying to read during Lent helps me keep my focus on Christ. Personally, just reading the daily synaxarion (saint story) and a few Psalms a day suffices for me in this season, but here are some other resources out there!
Lenten Studies For Families :
Tending the Garden of our Hearts Book - If you’re looking for a way to keep your family engaged in the spiritual nourishment but you need a simple guide, this is a great resource to know about! Tending the Garden of Our Hearts offers family devotions based on the scriptures for each day of Great Lent, including questions to discuss and ponder. Whether you use it every day or dip into it occasionally as time permits, this book will help the whole family get more out of this season of the Orthodox year. Also available as an audiobook and ebook.
Tending the Garden of our Hearts Activity Book - This year, co-author Kristina Wenger created an amazing printable Activity book to go along with the book full of hands-on activities to bring the lessons of the season to life. It also includes printable ornaments that can colored and cut out and used in the pouches of the Draw Near Designs Lent Fabric Calendar! You can purchase and download the activity book HERE for $10. *Scholarship copies are available for any family who wants to use it but is not in a place to purchase it right now - email Kristina@tending-the-garden.com as free copies are available!
Lenten Study for Kids - Sylvia of Orthodox Mom has created a Children’s Study Guide for Lent. The study is a PDF download that you can print at home, and it includes a story for each Sunday of Lent and each day of Holy Week, which explains what we’re celebrating, different activities like word searches, crosswords, and word scrambles, coloring pages, recipes and more! There’s also a weekly craft project that is super fun, yet simple, so as to not take too much time in an already busy season. You’ll definitely want to check this out! Find it HERE.
Adult Lenten Study:
Orthodox Lenten Study by Orthodox Mom - A 124-page Printable Study that includes a weekly themed devotional reading, daily Scripture verse and prompts for reflection, a couple Lenten recipes and a basic run down of Holy Week. It is a very simple to use study. Simply print it out and place the pages in a binder or folder. You can take it with you wherever you go! Grab your Bible and do your daily reading and responding with your morning coffee, in car line or while waiting in the doctor’s office, or at night after everyone else is fast asleep. Purchase and download HERE.
Great Lent - I highly recommend Great Lent by Fr Alexander Schmemann. It is a simple read illuminating the liturgical tradition and its meaning and it walks the reader through each week of the Lenten journey. It is sold out by the publisher but I found it available on AMAZON.
Pilgrimage to Pascha: A Daily Devotional for Great Lent - Brand New - This unpretentious little book of meditations based on Scripture, ancient hymns, and writings from Church Fathers will nourish the souls of reflective seekers during the forty-day period of Great Lent. Authors of each meditation have delved deeply into the sins and shortcomings of their own hearts, enabling readers to share in a collective human experience - from darkness to light, from despair to hope, and from isolation to commonality in the body of Christ - as they move steadily toward our Lord’s Resurrection. Available through Ancient Faith Publishing HERE.
Additional Resources
Patristic Nectar - You can find countless lectures and spiritually edifying talks related to Orthodox life on Patristic Nectar. They have daily synaxarion readings (lives of the saints), theological lectures, intro to Orthodoxy, and so much more. This is a really great resource, and one I personally use weekly, to use during Lent especially. 10/10 would recommend.
Pascha Passport and Sticker Sheet by St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church - I’ve mentioned this before, but I want to mention it again because I think having an acknowledgement of the child’s participation in services is very helpful. Much like a real passport, this small booklet has many spaces for stamps that correspond to each service attended during the Triodion season, Lent, Holy Week, and other Special “Destinations” (such as Confession, the Jesus Prayer, etc). The passport “stamps” (sold separately) are icons stickers! We’ve used these for the past few years and my girls LOVE that they get to put a sticker in their passport after each service they attend, and it is a wonderful way to encourage participation and excitement for young children. Not only are these a unique resource, but all of the money raised from this booklets goes toward funding of the Church’s Youth Program. These Pascha Passports are $2 and the sticker sheets are $1.
Songs of Praise Psalter - It has become common practice to read the Psalms daily. A Psalter is a collection of Psalms. There are a number of Psalters available, but I like this one in particular because of the reflections the author Sylvia Leontaritis shares after each Kathisma. This Psalter is available to purchase through Ancient Faith Publishing
Join a Psalter Group - On her blog, Adventures of an Orthodox Mom Sylvia organizes a yearly Psalter groups for women to pray together during the 40 days of Lent. Each day we read a Kathisma (collection of Psalms) and at the end we pray for our sisters-in-Christ who are apart of the group. You can click here to sign up
Final Thoughts
Lastly, as a reminder, none of these items I mentioned above are necessary. The task alone of creating a peaceful and prayerful home is a worthy endeavor and we can use the liturgical seasons of feasting and fasting to create lovely rhythms and traditions for our families - without the need to acquire “All the things!” Keeping our focus on giving and not consuming during Lent is a great undertaking for me, I assure you! We have collected items over the years and each year we add one new thing to our collection. I was fortunate this year to receive many of the above items mentioned for free as a collaborative effort to share my honest opinion about them with you.
Also, we choose one or two Lenten traditions to focus on each year. I don’t usually do them all! My hope is to provide you with many ideas and ways to participate in the Lenten fast, finding what works best for your family. However, keeping our focus on (1) faithful and daily prayer, (2) fasting, (3) and giving alms, and of course attending Divine Services as much as you are able.
Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram for more Liturgical and feast day resources and monthly guides in the coming year! I share weekly reminders, stories of the saints, new resources, and how others are celebrating throughout the world! Also, consider subscribing below to receive email updates on future guides and resources. Here is what I have in store for the coming year:
Each month I’ll share a heads up on what feast days/liturgical events are happening that month so you can begin to think/plan/prepare for what’s ahead. I’ll also include simple activities and book recommendations
Meet the Author:
My name is Khouria Destinie and I'm excited you are here! “Khouria” is the title given to a Priest wife in the Antiochian Orthodox tradition. I use my little space here on the web to share resources I find that may be useful to others interested in bringing the life of the Church into their homes! Living out the Ancient Faith in a modern world takes intention. I will happily walk along side you, sharing what I am learning and finding, so together we can raise up the next generation of Christians who love God with all their hearts and minds!
A little more about me - I am an Orthodox Christian, married to my high-school sweetheart who is an Orthodox Priest. Together we have 4 children whom we homeschool. We both grew up as Evangelicals and discovered the Orthodox Church in college. After a few years, we joined the Orthodox Church and our lives have never been the same. Thank you for reading and for being here!
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