The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney has released the Lenten Companion for 2025.
The booklet contains opening and closing prayers, Scripture, and a Gospel reflection for each Sunday in Lent and for Palm and Easter Sundays after Lent.
The Gospel reflections are prayerful reflections written by devout Catholics from various walks of life.
Writing the reflections for Lent this year are Bishop Richard Umbers, The Catholic Weekly online editor Christina Guzman, Campion College Lecturer and Archdiocese of Sydney Research Officer Lawrence Qummou, Parish Evangelisation Officer Helen Wagner, and Campion College President Dr Paul Morrisey.
The reflections for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are written by Principal of St Peter Chanel Primary School Regent’s Park Sr Cecilia Joseph OP and Episcopal Vicar for Canonical Affairs Fr Julian Wellspring respectively.
Parish Renewal Officer Helen Wagner said she hoped the Lenten Companion would “help people come closer to our Lord during Lent” and to focus on important bonds.
“I hope that it will help them to have a deeper love of Scripture, to value the treasure of the liturgical seasons,” she told The Catholic Weekly.
“The beauty of the time of Lent that helps us to really focus on our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, and our relationship with others.”
Wagner said the Lenten Companion provided an opportunity for parishes or parishioners to establish Lenten prayer groups to gather together and contemplate.
“We hope that parishes will encourage people to meet together to pray with this resource,” she said.
“While it is designed in such a way that individuals can pray with it as just part of personal weekly prayer or daily prayer, it’s also wonderful for people to come together.”
Archdiocesan Vicar General Fr Samuel Lynch said when he was the parish priest of St Michael’s Church in Lane Cove he always ordered at least a couple of hundred copies of the annual resource and made them widely available to parishioners.
“I encouraged people to make use of them for personal prayer and reflection, we used the Stations of the Cross meditations on Friday nights during Lent to pray the way of the cross (usually 40 – 50 people),” he said.
“I also encouraged everyone to make use of the examination of conscience and to make a Lenten confession and also have encouraged people to form informal small groups to pray together during Lent.
“It is a beautifully designed and attractive prayer resource for Lent with multiple uses, not simply a small group Lenten program resource. My parishioners made plenty of use of it to the extent that we generally needed to re-order them. I encourage every parish priest to make good use of this very helpful resource.”
Wagner said the companion was not only for the devout Catholics or those with an established prayer life but also for those who are looking for a way into or to deepen their faith.
“There are so many people out there who don’t have a deep relationship with God or perhaps don’t know him at all and are just waiting for somebody to invite them, to encourage them to pray,” she said.
The Lenten Companion is available for free at any Sydney parish or in PDF form online at gomakedisciples.org.au.
Article updated 11/2/2025 to include comments from Fr Samuel Lynch.
