Sydney Matusiak ’25 often treats herself to self-serve ice cream in Campion Dining Hall after her meals. But since the start of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting and penitence in the Christian liturgical calendar, Matusiak has been foregoing that treat.

“I gave up ice cream, which is extremely hard for me because when we’re going to eat dinner, a lot of my friends get ice cream afterwards,” Matusiak said. 

For many Catholics, and some Christians of other denominations, giving up something for Lent, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter, is a common practice rooted in the first centuries of the Christian church. 

“As I grew up, it was just something you did. You just gave up something for 40 days,” Matusiak said, who serves as a member of Campus Ministry’s first-year leadership team.

But Campus Ministry staff at St. Joe’s are helping students re-examine what it means to give up something for Lent, and Matusiak said she has begun to do that as well.

Tom Sheibley, director of Campus Ministry and head of the first-year program, said Lent is a “sacred season” that gives people an opportunity to focus more fully on their relationship with God, and Lenten sacrifices are one way to do that. 

“How do we try to turn back more fully to God? Some of the ways that people do that is by letting go of the things that can be the little gods in our life,” Sheibley said. “So the practice of giving up things is not a bad way to do that. We give up things that we just naturally turn to, to satisfy our own pleasures or desires.”

Sheibley said he tries to be intentional in what he gives up for Lent and to focus on why he is doing so, and he encourages students to do the same.

“For kids who were taught to give up something for Lent, there’s this little bit of internalized sense that well, maybe this is my way of punishing myself or that God would like me better if I’m more hungry or I don’t eat chocolate or something like that,” Sheibley said. “And I think those are all misconceptions. It really is letting go of those things that keep us from fully being centered.”

While conventional fasting is still a component of Catholic tradition during Lent, it also runs the risk of encouraging and enabling personal agendas, particularly those tied to diet culture.

“I think the mistake that sometimes we make is we put it in the same category as a New Year’s resolution,” Sheibley said. “I’m going to exercise more, I’m going to try to lose weight or [it’s] a reason to give things up so that I can maybe shed a couple of pounds.”

Tinamarie Stolz, campus minister of immersion programs, said some individuals who commit to Lenten promises can also fall into the trap of making Lent about themselves.

“It’s also not a ‘watch the most difficult thing I can do’ marathon,” Stolz said. “Because that, once again, is about you versus your connection with God, your connection with your community.”

Stolz said succeeding or failing at sticking to a promise should not be the focus of a Lenten reflection.

“It’s really a time for me to say, ‘all right, who am I called to be?’ and what might be standing in the way of that?” Stolz said. 

Sheibley also recommended reflection and introspection in order to avoid self-serving intentions. 

“Entering into Lent, ask yourself what is the motivation for giving something up,” suggested Sheibley.

In a time when screen time and online engagement are factors that greatly influence individuals’ time and priorities, fasting from social media seems to be a Lenten promise that has grown in popularity.

Dan Ruff, S.J., campus minister of Ignatian spirituality and chaplaincy outreach, has watched the traditions of Lenten practices change over the years. He named social media as a common replacement for food when it comes to fasting.

“I’ve heard more creative, contemporary people who fast from social media. I’ve heard people try to fast from gossip,” Ruff said. “It’s an adaptation other than just food.”

Caroline Bloodgood ’25, a member of Campus Ministry’s first-year leadership team, is one of those people who decided to take a different approach to Lenten fasting and sacrifice this year.  She has tried to make more time for prayerful reflection.

“I like to try to give up my time instead of something more material like food,” Bloodgood said. “I realized a few years ago that by giving up candy or something, I wasn’t getting much out of that. So I’ve decided to try to take more time out of my days to connect more with God and pray.”

Bloodgood said she hopes when she celebrates Easter this coming Sunday, the sacrifice will have made for a more meaningful Lent. 

“I [hoped] I would feel more fulfilled at the end of Lent, as opposed to just, ‘Oh, now I can eat my snacks again,’” Bloodgood said.