Faith, Fasting, and Friendship: A School Community United in Respect
This year, two of the world’s great religious traditions begin their periods of fasting within days of each other. This weekend, Muslim families marked the start of Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer, and charitable giving. Just two days later, on Shrove Tuesday, the Christian season of Lent begins, ushering in a period of reflection, sacrifice, and almsgiving.
For a Catholic school with many Muslim students, this period in the year is a profound reminder of the values we seek to instil in all our students—an education that embraces faith, self-discipline, and inclusivity.
At St Benedict’s, we believe that a Catholic education should go beyond academic success to form young people who understand and respect the religious traditions that shape our world. Our role as a school is to ensure that students recognise the significance of faith in the lives of others and appreciate the principles that underpin both Lent and Ramadan. Fasting, in both traditions, teaches discipline and spiritual focus. It encourages individuals to look beyond their own needs and develop empathy for those who have less. Likewise, the emphasis on charitable giving—whether through the Christian tradition of almsgiving or the Muslim practice of zakat and sadaqah—reinforces the idea that faith is not just personal but must be outward-looking, grounded in service to others.
By teaching these shared values explicitly, we help students to appreciate the importance of sacrifice and generosity in faith, not just as theoretical ideals but as principles to live by. A Catholic school should be a place where faith is nurtured, where belief is taken seriously, and where students of all backgrounds—whether Catholic, Muslim, or of another faith—see the value of commitment and discipline in spiritual life.
On a practical level, we are ensuring that students who follow the strict fasting rules of Ramadan feel supported in our busy school days. Alongside the life of our Catholic chaplaincy, we also have a classroom set aside at lunchtime that is regularly used for prayer by Muslim students, and we expect this space to have more takers during Ramadan.
In embracing these values, we strengthen not only the faith lives of our students but also the bonds of respect and unity within our school.