Lent may be a season of penance, quizzicals, but the coming of spring reminds us that days of renewal and Resurrection lie just ahead. Here’s a quiz full of timely Catholic trivia tidbits to ponder as you continue your Lenten journey.
1) SACRAMENTS
True or false: The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” says it is required for the faithful to receive the sacrament of reconciliation every week during Lent.
a) True
b) False
2) SCRIPTURE
In the Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Lent, March 15, where does Jesus send the blind man to wash his eyes?
a) Sea of Galilee
b) Jordan River
c) Pool of Siloam
d) Jacob’s Well
3) TRADITIONS
The German celebration of “Starkbierzeit” commemorates the production of what “food” produced and consumed by monks during Lent?
a) bread
b) beer
c) candy
d) pickled trout
4) MARIOLOGY
What Marian feast day usually occurs during Lent?
a) the Annunciation
b) the Assumption
c) the birth of Mary
d) the Immaculate Conception
5) RITES
What penitential rite is celebrated on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays to prepare the catechumens for baptism?
a) confiteor
b) lex orandi
c) dies irae
d) scrutinies
6) DEVOTIONS
If you were to pray the full rosary (all 20 mysteries), how many Hail Marys would you recite?
a) 200
b) 203
c) 100
d) 500
7) SAINTS
The feast of St. Joseph is celebrated March 19. Which pope declared St. Joseph the patron and protector of the Catholic Church?
a) Benedict XVI
b) St. John Paul II
c) St. Pius IX
d) St. Paul VI
8) THE POPE
For Lent this year, Pope Leo XIV has called on the faithful to undergo a “true conversion of heart” by moving beyond traditional fasting to include a “fast from….”?
a) slander
b) rash judgment
c) harsh language
d) all of the above
Answers: 1) b, 2) c, 3) b, 4) a, 5) d, 6) b, 7) c, 8) d