This article was published in the spring 2026 issue of The Vincentian, the quarterly newsletter of the Congregation of the Mission Western Province.
I have been a Catholic priest for 64 years. In those 64 years, I have taught at seminaries and served in various administrative roles there. I have served in parishes, and at one time I was a missionary in Kenya.
One of the best things I ever did was start young teen clubs in the worst slum high schools in Nairobi, Kenya. I thoroughly enjoyed these teens. They taught me what poverty really was.
One of the Catholic high schools invited me to speak at their assembly. I accepted. At this particular school, there were 125 Muslim boys. The Muslims sent their sons to the Catholic high school for a solid education and formation. What would I talk about to this mixed group of young adults? I prayed about it, and it came to me: Ramadan and Lent.
We Christians celebrate 40 days of Lent. The Muslims celebrate 30 days of Ramadan, ten days shorter than we Christians do.
There is a similarity between the two. We Christians, during Lent, promote prayer, penance, and acts of charity. For Muslims, during Ramadan, they also have the same three means of observance.
As I talked to the teens, I was thrilled that they were all listening intently to me. I think the Muslims were very surprised to hear a Catholic priest talking about their holiest time of the year.
Muslims take Ramadan very seriously. How about us? Do we Christians take Lent very seriously? Though we are well into Lent, there is still time. How are you doing with prayer, penance, and acts of charity? Examine your spiritual life. Thank you for reading. God bless you!
Fr. Ron Ramson, C.M., ordained in 1959, is the author of numerous books, including Put Your Hands Into Hers: Mary, Our Life Our Sweetness, and Our Hope. He lives at the Vincentian residence at St. Mary’s of the Barrens in Perryville, Missouri.