Turning Our Hearts: A Hill-Murray Lenten Challenge
Tomorrow we enter the season of Lent, forty days that invite us to pause, reflect, and, in small but meaningful ways, turn our hearts more fully toward God.
The word conversion literally means to turn around, which, practically speaking, is 180 degrees. That image feels especially fitting for us this year. Through the generosity of a Hill-Murray donor, every student, faculty member, and staff member at Hill-Murray has been given free access to Hallow, a Catholic prayer and meditation app. It’s actually the #1 prayer app in the world. It is an extraordinary gift, one that allows our entire school community to enter Lent with a shared spiritual focus.
We introduced The 180 Hill-Murray Lenten Prayer Challenge to our faculty, staff, and students this morning. The challenge is found on the Hallow app (or website). The 180 is simple but powerful: it’s a daily invitation to pause, pray, and let God gently reorient our hearts. 
The challenge is geared specifically to middle and high school students. It’s called “The 180” as a nod to the concept of turning around toward Christ, but more practically speaking, it takes 180 seconds a day. The challenge is for our students, faculty, and staff to do The 180 every day during Lent. The 180 offers a variety of experiences: some days it’s a reflection on the daily Gospel reading, some days it’s information about the lives of the Saints, and each week it suggests a new fasting challenge.
In the middle of classes, practices, rehearsals, homework, and busy family schedules, those few intentional minutes become a quiet act of transformation. We are inviting our students to reflect on what it means to turn, to let go of distractions, habits, or attitudes that pull them away from who God is calling them to be, and to move intentionally toward deeper faith and greater love.
I have personally been using Hallow for quite some time, and I continue to discover so many meaningful resources within it. There is beautiful music, guided daily prayers, homilies, reflections, and even a daily trivia game. One of my favorites is the “Little Litanies” by Brother Isaiah. He sings the prayer, and it reminds me how much I rely on my faith to focus and center me. I also often do the “Sleep Examen”, which is a Jesuit tradition of taking stock of the day, and turning to God in prayer and reflection. What I appreciate most is how accessible it is; whether you have two minutes in the car, a quiet moment before bed, or time for a longer meditation, there is something there to meet you exactly where you are.
I am not being paid to do a commercial for Hallow, but I have to say it’s really worth checking out. They are offering a free 90-day subscription, which would take you through Lent and beyond. Again, our Hill-Murray students, faculty, and staff have an ongoing free subscription, thanks to a generous donor.
At Hill-Murray, we are committed to educating the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. Lent reminds us that the most important growth often happens quietly, within the heart.
Lent is not about perfection. It is about direction. It is about turning, 180 degrees, toward the One who is always turning toward us first.
May this Lenten season draw us closer to Christ and to one another.
Melissa Dan, Ed.S.
Hill-Murray School President