A Rare Convergence: The Intersection of Ramadan and Lent in 2026

By The Rev. Canon Dr. Scott Sharman

This year, in a convergence that only happens once every 33 years, the month of Ramadan, and the 40 day season of Lent, each begin on the same day.

I know I've told this story before, but it is one that I think bears repeating every so often. It comes from the period of time when I was working as a campus chaplain at the University of Alberta.

For 4-5 years in a row, on Ash Wednesday, myself and another clergy colleague or two would stand in the main quad at the centre of campus and offer a small prayer station where students passing by to classes could receive the imposition of ashes and a word of blessing if they so chose.

I used to struggle every year with whether this was a good idea or not.

Uptake was modest, we often got quite a few weird looks, and I would regularly have to be talked out of cancelling it outright.

But every year there would be 2-3 conversations that would happen where I would leave thinking 'Ok God, now I see why we did that again.'

One year, one of those conversations was with a trio of Muslim students, all young women wearing the hijab.

When they saw me in my cassock, alb, and stoll, praying with someone who had been walking by, they stopped and watched.

I noticed them noticing, recognizing that this was a visible practice of devotion – other people looking outwardly religious like they did every day.

They were curious, and I was trying to think in my head how to explain to them what we were doing.

'Salam alaikum,' I said as they came near, and their faces lit up with big smiles.

'Peace be with you', one replied - 'You are Christians, right! You begin your fasting today? Congratulations. We will pray for you.'

My eyes welled up with tears (as they do every time I tell this story), and I thanked them and saw them on their way with a promise to pray for them too.

My experience of Lent will never be the same, nor my perspective on Ramadan either.

Although Muslims and Christians are not the same in our faith in every respect, and have things we want and need to say to each other, there is still much we can learn from one another, and much we can do with one another for the sake of the life of the world.

May our mutual fasting in these days lead us all more deeply into acts of compassion, mercy, justice, generosity, and true repentance.

God knows we need as much of these as we can get.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Scott Sharman is Executive Officer of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton.