Wednesday, March 5, is Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent. Christians mark the start of their Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving by receiving ashes upon their heads — the mark of conversion of heart.
Campus Ministry will be offering a variety of services on Ash Wednesday. All are welcome to participate; you do not need to be Catholic to receive ashes:
- 7:30 a.m. — Mass in Chapel of the Holy Family
- Noon — Mass in Chapel of the Holy Family
- 4 p.m. — Ecumenical prayer service in Chapel of the Holy Family
- 7 p.m. — Mass in Chapel of the Holy Family
- 5 p.m. — Misa en Español at the St. Joan of Arc Chapel
- 10 p.m. — Mass in St. Joan of Arc Chapel
In addition, the Church of the Gesu is offering Mass with the distribution of ashes at 7 a.m, 10 a.m., 12:05 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
As a reminder, Ash Wednesday is a day of penitence and all Roman Catholics aged 14 and older are obliged to abstain from eating meat. Roman Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast.
More information is available at the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
