Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 22, 2023. There will be three Masses with distribution of Ashes that day:
6:30 AM
8:15 AM
5:30 PM
The distribution of ashes will take place after the homily.
There will also be a Liturgy of the Word (no Communion) with distribution of ashes at 12:10 PM
Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, all Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are bound by the rule of fasting. This means consuming only one full meal on those days. Two smaller meals are permitted, as necessary, to maintain strength according to one’s needs, but eating solid food between meals is not permitted, unless a small amount of food is needed for taking medications. Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all of the Fridays during Lent by all Catholics 14 years of age and older. Fasting and abstinence are intended to be penitential in nature a sacrificial action in atonement for sin. Fasting and abstinence also enables us, in some small way, to stand in solidarity with the poor who may be affected by food insecurity.