A: Contrary to popular thinking, Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. You do not have to go to Mass that day or ...

Ash Wednesday – officially known as the Day of Ashes — is a day of repentance, when Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. During a Mass, a priest places the ashes on ...

In the Catholic Church, ashes are applied to the forehead of each worship attendee at Ash Wednesday mass services. The receiving of ashes is not a sacrament of the Catholic Church and is therefore ...

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, a 40-day period of solemn observance that ends on Easter Sunday. The ashes pressed onto people’s foreheads during mass symbolize “fragility and ...

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, Christianity's 40-day season of prayer and fasting leading up to Jesus ...

In 2024, Ash Wednesday arrived early in the season, falling on Feb. 14, which is also Valentine's Day. This year, in 2025, ...

The ashes are created the day before the mass by burning palm branches across throughout parishes in the Archdiocese in Miami. Patty Marma prays during Ash Wednesday mass at St. Anthony Church in ...

Here is what you need to know about Ash Wednesday, including just why ashes matter so much on this ... On Holy Thursday, the Catholic Church celebrates the Mass of the Lord's Supper.

A new study has found that in many countries around the world, 20% or more of all adults have left their childhood religion.

Even though Ash Wednesday isn't a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics like Immaculate Conception and Christmas, it is one of the most highly-attended masses of the year. Typically, the ashes used ...