As Mardi Gras comes to an end many Catholics in the Acadiana area are preparing for the beginning of Lent. Here are the Catholics churches hosting masses and ash services across Acadiana.

It's Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent. This was the scene for mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in West Knoxville.

It's Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent. This was the scene for mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in West Knoxville.

Ash Wednesday, March 5, this year, the first day of the Lenten season and is considered a reminder of human mortality.

The Mass adhered to the traditional observance of Ash Wednesday, which includes abstinence from meat for Catholics over 14 and fasting for adults aged 18-59.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, an important time for Catholics and Christians leading up to Easter.

Also known as the Day of Ashes, this traditional day of repentance for Christians, and observed by various denominations, involves fasting and mass.

“Ash Wednesday is just a very important day where you recognize you’re human and that you sin,” said Caroline Caputo, an NJIT student who attended the noon Mass.

Pope Francis marked the start of the season of Lent, the penitential period before Easter, with Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill.

Wednesday is the first day of lent, and many people in western Massachusetts received ashes at their church in the morning.

This year Ash Wednesday falls on Wednesday, March 5. The liturgical celebration marks the beginning of the Lenten season for Catholics, which ends on Easter Sunday, April 20.

Ash Wednesday Spanish mass schedule Immaculate heart of Mary Cathedral Parish Location: 1240 S. Espina in Las Cruces Mass schedule: 7:30 p.m. Holy Cross Catholic Church Location: 1327 N. Miranda ...