TERNI, Italy (RNS) — This Wednesday marked a peculiar challenge for practicing Catholics. Valentine’s Day, characterized by candlelit dinners and boxed chocolates, and Ash Wednesday, the start ...

Ash Wednesday will be observed Feb. 14. Religious leaders say you can observe it and Valentine's Day without ditching your Catholic obligations.

This year, Valentine's Day falls on Ash Wednesday, a Christian holy day marking the start of Lent. The holy period runs from Feb. 14 to March 28. Ash Wednesday features prayers and fasting, with ...

Candy hearts, chocolates, romantic dinners: These are the typical indulgences of Valentine's Day. They're also out this year for Catholics who are observing Ash Wednesday, one of the two ...

Ash Wednesday Valentine's Day Explainer FILE - Dorsey Prince, right, and Shannon Carter pray during an Ash Wednesday Mass at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, Feb. 22, 2023.

In addition to the candy heart and chocolate-fueled secular celebrations, Feb. 14 is also the Feast of St. Valentine. But Ash Wednesday with its fasting and abstinence requirements is far more ...

Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year. ... right, and Shannon Carter pray during an Ash Wednesday Mass at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, Feb. 22, ...

why is ash wednesday on valentine's day this year? Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday, and for most Christians, Easter will fall on March 31 this year.

“This year, Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday happen to fall on the same day. Penance and abstinence coupled with romance? At first blush, it may seem like an awkward pairing.

With this way of looking at St. Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, the Chilean seminarian offered Catholic married couples and those in a serious relationship five tips to observe Feb. 14 in the ...

Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day fall on the same day this year. Here's what you need to know Dorsey Prince, right, and Shannon Carter pray during an Ash Wednesday Mass at St. John Neumann ...