Welcome to the Lenten site.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of lent. After the celebrations of Pancake Day or Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday or Ash Eve we begin the season of Lent by attending Mass and having our foreheads marked with the blessed ashes of the previous Palm Sunday. The ministers dips their fingers in the ashes and say, "Turn away from sin and turn towards the gospel." We begin the season of renewal with promises of fasting, prayer, sacrifices, good deeds, and alms giving. Each Lenten season lasts the significant forty days. The forty days may represent the 40 days spent in Noah's Ark. They may represent the forty years Moses wandered in the desert with the chosen people. Perhaps they represent the 40 days Jesus was tempted in the desert. You may think of it as the 40 hours Jesus spent in the tomb. It certainly represents the forty days we reflect on our lives and contemplate the changes we desire to make in order to walk with the Lord. It is a spiritual time for renewal. During this time we cleanse ourselves and renew our baptismal promises.