GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- March 5th is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the six-week Lenten season leading up to Easter on April 20th.
The Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids says Masses will be held in all of its churches on Ash Wednesday. Ashes will be applied to the foreheads of those attending as a symbol of penance and as a reminder that God created us from the Earth and that's where our bodies return when we die.
"Lent is a perfect opportunity for us to reflect on the past year and look at our life and the things that have either moved us closer to God and closer to our fellow mankind, and what things have stood in the way of us repairing those relationships," Diocese Director of Communications Annalise Laumeyer said in a phone interview.
Masses at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew will begin at 7 a.m., 12:05p.m., and at 5:30 p.m. There is also a 7 p.m. bilingual mass.
"There are Masses in every parish of the Diocese, and multiple times throughout the day," Laumeyer said. "So, there's usually a morning Mass, a lunchtime Mass and an evening Mass ... at a Catholic church near you, and we invited you to join us.
"This year is an extra-special year. It's what is called a Jubilee Year. And again, where we take a closer look at God's mercy, forgiveness and repairing our relationship with God and others. So, if you haven't been back in a while, I'd invite you to join us for Ash Wednesday or any part throughout the Lenten season."
Here are more details from a diocese news release:
WHAT: Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the six-week Lenten
season leading up to Easter, April 20. Lent officially concludes on the
evening of Holy Thursday (April 17).
WHEN: Wednesday, March 5
Masses will be celebrated in every church in the diocese
WHERE: Cathedral of Saint Andrew
301 Sheldon Blvd. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Ashes are applied to the foreheads of those attending Mass
(approximately 20 minutes after the start of Mass)
WHY: The ashes, a symbol of penance, are made from palm leaves used in last
year’s Palm Sunday liturgy. When the ashes are placed on an individual’s
forehead in the form of a cross, it is a reminder of several things:
- A call to repentance: a physical sign that we are sinners in need of forgiveness.
- A reminder that God created us from the earth and when we die, our bodies will return to it.
- An assurance that God loves us so much, even when our bodies return to dust, our souls are meant to live forever with him.
- (Excerpted from http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/lent/ideas-for-evangelization-during-lent.cfm)
NOTE: Masses at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew will begin at 7 a.m., 12:05
p.m., 5:30 p.m. (Bishop Walkowiak presiding), and 7 p.m. (bilingual).
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