On February 10th, the Ash Wednesday liturgy takes place at St. Philip’s. The liturgy begins at 2:00 and lasts for an hour. Families are welcome to join students in the liturgy. On this day, students will wear a purple shirt or blouse with their uniform bottoms to recognize the new liturgical season.

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent! “The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial” (“Lent”). 

The Ash Wednesday liturgy is a bit like Mass, but instead of celebrating the Eucharist and how to act in our world, we are getting closer to Our Lord’s Passion, Death, Resurrection (Easter Day), and Ascension. We suffer alongside with Christ and prepare for Easter, the day he rises from the dead!

The most important event in the liturgy is the marking of the ashes on every Catholic’s head. The ashes are made from the burning of palm fronds every previous year on Ash Wednesday. Ashes mark the head in a cross shape to signify that we will suffer with Christ and it is a symbol to represent our mortality and sinfulness. During this time, we repent and live according to the book of Genesis, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Yes, we are human, but we can make a difference in our world. During Lent, as Catholics we make sure that when Jesus died for our sins, we respect, honor, and truly feel responsible for our actions.

Live the good news and repent this Lent 2016!

Source: http://fallibleblogma.com/index.php/why-do-we-wear-ashes-on-ash-wednesday/