Ash Wednesday's roots date back to the 11th century and stem from Jewish fasting and penance practices. It is widely believed that Roman Catholics began to mark the head with ashes as a cross in ...

Ash Wednesday points us to a different — and healthier — perspective on the human condition, one that acknowledges the limits of personal ambition, the boundaries of earthly human life itself.

This means that Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent also change. Here's what to know about Easter 2025 season and when Ash Wednesday, Lent and Good Friday happen this year.

Ash Wednesday is today, marking the start of Lent and the Christian Easter Season. The holy day, also known as the Day of Ashes, has roots all the way back to the Middle Ages.

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Christians will observe Ash Wednesday on March 5, ushering in the 40-day season of Lent, when the faithful prepare for Easter by doing penance for sins and seeking spiritual ...

New York's Catholics observe the start of Lent throughout the city on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025. Today marks the beginning of Christianity's 40 days of prayer, fasting and giving ahead of ...

Ash Wednesday is March 5, which marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of repentance, fasting and prayer. Many worshipers will receive the marking of the cross in ash on their foreheads on ...

Ash Wednesday is important because it marks the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter, when Christians believe Jesus was resurrected. The ashes symbolize both death and repentance.

The practice caught on and spread, and in 1091 Pope Urban II decreed that “on Ash Wednesday everyone, clergy and laity, men and women, will receive ashes.” It’s been going on ever since. 2.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will be observed on March 5, 2025. The last time Ash Wednesday fell in March was 2022, when it was on March 2.