Ash Wednesday at University Campus, Abbey Church
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, and the university community is invited to observances at University Campus and at the Abbey Church.
At noon, Father Kyle Smith, university chaplain, will celebrate Mass in St. Jude Chapel. Ashes will be distributed from 1 to 2 p.m. outside of the chapel. A second Mass is scheduled for 5 p.m., also in St. Jude Chapel.
In addition, Mass and distribution of ashes will take place at noon in the Abbey Church with Abbot Isaac Camacho OSB, celebrating.
While Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church, Mass attendance and the receiving of ashes, which reminds us to repent our sins, is a good way to begin the 40 days of Lent. The Lenten season prepares Christians for Easter. During Lent, everyone is welcome to participate in the penitential practices of prayer, fasting, and giving to those need, so that they may fully participate in the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ at Easter.
While Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day this year, Bishop Gregory Parkes did not grant a dispensation for the day. Ash Wednesday is one of only two days on the liturgical calendar (the other being Good Friday), when fasting and abstinence are observed by Catholics and other Christians.
Bishop Parkes encouraged the faithful to observe Valentine’s Day with greater simplicity.
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