Wednesday the 14th February is Ash Wednesday and it marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. This is the day when we wear ashes on our foreheads as a sign that we belong to Jesus Christ. It also represents an awareness of our sins but sins we believe that Jesus Christ gave his life for when he died on the cross. The Ashes are meant to be a sign of our repentance. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are gathered up after palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned. They are then blessed before being used in the ceremony. Ash Wednesday is a day of “fast and abstinence”. It is a day when we are encouraged to abstain from eating meat and to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals. No snacking!!! It is just our way of saying we are willing to make changes this lent so that we can become people of love and faith. Ashes will be distributed at the following masses on Wednesday next.

10.00 in Our Lady of the Rosary Church

19.00 in Our Lady of the Wells Church

For those of you who are unable to attend mass to receive Ashes envelopes containing the blessed ashes will be available in Our Lady of the Rosary Church throughout the day. Please feel free to drop in and collect an envelope of ashes for those in your household. Each envelope will have the words to be said while making the sign of the Cross on the foreheads of those who wish to receive the ashes. May God bless us all on our Lenten Journey.