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 – also known as the Day of Ashes – is a day of repentance and fasting, when Christians, especially Catholics, confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. For Roman ...

Ash Wednesday is on March 5, also known as the Day of Ashes, where you may see people with ashes in the shape of a cross smudged on their forehead or abstaining from eating meat. Ash Wednesday is ...

A friend once asked me, “What are you giving up for Lent this year?” and I said, “This year for Lent I’m just giving up.” ...

While not all Christians observe Ash Wednesday, those who do usually attend a service to mark the occasion. This year's Ash ...

In the Catholic Church, ashes are applied to the forehead of each worship attendee at Ash Wednesday mass services. The receiving of ashes is not a sacrament of the Catholic Church and is therefore ...

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, Christianity's 40-day season of prayer and fasting leading up to Jesus Christ's resurrection on Easter.

A: Contrary to popular thinking, Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. You do not have to go to Mass that day or ...

Ash Wednesday – officially known as the Day of Ashes — is a day of repentance, when Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. During a Mass, a priest places the ashes ...

Children and the elderly are exempt from the fasting requirement on Ash Wednesday and during Lent. Catholics receive ashes on their forehead from Bishop Mark J. Seitz, who conducted a worship ...