"You are dust and to dust you shall return." These words will be heard by the faithful who will participate in Holy Masses today, during which the rite of sprinkling ashes on their heads will take place. Thus, the period of Lent begins in the Catholic Church.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. At this time, the faithful are getting ready to experience Easter with dignity. In accordance with canons 1251-1252 of the Code of Canon Law, on Ash Wednesday abstention from meat and fast fasting is obligatory. This means that on this day you can eat three meals a day, including only one to fill your heart. Abstinence from meat is obligatory for the faithful over the age of 14, and fasting for the faithful from the age of 18 to 60.
This year, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published a Note on the imposition of ash during a pandemic. We read in it that the priest, after reciting the prayer of the blessing of ashes and after silently sprinkling it with holy water, "turning to those present, says once to all the formula from the Roman Missal: + Convert and believe in the Gospel + or + Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return + ".
Order of Masses on Ash Wednesday at the Licheń sanctuary:
Basilica - 7.30, 12.00, 18.00
St. Dorothy - 7.00, 10.00, 17.00
Church in Grąblin - 7.30
Ash Wednesday is the starting day of Lent in the Catholic Church. Ash Wednesday falls exactly 46 days before Easter. In the Catholic church, the priest sprinkles the heads of the faithful with ashes symbolizing penance and the transience of life. The ash should traditionally come from the palms blessed during the liturgy on Palm Sunday. In Poland, Ash Wednesday is not a day off from work. Due to the dependence on the date of Easter, it is a movable holiday.
