Ash Wednesday Schedule:
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. The six-week season of Lent is a time for sacrificial fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. On Ash Wednesday, ashes are placed on the forehead as a reminder of mortality, a sign of humility, and a mark of penance. The forty days of Lenten fasting and prayer have roots in the Gospel accounts of Jesus fasting and praying for forty days in the desert.
Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting for healthy people between the ages of 18-59. Fasting means eating only one full meatless meal, plus two lighter meatless meals, and no snacks in between. Good Friday is also a day of fasting. All other Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence for those over age 14. On days of abstinence, all meat is avoided (poultry, beef, pork, lamb, etc.).
The day before Ash Wednesday is known as "Fat Tuesday," or "Mardis Gras," and "Shrove Tuesday." Traditionally, this is a day to prepare for Lent by using up food staples that would be avoided during the penitential season. Catholic Campus Ministry will host a Pre-Lenten Prayer Service and Pancake Supper on "Fat Tuesday", Feb. 13, at 7 p.m., at the Catholic Campus Ministry Center.
Please contact campus minister Terrie Bournique at ccm@hartford.edu or 860.216.1254 if you have any questions.