PARISH NEWS

Gallery: Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent 2023

The holy season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22.

In one of his “Wise & Otherwise” articles, Father Jim writes: “The gospel names some of the traditional Lenten practices undertaken by Christians in order to help them achieve their goal: almsgiving, prayer and fasting.

“Most of us pick something to ‘do’ or to ‘give up’ during Lent, probably because this is how we were raised,” he writes. “Maybe in the past we haven’t made a conscious connection between our Lenten practices and how they help us to relate better to God and our neighbor.

“Why not try something this year to make the connection clearer, such as fasting from a particular activity or food, and then making use of that time or money to promote something worthwhile,” Father Jim continues. “For example, watching less television in order to spend more time in prayer and talking to family members. Or taking the money that would have normally been spent on desserts and giving it to the poor or another cause.”

Here are some photos from the 8:30 a.m. Mass.