SAN DIEGO — The 40-day season of Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and end at sundown on Holy Thursday, April 17.
Though not a holy day of obligation, many Catholics attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, where the Sign of the Cross is traced on their foreheads with blessed ashes as a stark reminder of their mortality and their need for repentance and conversion.
The three pillars of the Lenten season are: fasting and abstinence, prayer, and almsgiving.
Catholics ages 18 to 59 are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. (The latter, which commemorates the day that Jesus died on the cross, will be observed on April 18 this year.) They are permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The obligation to fast is dispensed for those who are ill or pregnant.
Beginning at age 14, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays during Lent.
Many Catholics also voluntarily choose an additional sacrifice in the Lenten spirit of self-denial.
During Lent, Catholics are encouraged to go deeper in prayer, such as by attending their parish’s Stations of the Cross devotions on Friday evenings, and to help others whether through monetary donations or service opportunities.
