Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, will be leading the Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark. The Masses will be held on February 14, with a Mass in English at noon and a Mass in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Ash Wednesday is an important holy day for Catholics as it marks the beginning of Lent, a period of prayer and repentance leading up to Easter. The significance of the number 40 is that it represents the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert before starting his teaching ministry.

During the Ash Wednesday Mass, blessed ashes are placed on each person's forehead in the shape of a cross. These ashes symbolize mortality and the need for penance for one's sins. The ashes are obtained from burned palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday. As the priest applies the ashes, he says, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Cardinal Tobin emphasized the importance of this day in his Ash Wednesday Mass homily last year, saying, "We rend our hearts this day in reparation for all the days when our hearts have been closed to the sufferings of our sisters and brothers. Because God has mercy on us, now is the day of salvation. We know that our Father sees what happens, so our prayer and fast acknowledging Him will be fruitful. And we know by rending our hearts, we are returning to the Lord."

Throughout the season of Lent, Catholics will engage in various practices such as prayer, fasting, and repentance to deepen their faith. They also abstain from meat on Fridays and fast on Good Friday as a sign of self-discipline and reliance on God's grace. Lent will end on Holy Thursday, March 28, three days before Easter Sunday.

For those seeking more information about Lent and resources or looking to find a parish nearby, they can visit the Archdiocese of Newark's website at www.rcan.org. Additionally, news coverage and photos of Ash Wednesday 2023 in the Archdiocese of Newark can be found on the website.

The Archdiocese of Newark serves a large Catholic population of 1.3 million throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. It includes numerous parishes, Catholic schools, and missions and ministries. With hundreds of Masses celebrated in various languages each week, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin and four auxiliary bishops lead the Archdiocese in serving the northern New Jersey community through faith, education, and social services.

For more information about the Archdiocese of Newark, visit www.rcan.org.