Ash Wednesday

Today, the Church marks the beginning of Lent, the six weeks of penitence immediately preceding Easter. Traditionally, it is a day of prayer and fasting. Ashes are marked on foreheads with the words "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year's palms used on Palm Sunday. While not an official Holy Day of Obligation, it is one of the most heavily attended Masses by Catholics worldwide. All students in the Diocese of Tulsa Catholic schools will receive ashes today, either when attending Mass, or by priests visiting classrooms.