Ash Wednesday at St. Nicholas Diocesan School
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Ash Wednesday is a very significant day as it marks the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter. The ashes symbolize both death and repentance. During this period, Christians show repentance and mourning for our sins, because we believe Christ died for us.
Ash Wednesday derives its name from the placing of repentance ashes on the foreheads of participants to either the words “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or the dictum “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. The ashes may be prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations.
Because it is the first day of Lent, many Christians, on Ash Wednesday, often begin marking a Lenten calendar, praying a Lenten daily devotional, and abstaining from a luxury that they will not partake in until Easter Sunday arrives. The Church gives us Lent as a time to change, to become a better version of ourselves, and to become more like Jesus. The ashes we receive on Ash Wednesday remind us of our call to repent and believe in the Gospel. The disciplines of Lent—prayer, fasting, and generosity —help us prepare for Christ’s victory on Easter Sunday.
We wish you a blessed and meaningful Lenten journey. May you draw closer to God and feel His presence always.
Deus Ducit – God Leads
