Masses w/ Distribution of Ashes — February 17th at 7:45am, 12 noon, 5:00pm and 6:30pm (Bilingual Mass)
In the early Church, when Lent was a time for the reconciliation of public penitents, the penitents would come to the church at the beginning of Lent, that is, on Ash Wednesday.  They would wear a penitential garment, suggesting sackcloth, and be sprinkled with ashes.  Then they would be ritually expelled from the assembly to do their penance for forty days, returning to the church on Holy Thursday, when they would be readmitted to the sacraments.  With time, the expulsion of penitents disappeared, but the ashes remained and became a call to penance of all the faithful.  In the Scriptures, sackcloth, and ashes are the signs of penance.  The practice of using ashes from the palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday is a relatively new element of the liturgy, first appearing in the 12th century.  It adds another layer of meaning to this rich rite, reminding us of where we are headed – to the glory of Easter.