Cardinal Tobin to celebrate Ash Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will celebrate two Masses on Ash Wednesday, March 5, at St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark. A Mass in English will be held at noon, and a Mass in Spanish will take place at 7:30 p.m.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a sacred season of prayer, fasting and repentance leading up to Easter. During the Mass, ashes — made from burned palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday — are placed on the foreheads of the faithful in the shape of a cross as a sign of humility and penance. The priest administering the ashes will say, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
Reflecting on the meaning of Ash Wednesday, Cardinal Tobin previously stated, “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.”
Throughout Lent, Catholics observe traditions such as fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstaining from meat on Fridays, engaging in prayer and almsgiving and making personal sacrifices to grow in faith. Lent concludes on Holy Thursday, April 17, leading into the celebration of Easter.
To find a parish near you, visit www.rcan.org.
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, will celebrate two Ash Wednesday Masses on March 5 at noon and 7:30 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark, N.J. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark)
