Lenten Season Begins With Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral

A parishioner receives ashes from Bishop Robert Brennan. (Photo: Alicia Venter) DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. These are the three pillars of Lent. For many, that involves sacrificing something simple, such as giving up coffee or junk food. But for Bishop Robert Brennan, the 40-day season is also a time to take on a […]

Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday on the Same Day: When Romance and Religion Collide

Two very different days converge this year when Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day. The day of romance meeting up with the day of fasting starting the season of Lent is a rare thing. Researchers point out this has happened a few times in the 1900s: 1923, 1934, and 1945, and in this century, researchers at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate said this overlap also happened in 2018 and will occur again in 2029 but that’s it for this century.