On Ash Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholics to ask the Lord for “the gift of true conversion” at the start of the 40-day penitential season of Lent.
Lenten Regulations
Lenten Regulations 2026
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, a time of renewal as the Church journeys towards Easter. Bishop Robert Brennan is asking the faithful of the Diocese of Brooklyn to turn their attention to the following regulations.
McDonald’s Franchisee’s Answer to Fridays During Lent: ‘Filet-O-Fish’
Not long after Lou Groen opened a McDonald’s in Cincinnati, he noticed that during Lent, the local Catholic community took their business to a nearby Frisch’s Big Boy on Fridays for a fish sandwich instead of to McDonald’s for a hamburger.
Fasting Through the Ages: A Journey from the Apostles to Lent
Directives on how to fast during Lent have evolved over time, but the reason for it is unchanged — to draw closer to God.
Lenten Regulations 2023
The penitential and grace-filled Lenten Season begins with Ash Wednesday on February 22, 2023.
The Proper Way to Dispose of Palms
Many Catholics wonder what to do with old palms after the memories of Palm Sunday fade into the distant past.
Breaking the Sonic Barrier During Lent
I really wanted the Sonic drink. But it was the first Friday of Lent, and I gave up Sonic for Lent. So there I was sitting at the stoplight, fighting myself on whether or not I would turn left to Sonic or right to get home.
Friday Fish Fries Are Starting to Come Back This Lent
Lenten Friday fish fries, a staple at many Catholic parishes in some regions of the United States, were among the many things put on the back burner during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lent 3.0: Third Lent in Pandemic Offers Chance for Spiritual Reset, Healing
Lent, the spiritual season of prayer and sacrifice, has an extra pull to it this year because once again — and now for the third time — it will be under the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic.
Filipinos Can Get Ashes on Foreheads for First Time in Two Years
Priests in the Philippines will be allowed to mark the foreheads of Catholics on Ash Wednesday, ending a two-year ban on the Lenten tradition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.