The Department of Campus Ministry invites the Barry community to celebrate Ash Wednesday by attending Mass.
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016
Time: 12 p.m. & 5 p.m.
Location: Cor Jesu Chapel
Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. Catholics older than the age of 14 are asked to abstain from meat. In addition, those between the ages of 18 and 59 should eat one full meal, plus smaller amounts of food, not equaling a full meal. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those too ill too fast are exempted from fasting.
The Practice of Ash Wednesday: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for Catholics. The ashes we receive on our foreheads in the shape of a cross serve as an outward sign of our need for repentance and conversion.
The tradition of receiving ashes has its origins in the Hebrew Scriptures, where sinners performed acts of public penance by covering themselves with ashes. It was Pope Urban II who in the 11th century recommended that all Roman Catholics take part in the practice of receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday.
Dominican Heritage and Ash Wednesday: Every Year the Pope, as bishop of Rome, begins the cycle of Lenten celebrations in Rome, by presiding at the Ash Wednesday Mass in the Basilica of Santa Sabina. This is the Church of the Convent of the Friars of the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans. It is the house where the Master of the Order of Preachers (The Teacher of the Preachers) resides.
For more information, please contact the Department of Campus Ministry at campusministry@barry.edu and/or call 305-899-3650 or visit our offices behind Cor Jesu Chapel.