ASH WEDNESDAY LITURGY
17 February 2010
The traditional Ash Wednesday Mass with the Blessing and Distribution of Ashes comemorated the beginning of Lent. Lent is a period of forty days prior to Holy Week and Easter when Christians are encouraged to pray, fast and do works of charity as the means to repent from sin and turn towards Jesus. Today, Fr. Joseph Benecewicz OFM Conv. '78, the Friar who will assume the role of President of Curley in July, was the Presider and Homilist. He reminded everyone present to use our time wisely, for we humans are dust and to dust we shall return. He blessed the ashes which were distributed to those present who were willing to accept the challenge of Lent. At the end of Mass, Fr. Michael blessed new crosses for the classrooms and explained: "These are San Damiano crosses, replicas of the cross that hung in the Church of Saint Damian where St. Francis went to pray. It was there that Francis received a clear mission from God to rebuild the Church." Each person in the assembly received a small replica of the San Damiano cross as he or she left to remind them of their mission within inthe Christian Community.