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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 7, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Bishop Robert Barron during his visit to the nation's capital this week to attend President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress called on Catholic politicians to bring their faith into the public square.

"EWTN News Nightly" Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales sat down with Barron for an interview before the bishop celebrated Mass in the Capitol for lawmakers on March 4 ahead of the address. 

Barron, the founder of the nonprofit global media apostolate Word on Fire, shared with EWTN his message to Catholics serving in Congress: "Don't leave your faith at the door."

"We don't impose the faith. [Pope] John Paul [II] always said, 'We don't impose, we propose.' But they should bring their faith into the public square," Barron continued.

"It's not the case that we're to sequester faith simply into the privacy of our conscience. No, it's a public reality, and it should inform the decisions that they make here," he said.

Barron is one of the most well-known American bishops with more than 1.8 million followers on his YouTube channel, where he discusses faith and culture, often touching on politics.

The bishop from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, who serves as chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, was invited to the joint session of Congress by Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia. 

During the interview, Barron said he hoped to "just take in the beauty of the event." 

"I was graciously invited here by Rep. Moore from West Virginia. I'm a student of American history, and I've been watching these addresses for many years," he said.

"Just the chance to be in the chamber and to hear the president, see the whole government assemble. All that was attractive to me, so I accepted the invitation," Barron added.

Earlier this year, the media apostolate announced plans to establish a new order of Word on Fire priests. During the "EWTN News Nightly" interview, Rosales asked Barron what he hopes this order will bring to the Church. 

"I just think the needful thing today in the Church is this outreach to the unaffiliated," Barron responded. "I think it's the central problem we have, is the number, especially of young people, who are disaffiliating from the Church."

"A lot of my ministry has been focused on that — to appeal through truth and beauty, to bring the great tradition forward, and to try to draw people back to the Church," he said.

"What I didn't want was this ministry simply to end with me. I thought, I want it to go on after I'm gone. Could there be an order, I wondered, that would carry on this charism of using the media in an intelligent way, in a beautiful way, reaching out to the unaffiliated?" he said.

The interview wrapped up with a brief discussion of Pope Francis and the bishop's thoughts on the Holy Father's health battle.

"We've been praying for him for the last now almost three weeks he's been in the hospital. So it's been a pretty dicey time, and we've been following the news and accompanying him with our prayers," he said.

"Just praying for him and hoping that he can recover and get back to his mission," Barron concluded. 

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 6, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Catholic bishops reiterated their support on Thursday for a bill to protect women's sports after the measure failed to pass the Senate in a procedural vote this week.

In a statement released by the bishops' conference, Bishop Robert Barron and Bishop David O'Connell called the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act "commonsense legislation that would ensure fairness for female athletes."

The proposed legislation, which passed the House in January, would have prevented federally funded sports programs under Title IX from allowing male students to compete or participate in women's and girls' athletic programs.

Although a majority of senators backed the legislation on a 51-45 vote, the proposal received no support from Democrats and failed to reach the necessary three-fifths supermajority.

In a joint statement, the bishops said: "The teaching of the Catholic Church calls us to advocate for the equal dignity of men and women, recognizing that God created us male and female. This legislation would ensure a level playing field for women and girls to compete in fairness and safety with other females."

"An ideological promotion of personal identity, detached from biological reality, undermines human dignity and the role sports play in true educational formation."

Barron and O'Connell, who chair the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, and Committee on Catholic Education, respectively, stated their full support of the legislation in a January letter sent to Senators urging them to vote for the bill.

After the failed vote the bishops said: "We reiterate our long-standing support for this act and encourage female student athletes nationwide to continue to strive to uphold fairness and equality in athletic competitions."

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CNA Staff, Mar 6, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

The National Eucharistic Congress announced this week the names of the eight Perpetual Pilgrims who will accompany the Eucharistic Jesus on a 3,300-mile walking pilgrimage from Indianapolis to Los Angeles this summer, beginning in May.

The latest iteration of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, dubbed the Drexel Route, was announced in mid-February, while the biographies of the pilgrims were posted online this week. 

This year's pilgrimage is a continuation of last year's unprecedented four simultaneous Eucharistic pilgrimages, which started at the edges of the country and eventually converged in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024. 

The goal of the pilgrimages is to bear public witness to the truth that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. 

This year's Drexel Route will open with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Indianapolis on Sunday, May 18. The route then heads northwest through Illinois to Iowa before turning to the southwest and descending through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. From Texas the route continues roughly west through New Mexico, Arizona, and finally California.

Over a quarter of a million people across the country encountered the pilgrimages last summer, organizers said. As with last year, the small group of young adult Perpetual Pilgrims will accompany the Eucharist the entire way, while any person wishing to join for small portions of the route will be able to sign up to do so.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage website includes biographies for each of the eight young Perpetual Pilgrims who will be walking the entire route with Jesus. 

Arthur "Ace" Acuña is originally from Las Vegas and graduated from Princeton University in 2023 with a degree in chemical and biological engineering. He works for the Aquinas Institute — Princeton's campus ministry — finding creative ways to share the joys of the Catholic faith with students. 

Stephen Fuhrmann is from Lindsay, Texas, and plans to graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural business. He developed a deep love for Jesus in the Eucharist while in college. 

Johnathan "Johnny" Silvino Hernandez-Jose resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and helps run his family's construction company. He has a heart for service in his diocese, assisting with confirmation, young adult groups, and a ministry for the Hispanic community. 

Cheyenne Johnson is originally from Lakeland, Florida, and currently lives in Indianapolis, where she serves as the director of Catholic campus ministry at Butler University. She is a convert to Catholicism. 

Leslie Reyes-Hernandez is from Phoenix, originally from Illinois, and teaches freshman algebra at a public high school. She encountered Christ's love through the Eucharist in college and serves in college ministry at the Grand Canyon University Newman Center. 

Rachel Levy grew up in small-town Indiana and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in marketing before transitioning to full-time ministry. She currently serves the Office of Young Adult and College Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, accompanying young adults in their faith journey. 

Frances Webber, originally from Virginia but currently living in Minnesota, is a senior in college studying theology and business. She works for the Center for Catholic Social Thought and is involved with Saint Paul's Outreach. 

Charlie McCullough, a recent Texas A&M graduate, is the only 2025 pilgrim who is a returner from last year. In 2024 he completed the southern Juan Diego Route, which began in Brownsville, Texas; this year he will serve as team leader for the Drexel Route. 

Speaking to CNA last year ahead of the first round of pilgrimages, McCullough expressed openness to God radically altering the course of his life during the pilgrimage. He said at the time that he was most looking forward to being able to help people experience small, "seemingly insignificant" interactions with Christ in the Eucharist that "radically change everything."

"My hope for the pilgrimage is that every person that we encounter has something stir inside of them that makes them question: 'Why do I feel differently when I was encountered by this procession? … What if that is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ?'" McCullough said in 2024.

"I have full confidence that Jesus Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist and if the pilgrimage simply stirs questions in the hearts of those that we encounter, I know that those questions will be answered with the truth."

The 2025 pilgrimage route will include numerous opportunities to encounter the Eucharistic Jesus, including daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic processions, witness talks, and fellowship meals with the Perpetual Pilgrims, organizers said.

Like last year's events, this year's pilgrimage will focus on Eucharistic encounters with marginalized communities, bringing the Eucharist to assisted-living facilities, food banks, a juvenile detention center, a hospital, and a federal prison along the route.

In addition, there will be a number of stops with particular significance to Catholics along the way: the tomb of Venerable Fulton Sheen in Illinois; the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma City; several mission churches in Southern California; and St. Michael Church near Window Rock, which is the capital of the Navajo Nation in the southwestern desert.

In honor of the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope, there will be an additional focus on Eucharistic healing, organizers said.

Prayer intentions for the pilgrims to carry with them on their journey can be submitted here.

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Vatican City, Mar 6, 2025 / 06:40 am (CNA).

Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on his health and hospitalization:

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Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 14:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis said the Lenten journey reminds the Church that hope in Jesus Christ ultimately overcomes fears of fragility, weakness, and the brevity of life.

"Made of ashes and earth, we experience fragility through illness, poverty, and the hardships that can suddenly befall us and our families," the pope said in his homily prepared for Ash Wednesday. 

"Lent, however, is also an invitation to rekindle our hope," he said. "We are invited to lift our eyes to the One who rises from the depths of death and brings us from the ashes of sin and death to the glory of eternal life."

The pope is continuing his medical treatment at Gemelli Hospital and was unable to attend the Mass held inside the Basilica of Santa Sabina located on Rome's Aventine Hill.

"The ashes remind us that we are dust, but they also set us on a journey toward the hope to which we are called," Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said, reading the papal text. "Jesus descended to the dust of the earth and, by his resurrection, has drawn us with himself into the Father's heart."

Focusing on Easter as the reason for undertaking the journey of Lent, the pope in his homily told the congregation of cardinals, bishops, and religious brothers and sisters of Benedictine and Dominican orders that the risen Lord is waiting for us "at the end of the road."

"The hope of Easter that we journey toward reassures us of God's forgiveness," the Holy Father said, quoting his predecessor Benedict XVI. "Even while submerged in the ashes of sin, hope opens us up to the joyful acknowledgment of life."

Acknowledging the "social and political realities of our time" — including war, ideological opposition, abuse of power, and exploitation — the 88-year-old head of the Church said the world's problems should spur people to walk together, be open with one another, and turn to our God who wants peace and reconciliation.

"Let us turn back to God, let us return to him with all our hearts," the pope said. "Let us learn from almsgiving to go beyond ourselves, sharing each other's needs and nurturing the hope of a fairer world." 

In his homily, the Holy Father also said accepting the fragility of our human condition "is good for us" as it reminds us who we really are "despite the masks we wear" and of our need for God.    

"It reshapes us, reduces the severity of our narcissism, brings us back to reality, and makes us more humble and open to one another: None of us is God; we are all on a journey," he said.

"With this hope in our hearts, let us begin our journey. Let us be reconciled with God," the pope reiterated at the end of his March 5 homily.

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CNA Staff, Mar 5, 2025 / 14:40 pm (CNA).

Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore has decided to lower the age of confirmation to 9 in a move designed to increase family involvement in the formation of youth. 

Amid growing disaffiliation from the Church, Catholic leaders across the country are striving to better catechize young people by lowering confirmation age requirements. The Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Diocese of Salt Lake City both lowered confirmation age requirements in December 2024. Other archdioceses including Seattle, Boston, and Denver have lowered their confirmation ages in recent years as well. 

For Lori, who has led the Archdiocese of Baltimore for nearly 13 years, the crux of the catechesis crisis is a lack of family engagement. 

After a "broad consultation" of Catholic theology, developmental psychology, and other dioceses' experiences, Lori said he found "the decisive factor" for young people remaining in the faith was family involvement. 

"Purposeful engagement of families in the formation of their children is essential in our formation efforts," Lori wrote in a Jan. 22 pastoral letter. "Therefore, it is my sincere hope that, by more actively engaging parents in the preparation of their children's confirmation, the graces of the sacrament will take root in these young people's lives — sealing their missionary identity in the Spirit and sending them forth." 

Disaffiliation has been a growing problem in the Catholic Church in the United States.

Recent studies have found increased numbers of people who don't identify with any religion, who check "none" when surveyed about their religious affiliation. A 2024 study by Survey Center on American Life found that nearly 4 in 10 Generation Z women say they are "unaffiliated." Meanwhile, young people are leaving the Church as early as age 13, according to a 2018 study. 

Lori noted, however, that "changing the standard age of confirmation, cannot, in isolation, remedy the complex realities that have led to the disaffiliation from the Church in such great measure." 

"To be sure — strengthened by the Holy Spirit — these young disciples will be better equipped to face the challenges of adolescence today, but they will demand no less care, support, and intentional accompaniment," Lori said. "For this reason, parishes must redouble their youth ministry efforts in a manner that is richly mystagogical and supports their growth in the Christian state of life." 

While many Catholics in the U.S. are accustomed to confirmation occurring in high school or late middle school, the archdiocese noted that 9-year-olds are perfectly capable of receiving the sacrament at a young age. 

"We often underestimate the zeal and readiness of the youngest of our disciples," Lori noted.

The archdiocese's formation webpage noted that confirmation "is truly about one's openness to the work of the Holy Spirit, not about how much one knows about the faith. Nine-year-olds are not just capable of this openness but are often particularly receptive." 

Though many have come to associate confirmation with "becoming an adult in the faith," or as a "coming of age" sacrament, this is not accurate. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, confirmation "completes" baptism, increasing and deepening baptismal grace (Nos. 1303, 1305). confirmation is a sacrament of initiation, meant to mark and assist the faithful at the beginning of their Christian journey, not a "graduation" or completion of faith formation.

While the Latin rite typically confirms after the age of reason — usually defined as the age of 7 — Eastern rite Catholic churches typically baptize, confirm, and administer holy Communion in infancy. 

The Baltimore Archdiocese's transition will begin in the 2025-2026 liturgical year in three phases, according to the archbishop's letter. Each parish will implement the change over the course of one to three years, depending on demographics, leadership capacity, and other factors.

Several parishes in the archdiocese have already piloted early-age confirmation programs, with good results including "fruitful engagement of parents and family," Lori noted. 

"Let us together pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit among our young people, their families, and those who … minister to and with them," Lori said.

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Madrid, Spain, Mar 5, 2025 / 15:10 pm (CNA).

A former teacher at an Opus Dei school in Spain has been asked to leave the personal prelature after being found guilty following a second Vatican investigation of alleged sexual abuse that occurred at the school more than 15 years ago.

In what is know as the "Gaztelueta case" or the "Cuatrecasas case," a complaint was filed against José María Martínez, a teacher at Gaztelueta School (an Opus Dei institution located in Lejona, Spain) for the alleged sexual abuse of student Juan Cuatrecasas between 2008 and 2010.

There was a canonical investigation into the case and Martínez was exonerated in October 2015. A Spanish court sentenced him to two years in prison after a long process that lasted from June 2015 to November 2020.

In June 2022, Cuatrecasas met Pope Francis at the recording of the Disney documentary "The Pope Answers," which aired in April 2023. The pontiff then decided to reopen the case and appointed Bishop José Antonio Satué of the Diocese of Teruel and Albarracín in Spain as delegate (judge).

Satué informed Martínez, who maintains his innocence, on Monday, March 3, of his conviction in the sexual abuse case that calls for his departure from Opus Dei. 

As Martínez recounted on his blog, he was notified on March 3 of the sentence — which was signed Dec. 17, 2024 — with a note stating that he could not have been informed earlier because the bishop could not "free himself from other non-delegable and non-postponable obligations."

Martínez also emphasized the fact that Satué announced the sentence on the day the prelate was summoned to appear before a judge in Pamplona to defend himself against a suit filed by Martínez for violating his right to a good reputation.

According to Martínez, the court appearance was postponed because the bishop "has not provided the documentation that was requested and other requested material is missing that the Church has never made public."

According to a document dated Feb. 25 submitted to the court in charge of the case to which ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, has had access, the postponement of the hearing was made at the request of Martínez's defense.

The request for postponement was made because the notary José Luis Perucha, who had in his possession the documentation provided by Satué, claimed "to not have the requested documents as documentary evidence."

In addition, it is alleged that "the documentation requested from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has not been received" and that, at the time of submitting the document requesting postponement, Martínez had not been notified of the "conclusive decree of the administrative criminal process," i.e., the sentence communicated on Monday.

Possible appeal to the Apostolic Signatura

Martínez announced that he is considering appealing the decision to the Apostolic Signatura, the only Vatican judicial body that, in his opinion, "can stop this nonsense."

According to sources familiar with the case consulted by ACI Prensa, when the Vatican rejected Martínez's defense's request that Satué recuse himself from the case, they were told that when the sentence is eventually issued, if they contest it, they could turn to the Apostolic Signatura.

The same sources specified that the deadline to appeal to this court is 60 days from March 3, when the decree with the sentence was communicated.

Martínez reiterated his innocence and insisted on denouncing what he considers "irregularities of the canonical process": being tried twice for the same crime "because the initial acquittal did not please the person who put together the ecclesiastical court"; that "legislation approved after the alleged events" was applied; that Satué would urge him to plead guilty in his first communication to him; or that "legislation that has not been applied to any layperson" was used.

"The whole process has been a shameful farce. There has never been the slightest possibility of defending myself," Martínez said, having already written a letter expressing "great regret" in which he requested his departure from the institution founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá.

"I prefer to leave rather than be a problem," he explained, while thanking the support received "from many people in Opus Dei, who know perfectly well that I am innocent" and emphasizing his adherence to the apostolate's prelature: "In my conscience, [Opus Dei] will always be my spiritual family."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 5, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump urged members of Congress to pass laws that build on his executive orders to curtail gender ideology in public life during his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

"I want Congress to pass a bill banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body," Trump told members of Congress, which drew loud applause from Republican lawmakers and silence from Democrats. 

"This is a big lie and our message to every child in America is that you are perfect exactly the way God made you," Trump added. "... We're getting wokeness out of our schools and out of our military and it's already out — it's out of our society. We don't want it."

Trump's March 4 address, which began shortly after 9 p.m., was contentious with Democrats at times. The president focused his first address to Congress in his second term on the executive orders he has signed and his desire for Congress to codify those policies into federal law.

Some issues he focused on included gender ideology, illegal immigration, affordability and the economy, domestic energy expansion, and efforts to reform the government and cut spending. 

"My fellow Americans, get ready for an incredible future because the golden age of America has only just begun." Trump said. "It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before."

When the president noted that he won the popular vote during the beginning of his speech, he received loud applause from Republicans and jeers from Democrats.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson issued a warning to Democrats after some of the jeers interrupted the president's speech, which ultimately led to him ordering the removal of Democratic Rep. Al Green following repeated violations. Many Democrats held signs that read "Save Medicaid" in protest of the House Republican spending plan.

"It's very sad and it just shouldn't be this way," Trump said in response to jeers from Democrats.

"For the good of our nation, let's work together and let's truly make America great again," he added.

Gender ideology remains in focus

During his speech, Trump spoke about several executive orders he signed to curtail gender ideology. This includes an order to deny federal funding for K–12 schools that "socially transition" a child's gender as well as an order that rescinds federal funds for health care providers that perform gender transition surgeries on children and offer them gender transition drugs.

During his speech, Trump commended one of the White House's guests, January Littlejohn, who sued the Leon County School Board in Florida after school officials socially transitioned her middle school daughter without Littlejohn's knowledge or permission. Trump called her a "courageous advocate against this form of child abuse." 

"Stories like this are why shortly after taking office, I signed an executive order banning public schools from indoctrinating our children with transgender ideology," the president said. "I also signed an order to cut off all taxpayer funding to any institution that engages in the sexual mutilation of our youth."

Trump also highlighted his executive order to deny federal funds for K–12 schools and colleges that allow men to play in women's sports and praised former student athlete Payton McNabb for her advocacy against men competing against women. 

"Three years ago, Payton McNabb was an all star high school athlete, one of the best, preparing for a future in college sports," Trump said. "But when her girls' volleyball match was invaded by a male, he smashed the ball so hard in Payton's face [that he caused] traumatic brain injury, partially paralyzing her right side and ending her athletic career. It was a shot like she's never seen before. She's never seen anything like it."

"From now on, schools will kick the men off the girls' team or they will lose all federal funding," Trump said, calling the practice of allowing men to play in women's leagues "demeaning for women" and "very bad for our country. We're not going to put up with it any longer." 

The House of Representatives in January passed a bill that would have codified the ban on men in women's sports. However, this week, Democratic lawmakers blocked a similar bill in the Senate. 

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Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis asked Christians on Ash Wednesday to set out in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, full of hope, throughout the season of Lent.

In his prepared March 5 catechesis, the Holy Father, who remains in Rome's Gemelli Hospital for treatment of double pneumonia, spoke about the 12-year-old Jesus' desire to live his mission as the Son of God.

"Jesus wants to live his vocation as the son of the Father who is at his service and lives immersed in his word," he said. "Jesus' first words [in the Bible] recognize that this paternity traces his origins from that of his heavenly Father, whose undisputed primacy he acknowledges." 

In his catechesis, the Holy Father also reflected on how Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, had to mature in their own understanding of their growing son's vocation and mission.

Reflecting on St. Luke's Gospel account when the 12-year-old Jesus stayed back at the Temple of Jerusalem, the pope said Mary and Joseph felt the pain of parents with a missing child.   

"Upon returning to the Temple," the pope said, "they discover that he who, in their eyes, until a short time before, was still a child to protect, suddenly seems grown up, capable now of getting involved in discussions on the Scriptures, of holding his own with the teachers of the law."

While having a "unique communion with the Word of God" as the mother of God, the Holy Father said Mary was not spared a demanding "apprenticeship" in learning God's will at each moment of her life.

"Throughout this journey, the Virgin is a pilgrim of hope, in the strong sense that she becomes the 'daughter of her Son,' the first of his disciples," the pope shared in his catechesis. 

"Mary brought into the world Jesus, hope of humanity," he continued. "She nourished him, made him grow, followed him, letting herself be the first to be shaped by the Word of God."

By allowing themselves to be led by Jesus, the pope said Christians can imitate the "response of love" of Mary and Joseph during the season of Lent. 

"Let us also set out in the footsteps of the Lord," the pope said in his Ash Wednesday catechesis.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 5, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Ash Wednesday begins the holy season of Lent, which is structured to spiritually prepare to walk with the Lord through his passion and celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Below are 10 important things to know about Ash Wednesday and its significance.

1. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent.

Ash Wednesday begins the 40 days in which the Church calls the faithful to conversion and to truly prepare to live the mysteries of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Roman Missal, which prescribes the ritual for Ash Wednesday, explains that at Mass the ashes made from the palms blessed on Palm Sunday of the previous year are blessed and placed on the foreheads of the faithful.

2. The use of ashes developed over the years.

The tradition of placing ashes on penitents dates back to the early Church. Back then people placed the ashes on their heads and appeared before the community with a "penitential habit" to receive the sacrament of reconciliation on Holy Thursday. Starting in the 11th century, the Church of Rome placed ashes on all the faithful who would come forward at the beginning of this time.

3. Ashes remind us of the need for God's mercy.

Ashes are a symbol. Their function is described in No. 125 of the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy, a document published by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments: 

"In the Roman rite, the beginning of the 40 days of penance is marked with the austere symbol of ashes, which are used in the liturgy of Ash Wednesday. The use of ashes is a survival from an ancient rite according to which converted sinners submitted themselves to canonical penance. The act of putting on ashes symbolizes fragility and mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. Far from being a merely external act, the Church has retained the use of ashes to symbolize that attitude of internal penance to which all the baptized are called during Lent. The faithful who come to receive ashes should be assisted in perceiving the implicit internal significance of this act, which disposes them toward conversion and renewed Easter commitment."

4. Ashes have more than one meaning.

The word "ashes" represents the product of the combustion of something by fire. This takes on a symbolic connotation of death, the fleeting quality of temporal things, but also of humility and penitence.

Ashes, as a sign of humility, remind the Christian of his origin and his end: "the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground" (Gn 2:7); "until you return to the ground, from which you were taken" (Gn 3:19).

5. Ashes are made from palms used on Palm Sunday.

Per the instructions of the Roman Missal, ashes are typically supposed to be made from last year's Palm Sunday palm branches.

These branches are then burned down into a fine powder and, in the United States, are mixed with holy water or chrism oil to create a light paste.

6. The ashes are placed on the forehead at the end of the homily.

The distribution of ashes takes place at Mass at the end of the homily, and laypeople are allowed to assist the priest. The ashes are placed on the forehead making the sign of the cross while the minister says: "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return" or "Repent and believe in the Gospel."

The person receiving the ashes then goes back to his or her pew in silence, meditating on the words that were spoken.

7. Ashes can also be distributed without Mass.

When there is no priest, the faithful can receive ashes without a Mass, but this is not the norm.  However, in such a case it is recommended that the distribution of ashes be preceded by a Liturgy of the Word.

It is important to remember that like all sacramentals, ashes can only be blessed by a priest or deacon.

8. Ashes can be received by non-Catholics.

Anyone can receive this sacramental, even non-Catholics. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states in No. 1670: "Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it."

9. It is not obligatory to receive ashes.

Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation and therefore receiving ashes is not obligatory. However, it is always recommended to attend Mass.

10. On Ash Wednesday fasting and abstinence are mandatory.

On Ash Wednesday, fasting and abstinence are mandatory — as on Good Friday — for those 18–59 years of age. Outside of those limits it is optional. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops explains that "fasting on these days means we can have only one full, meatless meal. Some food can be taken at the other regular mealtimes if necessary but combined they should be less than a full meal. Liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals." 

Abstinence from eating meat is mandatory from the age of 14. All Fridays of Lent are also required days of abstinence. This also applies to the other Fridays of the year, although depending on the country it can be replaced by another type of mortification or offering such as praying the rosary.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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