Ash Wednesday: A Time for Repentance

Find out what is in store for the upcoming CB Ash Wednesday Liturgy and learn the history of this sacred day.

The celebration of Ash Wednesday has always been an important event for the Christian Brothers community. Through the celebration of Ash Wednesday, CB prepares for the beginning of Lent.

However, the modern method of celebrating the start of Lent differs from its original, ancient practice.

“It started out as part of adult baptism, in the early church, baptism was for adults,” explains co-Liturgy Coordinator and Religous Studies instructor Mr. Chuck Zanetti. “They would fast and do alms giving as part of their preparation of baptism for Easter.”

The ashes themselves are very important to the Catholic faith, and signify repentance for one’s sins. Ashes are an opportunity for Christian Brothers’ students to reflect on past wrongdoings and realize that God’s forgiveness is unending.

Preparing for an event such as Ash Wednesday is up to the Prayer & Faith class, with the two coordinators for this mass being Delenn Breedlove (’13) and Bernie Swain (’13). The priest presiding over the Mass will be Father Rojas Bong, from St. Anthony and formally from the Newman Center in Davis.

“Right now, [the Prayer & Faith clas] is looking at the readings, the readers, and they’re trying to figure out the power point,” Mr. Zanetti says. “We’re also trying to figure out what kind of art we want to use, what kind of symbols we want to use to get this across, and how we are going to get the Eucharistic Ministers trained with the ashes.”

The Liturgy class is also planning on making use of the Talon, KBFT, and posters to spread the word on the upcoming event.

“We want to invite kids — we know that it’s required to be there — but we want to give students the sense that they’re being invited and that the [Liturgy] class really wants them to be there,” Delenn says.

Despite the hard work ahead of her and Bernie, the senior remains positive and is excited about the unique experience of organizing the Ash Wednesday Liturgy.

“I think Ash Wednesday will be a really unique experience for us since we’ll be distributing the ashes,” Delenn excitedly states.

Ash Wednesday will take place on February 13 and is mandatory for all Christian Brothers’ students so remember to arrive in proper Liturgy dress. As always, we must also remember to remain reverent and respectful throughout the Mass.