Local Catholics Honor Ash Wednesday with Special Service

Wednesday, Catholics around the world entered church and left with an ashen cross on their foreheads.

This special mass kicks off the Lenten season for church goers, which is usually marked with giving up or sacrificing something they enjoy for the next 40 days. During the usual mass, the priest mixes blessed palm ashes with holy water, which symbolizes much for them.

Father Gregory Barras, priest at St. Michael’s, says, "It’s a sign of death, but it’s also a sign of rising, so the black mark on our foreheads reminds us that we should die to the things that hurt other people and rise to giving hope, trust, and love."

The Lenten season ends on Easter Sunday.