Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent
February 22, 2023 4:03 pm
• Last Updated: February 22, 2023 4:57 pm
Martha Merrill, right, kneels during the Ash Wednesday service Feb. 22, 2023 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Stonington Borough. (Dana Jensen/The Day) Buy Photo Reprints
The Reverend Gillian Barr places ashes on the forehead of Belinda DeKay during the Ash Wednesday service Feb. 22, 2003 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Stonington Borough. (Dana Jensen/The Day) Buy Photo Reprints
Stonington ― Parishioners attended an Ash Wednesday service at Calvary Episcopal Church in the borough.
About a dozen people attended Wednesday’s noontime service, where Rev. Gillian Barr marked their foreheads with ashes.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season that ends on Easter Sunday.
Throughout the world, Christians observe the ritual where members of the clergy apply the ashes, often in the shape of a cross, and state, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
The ashes are made from palm branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday service.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.