All things Lent

The season of Lent begins March 5 with Ash Wednesday.

The regulations for Catholics during this season from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are as follows:

• Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence (no eating meat) for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

• For members of the Roman Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Roman Catholic Church from age 14 and older.

• If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus and to prepare to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his resurrection.

While many Catholics do observe Ash Wednesday by attending Mass and receiving ashes, it is not mandatory to attend – not a holy day of obligation.

During the Lenten season, Catholics are asked to make a special effort to go to confession. With that in mind, each parish or parish grouping will participate in the March 18 The Light Is On For You Confessions. This event is to be held from 5 to 7 p.m., but please check with your parish as to the church location and time offered.

Holy Week – the week leading up to Easter Sunday – begins on April 13, Palm Sunday that celebrates Jesus Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

On Monday of Holy Week, April 14, the Chrism Mass will be held at 11 a.m. in the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City. Holy oils used for sacraments in churches throughout the diocese will be blessed and distributed to diocesan parishes.

The Easter Triduum is also part of Holy Week. The USCCB website states that the summit of the liturgical year is the Easter Triduum from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday, April 20.

“Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery,” the USCCB states. “The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil.”
 
The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are:

• • Mass of the Lord's Supper
• • Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
• • Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord

Many parishes offer Stations of the Cross as a devotion to focus on the Lord’s Passion during the Lenten season. Again, check with your parish for offerings.