Bishop Burbidge to Celebrate Mass for Ash Wednesday

ARLINGTON, Va. - This Wednesday, February 22, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, will celebrate the Ash Wednesday Mass and distribute ashes at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Va., at 12:05 p.m.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of burning the ashes from palm branches blessed on the previous year's Palm Sunday. Priests use these ashes to place a Sign of the Cross on the foreheads of the faithful, reminding participants of death and the call to repentance. For Catholics, Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence from meat and marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day penitential season leading up to Easter Sunday.

What:
Ash Wednesday Mass, Celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge
Ash Distribution to Take Place During Mass

When:
Wednesday, February 22, 2022
12:05 p.m.

Where:
The Cathedral of St. Thomas More
3901 Cathedral Lane
Arlington, VA 22203

Interested media, contact Mary Shaffrey, Director of Media Relations, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, at 703-841-2517 or Mary.Shaffrey@arlingtondiocese.org.