Ash Wednesday - Lent Begins from Catholic Icing
Catholic Family Ash Wednesday Traditions
- Go to mass- In the United States, Ash Wednesday is actually not a holy day of obligation, but it is one of my favorite days of the year to take Catholic kids to mass! Going to mass is a great way to kick off Lent and communicate to your kids that this is an important day.
Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule
9:AM St. Kateri Parish
4:PM Liturgy of the Word Service - St. Kateri Parish
7:PM Mass at St. Peters and Our Lady of Lourdes
If you are not attending Mass at this time, watch Live on our Facebook pages.
- Everyone get ashes! I love love love that everyone that goes to mass gets ashes, even the babies! We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. Little kids get a big kick out of this because even if they aren’t communion age, this is something they get to participate in.
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Fast. So there are only 2 days that the Catholic church requires fasting (although you can voluntarily choose more) and fasting is required for everyone ages 18 and above (barring health issues). Fasting means that you have 1 regular sized meal, and 2 small meals which combined are not as large as your regular meal. Abstaining from meat is required for everyone age 14 and above. You can read more about the fasting requirements here. At our house all children abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent regardless of age, and on Ash Wednesday it can be especially good to encourage simple eating. The idea here is that you’re sacrificing, not eating lobster tail. Even for younger children I encourage skipping unnecessary snacks for Ash Wednesday.
- Talk to your kids about the meaning of Ash Wednesday. Did you know the ashes we use on Ash Wednesday are the burned up palms from last Palm Sunday? Be sure to tell your kids! Why do we get ashes on our foreheads? As a reminder of our own mortality. What is Lent? Definitely be ready to talk to your kids and answer questions.
FYI: Did you know that Catholics don’t say the word “Alleluia” all during Lent? Not again until Easter! It is really fun to make a big silly deal of this with kids, absolutely banishing the word. It will be missing from mass, and the Alleluia song will be missing from mass. A really fun tradition during Lent is to “bury” the Alleluia the night before Ash Wednesday. You sing Alleluia songs, clap, dance, make a big deal, then put it in a box and leave it there until Easter, not saying it anymore.
