LENTEN SEASON
St. Clement’s Church hosts masses for Ash Wednesday
>> Just like many others around the world, many Saratogians attended services, and masses and lined up to receive ashes Wednesday in honor of Ash Wednesday.
In accordance with the first day of Lent, occurring six and a half weeks before Easter, Ash Wednesday fell on Feb. 14 this year. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, this holy day is to act as a “solemn reminder” of human mortality and the “need for reconciliation with God.” These things are typically observed through “collecting ash,” normally done so in the shape of a cross on one’s forehead, and fasting.
“Ash Wednesday is very important to all Christians, it’s not just a Catholic thing,” said Father Jim O’Rourke,
Associate Vicar at St. Clement’s Church, who led the morning mass on Ash Wednesday. “It’s a reminder that we are sinful people, we’re sinful because of the fall from the Garden of Eden, so we have a propensity toward sin and so that’s why we have to remind ourselves, as we enter into this very sacred and holy season, that we are sinful people, but it is Jesus dying on the cross, that reminds us of how we are to be saved and how we will be saved.”
In addition to collecting ashes, O’Rourke shared that people are asked to also do something penitent in honor of this time and the beginning of this sacred 40-day lent period, giving examples such as doing something for or donating to the poor, prayer and abstinence, and fasting.
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, this holy day is to act as a “solemn reminder” of human mortality and the “need for reconciliation with God.”
“Those are little things, but they are all to remind us of the penitents of the season,” O’Rourke said.
At the mass, which approximately 300 people attended, O’Rourke spoke about appearances and how the gospel talks about not being like the “hypocrites who widen their phylacteries” and not having too much of an outward show and “to keep their prayers in their heart and asked God directly for forgiveness.”
“How many times have you heard people say ‘I have to go get my ashes, I’ve got to go get my ashes,’ but they are not your ashes,” O’Rourke said during the morning mass. “They are ashes that symbolize your 40-day period of penance that’s basically what it’s all about.”
Following the service, O’Rourke further talked about how these ashes are worn as a sign of salvation and how they have been traditional throughout history. He explained that wearing these ashes on the first day of the season is a reminder that the cross is their salvation and to honor their sacred beliefs as they move into the Lent period.
There were multiple services throughout the day at
St. Clement where ashes were collected by those observing Ash Wednesday, some with a mass and some not — which O’Rourke explained is something many get confused about.
“Even Catholics get confused, asking if they have to go to mass (to properly observe Ash Wednesday) and no they don’t, though we do recommend you receive your ashes and that you do it and that you listen to the word in a community setting,” O’Rourke said. “It’s not what we call a Holy Day of Obligation — it’s a regular weekday mass, though a little bit different because of the number of people that attend.” “Basically the Ash Wednesday mass is just a weekday mass, the only thing different about it is the ash celebration and a second reading,” he added.
St. Clement’s Church is located at 231 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs, for more information visit https://stclementschurch.com