St. Anne’s Catholic Church begins Lent with bilingual Mass
Catholics young and old filed into St. Anne’s Catholic Church on Wednesday afternoon, dipping their fingers in holy water before touching their foreheads, abdomens and left and right shoulders in the traditional sign of the cross.
As the congregation took their seats, Tony Moreno, director of the youth and young adult ministries, read Bible passages in Spanish. On the other side of an alter draped in purple fabric, Father Brandon Ware sat in a chair waiting to begin a bilingual Ash Wednesday service to mark the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of self-reflection for Catholics lasting until Easter Sunday.
Ware read a Bible passage, in English, advising the faithful not to perform charitable deeds in public view for recognition from others, but to do them in private for recognition from God.
He then offered his own advice to the congregation on the importance of Lent in both English and Spanish.
“As we begin our Lenten journey with prayer and the receiving of ashes, may we be reminded of things in our lives that we need to let go of so that we can love the Lord with all our hearts,” Ware said.
Ware then sat, along with the church-goers, in a moment of silent reflection before they all stood again as he led them in prayer. Following the prayer, the congregation formed lines facing both the front and back of the church, waiting patiently for Ware or another priest to draw a cross with ash on their foreheads.
After receiving their crosses, some returned to the pews to pray while others, such as Angie Rogan, left the church at the end of the short Mass.
“Lent is a time in preparation for Christ’s death and resurrection. It’s a time for us to repent of our sins and try to be more prayerful. Some people give up something they enjoy, such as chocolate, but some people also use their time to help those less fortunate. We wear the cross because it’s a symbol of Christianity, of walking with Christ and trying to be more Christlike,” Rogan said.
Bill Gandee, who has attended Mass at St. Anne’s for at least 30 years, also reflected on what Ash Wednesday and Lent mean to him before he went back inside to pray.
“It kind of gets us ready for Lent. It’s a time to think about Jesus and what he went through for us,” Gandee said.