February 14, 2024: Ash Wednesday (2024)

FAQs

Is there a dispensation for Ash Wednesday in 2024? ›

There will not be a dispensation for Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of the Lenten season - one of the holiest seasons in the Catholic tradition. Catholics age 14 and older do not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent, including Good Friday.

In 2024, Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight due to a calendar collision of events — it's Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday.

“Let us celebrate the occasion of Ash Wednesday with our family and friends and learn to live beyond our illusions of life.” “In this world, the day you will find yourself, you will find the God and the peace for which you have been longing for long. Happy Ash Wednesday.” Ash Wednesday is a day full of happiness.

May we use this season of Lent as an opportunity for spiritual growth, renewal, and transformation. Let us turn our hearts towards God, seek forgiveness for our shortcomings, and strive to live lives that reflect His love and grace.

Monday, January 1, 2024 – The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation abrogated whenever this feast falls on a Sunday or Monday) Saturday, January 6, 2024 – The Epiphany of the Lord, Solemnity. Sunday, January 7, 2024 – The Baptism of the Lord. Wednesday, February 14, 2024 – Ash Wednesday.

What can I do on Ash Wednesday if I can't come to church? Consider personal fasting, prayer and alms giving both on Ash Wednesday and throughout the season of Lent.

The last time this happened was in 2018, according to several outlets citing Live Wire. Last century, the two holidays fell on the same day in 1923, 1934 and 1945. For this century, it's happening in 2024, then again in 2029 and that will be it.

Also, there are certain times that Ash Wednesday coincides with Valentine's Day (14 February), which occurred in 1923, 1934, 1945, 2018, 2024, and will next occur in 2029. The chancel of a church on Ash Wednesday 2015 (the veiled altar cross and purple paraments are customary during Lent).

Unless you have a medical exemption, Ash Wednesday is a day of Abstinence for Catholics. Avoiding meat can be difficult, but it's a powerful way to be disciplined about your priorities. When you make little sacrifices a part of your everyday spirituality, amazing things happen!

Comfort us who are dust and must return to dust with the promise that a broken and contrite heart You will not despise. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Grant us repentance at the Lord's table. Let us recognize the enormity of our sins by the measure of Your abundant pardon by the sacrifice of Christ, our Savior.

What is the message for Lent 2024? ›

In his 2024 Lenten message themed; “Through the desert, God leads us to freedom,” Pope Francis gives reference to the good Samaritan in the Gospel of St. Luke the Evangelist who showed a spirit of love and care to the person who was in need. “It is time to act, and in Lent, to act also means to pause.

Answer: Ashes are not a sacrament and do not signify communion of faith beyond a need for repentance and a remembrance of mortality. Therefore, it is indeed acceptable for someone who is not Catholic to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday if they so choose.

"Out of respect for the importance of Ash Wednesday in the lives of so many -- including our non-Catholic brothers and sisters, and the way this custom underlines the importance of the Lenten season at its outset," noted Father Justin Ward, Vicar for Sacred Liturgy, "a dispensation will not be given." A fitting ...

Lord Jesus Christ, you instructed your disciples not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them. May our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this Lent be motivated by a genuine desire to love and serve God and others. Amen.

Similar to taking communion at Mass, you usually process toward the altar to get ashes. The priest will make the Sign of the Cross and say one of two things: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

In the United States, the fasting requirement begins at age 18 and continues until age 59. At that age, a person is automatically excused from the requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but, if health permits, may participate in the fast should he choose to do so.

A summary of current practice: On Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays of Lent: Everyone of age 14 and up must abstain from consuming meat. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday: Everyone of age 18 to 59 must fast, unless exempt due to usually a medical reason.

On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Roman Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59, whose health enables them to fast, are permitted to consume one full meal, along with two smaller meals, which together should not equal the full meal.