Hollister
– Today marks the beginning of the nearly two-month period where
your chocolate-loving friend might pass up on the dessert menu.
Hollister – Today marks the beginning of the nearly two-month period where your chocolate-loving friend might pass up on the dessert menu.
Ash Wednesday, for most western Christian religions, marks the first day of Lent: The period of 40 days, excluding Sundays, before Easter.
“Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent: the beginning of a time of penitence, the beginning of a time of a change in heart,” said Rev. Larry Kambitsch, of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Tres Pinos.
In San Benito County, many families will be attending services today and taking part in the distribution of the ashes, a tradition associated with Ash Wednesday.
“The ashes represent our mortality, with the understanding that when we die our bodies return to the dust or to the earth that god made us,” said Rev. Greg Sandman, who heads the Mission San Juan Bautista Catholic Church. “The ashes are to remind us of our humanness.”
Rev. David Rodriguez who is a minister at the First Presbyterian Church, said the ashes, which are placed on parishioners’ foreheads in the sign of a cross, are also a symbol of mourning.
“They’re a way of saying we’re sorry for not living our lives the way that God wants us to,” Rodriguez said.
Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent are often marked by abstinence or fasting – specifically for Roman Catholics. Many Catholics do not eat meat on Fridays during the Lenten season and also give up something they enjoy, like alcohol or dessert. It is expected that this be replaced with prayer or reflection.
Danita Brigantino, a Hollister resident who is Catholic, said she does not plan on fasting during the period, although she feels the Lenten season is an important period of reflection for many.
“I think it’s important for some people to get back on track and to work harder on their faith,” Brigantino said. She said that as per a request from her daughter, her family will not be eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Instead, she will be cooking all of her daughter’s favorite Italian pasta dishes.
To start off Lent, Brigantino and her daughter plan to attend a morning Ash Wednesday service at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Sacred Heart and Saint Benedict Catholic Church are offering distribution of ashes throughout the day today, and masses both in English and Spanish throughout the day.
For Catholics in San Juan, the Mission San Juan Bautista Church is also holding masses, including an afternoon children’s liturgy, and ash distribution throughout the day.
Sandman explained they will probably see more people at these masses than their 1,200 regular attendees. He said Ash Wednesday generally starts off a period where more people attend services, with the peak occurring on Easter Sunday.
While Catholic Churches are perhaps best known for their Ash Wednesday activities, several Protestant churches in the area will be having services as well.
The First Presbyterian Church, Trinity Lutheran Church and Abundant Life Foursquare Church are holding an ecumenical service on Wednesday evening at the Presbyterian church. The Lutheran and Presbyterian churches have held this service together for more than 16 years now. Each church brings traditions from its own congregation.
Rodriguez said he feels like this is an important time of year to come together with other local churches.
“It’s a way for Christians to get together and worship together,” Rodriguez said. “What we’ve been trying to do in Hollister is try to get the communities together. It’s a good way for congregations to learn.”
Whether local churchgoers are giving up vices for the Lenten season or are simply observing the season as an opportunity to reflect upon their lives, the period is an important time in most western Christian churches.
“I try to emphasize to people instead of giving something up, to do something beneficial instead,” said Rev. Joan Gardner of Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. “Do something positive that is different than what you usually do.”
Ash Wednesday Services
Mission San Juan Bautista Catholic Church
Services: 8:30am mass, 2:15pm children’s liturgy, 7pm bilingual mass. Distribution of ashes will take place all day.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Services: 7am mass, 9am mass in Spanish, 12:15pm bilingual mass, 7pm mass in English, 7pm mass in Spanish at St. Benedict Catholic Church
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Services: 7am mass, noon mass. Distribution of ashes will take place before and after both services.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Services: 10am service, 7pm mass. Communion and distribution of the ashes at both services.
First Presbyterian Church
Services: 6:30pm ecumenical service with Trinity Lutheran Church and Abundant Life Foursquare.
