BANGOR, Maine — About 200 students from All Saints Catholic School marked the start of the Lenten season at St. John Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday.
The Rev. Brad Morin and student acolytes drew crosses in ash on the foreheads of churchgoers while saying, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.”
Lent is a 40-day period of observance and penitence leading up to Easter Sunday. Traditionally, Catholics will choose something to give up or do differently during Lent as part of that reflection.
“It has to mean something to you,” said Laura Ford, an eighth-grader. “You should suffer a little, just to remind yourself of how Jesus suffered for us.”
Catholics also are encouraged to devote more time to prayer and meditation during Lent, which reflects the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert in the Bible.
Ford said she’s still thinking about what she’ll be doing to observe Lent. Classmate Jaelin Roberts has decided to take a break from her social media accounts. Other students said they were giving up candy, beef, soda, video games and other things they enjoy.
All Saints students attend a weekly Mass on Wednesdays, but the students in kindergarten through third grade typically attend Mass at a different church, according to Principal Joseph Gallant. On Ash Wednesday, they all come together.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.