By Katie Vasquez
For Catholics, a cross of ashes made from Palm Sunday palms placed on the forehead mark the beginning of Lent.
Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Ash Wednesday at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn, distributing ashes to the faithful in the church while reminding them to turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel. The Brooklyn shepherd says that’s the point of this Lenten season leading up to Christ’s death and resurrection.
“There’s always the invitation to turn to the Lord and sing. God never gives up on us,” he told Currents News.
Ash Wednesday also marks the beginning of a Lenten pilgrimage in the Diocese of Brooklyn: for the next 40 days faithful will travel to multiple churches throughout Brooklyn and Queens to join together in Mass, prayer, and reflection.
This year, in honor of the 2025 Holy Year, six of those stops will be Jubilee shrine churches. They are special places of pilgrimage where, if you meet certain conditions, you can receive a plenary indulgence and be free from temporal punishment for your sins.
“They’ll continue to be of significance not only on the day of their Lenten visit, but through the year,” said Bishop Brennan.
Bishop Brennan will be leading the way, and many are excited to join him throughout the journey.
” It’s amazing. It’s the best. It’s the best time.,” Madeline Flood, a parishioner at St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Parish in Brooklyn, told Currents News. “The pilgrimage is just, it’s so spiritually renewing.”
And as many consider their own personal Lenten sacrifice, Bishop Brennan suggests maybe Catholics consider adding a habit that leads to finding ways to connect with Christ.
“God gives us the ability to turn once again to Him. And so this is a chance for us to deepen our relationship with the Lord,” said Bishop Brennan.
It’s a call those in the pews of St. James are happy to answer.
“So I’m going to go back to what I know was familiar, you know? God is love,” Margaret Ames, who attended the Ash Wednesday Mass, told Currents News.
“It’s why I love Lent so much, it is a perfect way to get closer to God,” added Gervin Charles, who also attended the Ash Wednesday Mass.
The next stop in the Lenten pilgrimage will be at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, Queens, and pilgrims are also welcome to log their progress through the Lenten Pilgrimage app.
Even if you are not able to participate in person, you can still join the community online through the app to see all of the pilgrimage stops and even make prayer requests. To do so, download the Lenten Pilgrimage app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
You can also get more information by visiting lent.dioceseofbrooklyn.org/.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, a time of renewal as the Church journeys towards Easter. Bishop Robert Brennan is asking the faithful of the Diocese of Brooklyn to turn their attention to the following regulations.
Click the image below to view the full PDF in the March 1 print edition of The Tablet.
