The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will celebrate the 12 p.m. Mass on Wednesday, March 5th, at St. James Cathedral Basilica, 250 Cathedral Place, Brooklyn, to mark Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season.

Bishop DiMarzio will distribute the ashes on the foreheads of congregants during the Mass. As is customary, the ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made by burning the blessed palms from Palm Sunday the previous year. Palm Sunday, the final Sunday before Easter, commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It also marks the beginning of Holy Week.

In a special way, the Bishop will remember the people of Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, as they struggle with political instability, violence and conflict.

Lent, the Christian observance of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday is a 40-day session of penitence and preparation for the commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It ends with the celebration of the Sacred Triduum, the three holiest days of the year: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. Easter Sunday will be celebrated this year on April 20th.