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Catholic Lent 2024 starts on Wednesday.
"On Wednesday, February 14, Ash Wednesday, we begin the time of Lent, a time of preparation for the Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord," the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest said on Tuesday, told Agerpres.
Auxiliary Bishop of Bucharest Cornel Damian will preside over the Divine Liturgy at 18:3hrs in St. Joseph's Cathedral in Bucharest.
Divine Liturgies at St. Joseph's Cathedral are celebrated at 07:00hrs; 09:00hrs; 17:00hrs and 18:30hrs, while the Stations of the Cross is celebrated at 18:00hrs every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday during Lent.
During the Divine Liturgy, ash is sprinkled on top of the head to symbolise penance.
The first day of Lent fasting is always on a Wednesday, which is called Ash Wednesday.
Fasting itself allows only one meal a day until sated, allowing little food to be taken in the morning and evening. All those who have reached the age of 21 to the age of 60 are bound by the law of fasting.
The entire period of Lent is a time of penance, when the behaviour of the Christian must be marked by a form of self-renunciation.
This year, the Catholic Lent begins on February 14, while the Orthodox Lent starts on March 18. Catholic Easter 2024 is celebrated on March 31, and Orthodox Easter on May 5.
Two years in a row, in 2010 and 2011, as well as in 2014 and 2017, Easter was celebrated on the same day by all Christians - Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Evangelical and Reformed, neo-Protestant denominations. The next time when the Lord's Resurrection is jointly celebrated will be on April 20, 2025.
The greatest feast of Christians, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, after His crucifixion on Good Friday.
