Ash Wednesday is the kickoff for Lent, and Catholic churches throughout Orange County and the world will host services to honor the occasion.

Lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter. On Ash Wednesday, foreheads are marked with ashes made from burned palm fronds saved from the previous Palm Sunday, an ancient ritual signifying the message of Christ resurrected, according to a press release from the Diocese of Orange.

“It is important to focus on more than denial during Lent," Bishop Tod D. Brown said in a statement. "I, along with my fellow priests, encourage Catholics to dedicate themselves to positive acts of contribution throughout the Lenten season and beyond. While abstinence and penance have become the historical hallmarks of Lent, this season provides us the opportunity to do something positive in anticipation of Easter and its important message of redemption.”

Brown is scheduled to celebrate an Ash Wednesday Mass at 8:15 a.m. at Holy Family Cathedral, 566 S. Glassell St. in Orange.

Our Lady of Fatima Lent 2012

Ash Wednesday—February 22
Mass schedule

7 & 8:30 am; 6 pm (English); 7:30 pm (Spanish)

Prayer service with ashes: 4 pm

Fasting and Abstinence during Lent
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday

Throughout Lent
Evening Mass
Every Wednesday at 6:30 pm
(February 29—April 4)

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessions)
Every Wednesday following evening Mass
Saturday from 4 to 5 pm

Stations of the Cross
Every Friday at 7 pm
(February 24—March 30)

Related Topics: Ash Wednesday 2012 and Diocese of Orange