According to the United Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lent is, "Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday.

As Lent begins, Chicagoans participate in the solemn ritual of receiving ashes on their foreheads. Photos: Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent for Christians - Chicago Sun-Times ...

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent for Christians. Lent marks the 40 days Jesus is said to have spent in the desert fasting, praying and resisting the devil’s temptations.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Church celebrations to mark the night before Lent go by many names -- Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras or its English translation, which is Fat Tuesday, to name a few -- but the ...

Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images Kaydn Dorsey, 4, and Lionel Perkins, 4, draw on a coloring sheet bearing the image of Pope Francis as they wait for him to arrive on a visit to Catholic ...

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, which is a 40 day period when Catholics are asked to devote themselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to service by giving alms, and ...