Enjoy Fat Tuesday, Lent Starts Wednesday

Tomorrow is the kickoff for Lent, and Catholic churches throughout Orange County and the world will host Ash Wednesday 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.

In Los Alamitos, St. Hedwig Catholic Church will host Ash Wednesday services at 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

In Seal Beach, St. Anne Catholic Church will host services at 9 a.m., noon and 7 p.m.