St. Michael’s student Benny Naegeli attends Ash Wednesday services at St. Michael Catholic Church. March 2, 2022.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD — Every pew was filled for Ash Wednesday services at St. Michael Catholic Church in Greenfield this week.
Rev. Aaron Jenkins said 258 people attended the 8:30 a.m. service, including about 150 students from St. Michael Catholic Church.
He predicted that about 300 people would attend the second Ash Wednesday service at 6 p.m.
St. Michael was among the Catholic and Lutheran churches throughout Hancock County celebrating Ash Wednesday on March 2, kicking off the 40-day season of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is held 46 days before Easter Sunday, giving Christians just over six weeks to focus on repentance, fasting, and reflection before celebrating Christ’s resurrection on Easter.
Jenkins said Pope Francis has asked church members around the world to include Ukraine in their prayers and fasting this Lenten season.
The Greenfield priest said Ash Wednesday is a special day to focus on faith and be reminded of our own mortality.
“The ashes symbolize that we’re mortal, that we’re not going to be here forever,” said Jenkins, who spread the ashes in the form of a cross on congregants’ foreheads on Wednesday.
When doing so, priests and bishops commonly recite a scripture from the book of Genesis: “Remember you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.”
At St. Michael, Jenkins prepared the ashes Tuesday night by burning palm leaves that were used at the church on Palm Sunday last year.
Since Catholics commonly refrain from eating meat on Fridays throughout Lent, St. Michael will host a fish fry from 5-7 p.m. each Friday through the six-week season.
The church will also host Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m. each Friday, allowing guests to prayerfully observe 14 images of events from the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion.
