Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger will administer ashes during Masses at three different locations on Ash Wednesday, March 1, the official start of the Lenten season for Roman Catholics and many other Christians worldwide.
The Bishop’s schedule will be as follows:
9:30 a.m. Mass at LaSalle Institute in Troy
12:15 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany
3 p.m. Mass at SUNY Oneonta, Hunt Union, in Oneonta
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, the 40-day preparation period in anticipation of Easter. Blessed ashes are used to mark a cross on the forehead of Christians as a sign of their mortality and the need to repent and be faithful to the Gospel.