Lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. It is a penitential season celebrated primarily by the Catholic Church and some other Christian traditions. During Lent there is a strong focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These spiritual exercises help prepare us for the celebration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, more frequently known as the Paschal Mystery.

Lent this year begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023. 

For Catholics Lent is a time to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Many Catholics will pray The Stations of the Cross, watch a Passion Play performance, perform acts of charity or service, choose to give something up all forty days, and attend a local Fish Fry.

The color purple is predominant during Lent and has many meanings. It’s the color of the robe Pontius Pilate put on Jesus before His crucifixion. Purple is also the traditional color of royalty, and represents that Jesus is our king. 

On Palm Sunday, priests wear red vestments to foreshadow Jesus’ death on the cross. This is also the color worn on Good Friday. 

White is used on Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday because it is the color of joy.