Churches prepare for Ash Wednesday
February 21, 2012 11:52AM
Father Frank Florczek blesses students at St. George School in Tinley Park while palms are burned for Wednesday's Ash Wednesday services. | Larry Ruehl~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 23, 2012 8:13AM
The Lenten season begins this week with Ash Wednesday, and many churches have been preparing by burning palm branches.
At St. George School in Tinley Park on Tuesday, students took part in the burning of the palms, which were blessed by the Rev. Father Frank Florczek.
Palm branches are traditionally burned to create the ashes that will be applied to the foreheads of Roman Catholics on Ash Wednesday, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago website.
Clergy in parishes throughout the Archdiocese will bless ashes and apply them to the foreheads of Catholics with the Sign of the Cross and the reminder, “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return,” the website said. The ashes are a sign of the need for penance and spiritual renewal through prayer, fasting and good works that begins the six weeks of Lent leading up to Holy Week and Easter, according to the Archdiocese.
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