The pope will visit Kinshasa and Goma, Congo and Juba, South Sudan, joining Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

A Reflection for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday

President Joe Biden told reporters on Ash Wednesday that earlier in the day he met with a cardinal for prayer and ashes—and revealed what he has given up for Lent.

When victims and survivors of sexual abuse are blamed, marginalized, stigmatized or silenced, they can be traumatized all over again. The Archdiocese of Regina is trying something new in its work with survivors.

We know that nothing stays the same, yet we live as though nothing ever changes.

In a time when smartphones are rarely more than a hand-reach away, more people are considering a 40-day break from social media as a deeper Lenten sacrifice.

“The rhythms of old age are an indispensable resource for grasping the meaning of life marked by time,” Pope Francis said in his general audience, and so spending time with our elders is not just a “waste of time.”

Ash Wednesday isn’t a holy day of obligation, but in English-speaking countries, it still has a powerful draw even for Catholics who are otherwise non-practicing.

Lent is a time of personal and communal conversion, when we acknowledge that God calls each one of us to draw closer and we examine the ways in which we need to grow in response to that call.

A reflection for Ash Wednesday from James Martin, S.J.