The spiritual journey to Easter Sunday began last week with the simple signing of the cross on the forehead with ash.

Thousands in this archdiocese and millions around the Catholic and Christian world attended Ash Wednesday services and Masses to receive this symbolic mark signalling the start of the Lenten season. The 40-days of Lent actually begins today, Sunday.

From all reports local churches, chapels and other places of worship were packed for early morning, mid-day or evening Masses.

At St Patrick’s church, Newtown, parish priest Msgr Esau Joseph celebrated mid-day Ash Wednesday Mass with a congregation of students and teachers from the nearby Newtown Girls’ and Boys’ Schools, parishioners and Catholic faithful working in the area.

He said Lent was an opportunity “to pause and reflect” on our spiritual lives and refocus on “the essentials of our faith”. He described the season as a “real blessing” and a tradition, explaining to the children the biblical significance of ashes and 40 days and nights.

Msgr Joseph encouraged the congregation to use Lent to deepen their prayer life, to fast and for almsgiving. “Prayer and fasting remain powerful tools God has given us” he said. He explained to the children the need to take the Gospel readings to heart, by not parading good deeds, and praying and fasting in secret (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18).

He said the use of ashes was “a humbling and powerful reminder” for humanity, that life is a continuous cycle of birth, growth, aging and eventual death. Before distributing ashes, Msgr Joseph asked everyone to make the period a productive and holy one.

Fr Urban Hudlin, OP, parish priest of Marabella/Pointe-à-Pierre/Claxton Bay told Catholic News the 7 a.m. Mass was packed with parishioners while the midday Mass was filled with workers from companies in the area.

He said the large turnout at Masses for Ash Wednesday was “nothing extraordinary” as “deep down, people are searching…there is an inner hunger in people”. He said (in his sermon) at the midday Mass that he advised the faithful to use this Lenten period as a time to continue their “inner search for peace”.

Msgr Kenneth Spence, parish priest of St Joseph, Scarborough, Tobago, used the colloquial “chok-a-block” to describe the large turnout of faithful.

He told Catholic News the 6.30 a.m. liturgy at the Patience Hill chapel was filled to overflowing, while the 10 a.m. Mass mainly for the parish school students at the main church was also filled to capacity. The congregation at that Mass included visitors, Trinidadians as well as foreigners. He expected the evening Mass to follow the same pattern.

Msgr Spence opined that judging from the response of the people, many have captured “the idea behind the meaning of Lent” and are truly “ready for the season”.

See the Viewpoint for the Ash Wednesday homily delivered by Tortuga parish priest Fr Steve Duncan and our listing of Lenten retreats across the archdiocese.