Believers receive ashes at St. Paul’s Church in Concord

The atmosphere at St. Paul’s Church reflected a ritual observed worldwide as Rector Jean Beniste and Reverend Nancy Strong began administering ashes with the sign of the cross.

The Ash Wednesday service in downtown Concord marked the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period in the Christian calendar dedicated to fasting and spiritual preparation for Easter. A symbol of human mortality, the imposition of ashes serves as a reminder of the inevitability of death that moves believers to repentance.

During the following 40 days, many Christians will abstain from eating meat on Fridays and elect to forgo other pleasures of their choosing. Lenten practices end with Good Friday and Easter Sunday, days in the religious calendar that mark the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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