Churches mark Ash Wednesday with services across Bloomington

Today, millions of Catholics will celebrate the Day of Ashes, commonly known as Ash Wednesday.\nThe holiday commemorates the first day of Lent in the Catholic calendar. Lent is a 40-day period of fasting and meditation before Easter. \nFather Charlie Chesebrough of St. Charles Borromeo Church, 2222 E. Third St., said Ash Wednesday is one of the "oldest traditions within Christianity. It is meant to jolt us back to reality. It reminds us that the life on this earth is temporary and we answer to a higher power."\nAfter Ash Wednesday, Catholics try to follow Christ's example during Lent, giving up material things and refraining from certain indulgences.\nDevout Catholics fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. When fasting, a person eats only one main meal a day, said Susan Schramm, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The individual can choose which meal to eat and is allowed two small snacks during the day. \nCatholics also refrain from eating meat during the Lenten period and traditionally give up something they enjoy as a sign of penitence, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.\nLent is meant to remember the 40 days Jesus Christ wandered in the wilderness, fasted and pondered his impending crucifixion. Catholics believe during this time Satan tried to tempt him, urging him to change loaf-shaped rocks into bread, bow to the devil to receive earthly kingdoms and test God by casting himself from the top of the temple in Jerusalem.\nAs part of Ash Wednesday services, priests draw ash crosses on the foreheads of parishioners before they receive communion. The ashes are made from the palm fronds that were used in last year's Palm Sunday celebration.\nAs he does this, the priest says, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return."\nJunior Eugene Donahue, a Catholic, said the service has great spiritual importance.\n"It humbles you," he said. "You are made of ashes, so it reminds you of your mortality."\nThe three main Roman Catholic churches in Bloomington are having commemorative masses and communions today. St. Paul's Catholic Center, 1413 E. 17th St., will have Ash Wednesday masses at 7 a.m., 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.\nSt. Charles will hold masses at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and will have communion at noon.\nChesebrough said the scheduling of the communion service is targeted toward students and working individuals who don't have a lot of time. It offers them the opportunity to attend an event commemorating the day without having to go to a full mass, he said. \nSt. John The Apostle Catholic Church, 4607 46th Ave. West, will hold mass at noon and 7 p.m.\nAn Ash Wednesday mass will be held in the Whittenberg Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union. This will be sponsored by St. Paul's Catholic Center, which has been commissioned by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis to serve students, Chesebrough said.\nWhile the holiday is of significance to Catholics, not all students who want to attended services will be able to do so.\n"I am going to a K201 exam on Wednesday from 9 (p.m.) to 11 (p.m.)," said sophomore Mark Krodel. "And I can't make the services."\nBut University policy and federal law dictate that students are allowed to observe religious holidays despite academic conflicts, according to the Bloomington Faculty Council.\nIf students have ongoing conflicts with instructors, they can discuss the matter with them. If either person is dissatisfied with the results of this dialogue, he or she can contact Associate Dean of the Faculties Kim Walker at 855-0230. Students can also call the IUSA Student Rights office at 856-4188.