Catholic schools celebrate Ash Wednesday

Around the Archdiocese of Newark this week, Catholic school students, staff, and faith communities celebrated special services on Ash Wednesday, this year on Feb. 22.

Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in the Catholic Church. Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a time for reflection and repentance in preparation for the celebration of Easter. On this solemnity, faithful Catholics attend services to receive a special blessing and a mark of ashes on their foreheads, which serves as a reminder of human mortality and a mark of the individual’s witness to Christ’s death on the cross. 

Catholic school students attended Mass, were visited by priests in their classrooms, and received ashes from clergy, religious sisters, and even from fellow students and teachers on Ash Wednesday. 

Students also participated in lessons surrounding the history and meaning of Ash Wednesday, completing art projects and writing assignments as they learned about their faith. 


Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit. 


Lacordaire Academy in Montclair. 


St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark. 


Our Lady of Czestochowa (The OLC School and Little Harbor Academy) in Jersey City. 


Saint Leo’s School in Elmwood Park. 


Holy Trinity School in Westfield. 


Saint Thomas the Apostle School in Blomfield. 


Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell. 

Lacordaire Academy in Montclair.