Pope Leo XIV calls for ‘countercultural’ repentance on first Ash Wednesday of his pontificate February 18, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Lent, News, Vatican, World News Beneath the Roman pines of the Aventine Hill, Pope Leo XIV led a solemn penitential procession Feb. 18 to Rome’s oldest extant basilica, marking the first Ash Wednesday of his pontificate with a call for “countercultural” repentance for sins from individuals, institutions and the Church itself.
Question Corner: Why doesn’t the Church require more demanding fasting for Lent? February 18, 2026By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Lent, Question Corner A more demanding common discipline would require far more exceptions, which could make it difficult for the majority of the Church to observe them together as one spiritual family.
Pope Leo XIV on Ash Wednesday: Ask the Lord for the gift of true conversion this Lent February 18, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Lent, News, Vatican, World News On Ash Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholics to ask the Lord for “the gift of true conversion” at the start of the 40-day penitential season of Lent.
A quick guide to fasting in Lent February 18, 2026By Michael R. Heinlein OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Feature, Lent Lent begins Feb. 18 this year. During this holy and penitential season, fasting is required of adult Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59. The required days of fasting are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Leo’s Lenten lessons February 18, 2026By Michael R. Heinlein OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Lent Pope Leo XIV’s first Lenten message is a great gift for those looking for a roadmap to the season.
From Foreheads to Crowns: How Ash Wednesday looks different worldwide February 17, 2026By Josephine Peterson Catholic News Service Filed Under: Lent, News, World News, Worship & Sacraments Catholics going to Mass on Ash Wednesday will leave church marked, but whether the ashes appear as a bold cross on the forehead or sprinkled atop the head depends largely on where in the world they worship.
Stepping up to Lent February 17, 2026By Jaymie Stuart Wolfe OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Lent Everything we love, cherish and enjoy — the best and most meaningful experiences we remember all our lives — require people who are willing to spend their resources, share their talents and work their tails off to make them happen.
‘Remember you are dust’: Why people fill the pew on Ash Wednesday February 17, 2026By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Lent, News, World News, Worship & Sacraments Why do so many people make an extra effort to get to church on Ash Wednesday — the first of Lent’s 40 days — when it is not a holy day of obligation, and they are not required to receive ashes?
Federal judge orders Catholic group be let into ICE facility on Ash Wednesday February 16, 2026By Simone Orendain Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, Lent, News, Religious Freedom, World News A federal district judge granted a preliminary injunction Feb. 12 that will allow clergy, religious and Catholic social justice advocates to enter a Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility west of Chicago on Ash Wednesday to provide ashes and holy Communion.
A season for blooming February 16, 2026By Archbishop William E. Lori Catholic Review Filed Under: Charity in Truth, Commentary, Lent Lent is something we do together, as a community of believers, surrounded by the grace of God. We’re not alone; we accompany one another in our journey of repentance. As the Church’s “growing season,” Lent is rich in God’s graces.
Lent’s CRS Lent Rice Bowl collection seen as more critical than ever after USAID cuts February 16, 2026By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Giving, Lent, News, Social Justice, World News A familiar Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services — the official relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S. — CRS Rice Bowl offers faith communities in every diocese throughout the United States the opportunity to put their faith into action.
An Amelia Bedelia moment and setting Lenten goals February 15, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window So, dinner was a little bumpy. But then my sister pulled out a pan of fresh apple crisp—still warm from the oven—for dessert.
