Lenten Observances

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025 and goes until the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025. During the Season of Lent, the Church calls all Catholics to observe the following:

Fasting & Abstinence

• Ash Wednesday & Good Friday | Both March 5, 2025 and April 17, 2025 are days of fast and abstinence (from meat) in the universal Church.
• Every Friday of Lent | All Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence (from meat) in the Church in the United States.
• The Law of Abstinence | Binds all Catholics aged 14 and older.
• The Law of Fasting | Binds Catholics aged 18 and over, until the beginning of their 60th year (through age 59).

Easter Duty

According to the Code of Canon Law, c. 920 §1-2: After being initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive holy communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at another time during the year." In the United States, the Easter Season is from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday.

In conjunction with the Easter Duty (Canon 920) is the second Precept of the Church: “You shall confess your sins at least once a year.” This ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness.