Students of Andiamo Education Institutions (AEI) and some workers of Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) began their conversion journey of forty days, in this Lenten Season with an Ash Wednesday mass co celebrated by Fathers Mario and Cesare in the schools’ cafeteria.
Fr. Mario Pacifici during Ash Wednesday mass
During the homily, Fr. Mario appealed to the congregation to journey in the path that the Holy Father has called the Catholics to do.
Quoting from the Lenten message of the chairperson of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Fr. Mario asked the congregation to “aim at a higher standard of Christian living”.
AEI campus will have “The Way of the Cross” every Friday from 1630 hours during this season of Lent, which is traditionally marked by prayer, sharing, silence, fasting and works of charity as we wait for Easter celebration.
According to Wikipedia, Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. The day falls on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter.
The day derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are made from the burnt palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.