17/02/2026
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)
Join us for Mass for Ash Wednesday on February 18, 2026 | 10:00 AM at the Chapel of Divine Mercy, UNEP Campus, Iriga City.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season—a 40-day journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. The practice of placing ashes on the forehead traces back to ancient biblical times, when people used ashes as a sign of repentance, humility, and mourning before God (cf. Job 42:6; Jonah 3:6).
In the early Church, penitents wore ashes as a public sign of conversion. By the Middle Ages, this tradition extended to all the faithful, reminding us of our human frailty and our need for God’s mercy. The ashes, made from blessed palm branches of the previous year’s Palm Sunday, symbolize both repentance and hope in Christ’s saving grace.
As we begin this sacred season, may we turn our hearts back to God and walk together in faith toward the joy of Easter.