Panaji, Mar 5 (PTI) Thousands of people gathered in churches across Goa to mark the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday services.
Lent is the solemn religious observance where believers reflect on the themes of repentance, humility and renewal.
The Ash Wednesday rituals commenced with mass services in Goa, which has nearly 30 per cent Christian population.
Priests at various churches marked the foreheads of the faithful with ashes in the shape of a cross, symbolising mortality and the call to penance.
In Goa’s historic churches, including the Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral at Old Goa (North Goa), the faithful prayed for spiritual renewal and the strength to embrace the Lenten journey leading up to Easter.
For many in Goa, Ash Wednesday is more than just a religious observance, it’s a communal expression of faith, said Fr Mauricio Colaco, priest of the Holy Cross Church at Santa Cruz, near Panaji.
He said that the 40-day-Lent period is important for compassion, self-discipline and community service.
“Ash Wednesday is a reminder of our human fragility and our call to live a life of grace and kindness,” he said. PTI RPS GK
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