The 40-day season of Lent leading up to Easter begins today with area churches holding Ash Wednesday services. In Catholic churches in Manteca, Ripon and Lathrop, the services held at various times of the day will include the traditional imposition of ashes on the foreheads of the faithful.

For Christian believers, the 40 days of lent is devoted to fasting, penance and abstinence in preparation for Holy Week. For many, this is a season to give up something – such as candy or smoking – to offer as a sacrifice in communion with Christ’s suffering.

Among Catholics, Ash Wednesday is observed as a day of fasting and abstinence from meat. According to the church’s Lenten regulations, those who are between the ages of 18 and 60 must observe fasting with the exception of those who are ill. Abstinence from meat applies to those who are age 14 and older. All Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence also. Fasting means one full meal and two small meals that are not equal to one full meal.



Ash Wednesday Masses and services

• St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 505 East North St., Manteca.

Today, Feb. 22: Masses in English are scheduled for 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 6 p.m. Mass in Spanish will be at 8 p.m. At 12 o’clock, there will be a Scripture Service in English. Blessed ashes will be distributed at all Masses and at the noon Scripture Service.

During Lent, Stations of the Cross will be prayed each Friday during Lent starting at 7 p.m. in the church. This is open to the public.

A Senior Penance Service is also scheduled for Wednesday, March 7, at 3:30 p.m.



• Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 16200 Cambridge Drive, Lathrop

There will be only one Ash Wednesday service held at the church. It will begin at 6 o’clock this evening. Father Francisco Naranjo, the church pastor, will preside over the bilingual Mass and distribution of ashes. The church is just a block north of Louise Avenue.



• St. Patrick’s Church, 19399 E. Highway 120 in Ripon.

The church serves the community of Ripon, Escalon, and Farmington. The pastor is Father Peter Carota.

The Mass schedules for Ash Wednesday are 8 a.m. in English, 5:30 p.m. in traditional Latin, and 7 p.m. in Spanish.

Other Lenten observances are scheduled at St. Patrick’s and St. Anthony of Padua in Manteca.

As has been the tradition in the last several years, St. Anthony of Padua will have its Lenten Soup Suppers. The first of these will be held Monday, Feb. 27, with the Italian Catholic Federation preparing the soup of the day which will be homemade minestrone. Soup is served on Mondays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Guests don’t have to bring their dinnerware. Bowls, spoons and napkins will be provided.

The Lenten Fish Dinners offered by the Knights of Columbus and YMI will be held on the following Fridays during Lent: March 2, March 16, and March 30. Donations are $12 for adults, $7 for children age 12 and younger. The menu will consist of codfish, red potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, rolls and ice cream. For tickets, call any of the following: Leo DeGroot at (209) 479-3061, Joe Gomes at (209) 765-2525, or the church office at (209) 823-7197.

At St. Patrick’s Church in Ripon, a Lenten Parish Mission with Father Joseph Illo, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Modesto who previously served at St. Anthony of Padua in Manteca, as the featured speaker will be offered. The mission, whose theme is “Spirituality of Mother Teresa on the Rosary,” will be held Monday to Wednesday, Feb. 27-29, in the church. Child care will be available.