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Show ASH WEDNESDAY , BEGINNING LENT Penitential Season of forty Days Begins in Churches Today. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the season of fasting. The observation of Lent, In commemoration of Christ's forty days fast, originated in the early days of the Christian church, and Is generally attributed to Gregory the Great, the originator of our present calendar.- . Lent opens on Ash Wednesday and closes on Easter Sunday, April 15. this year, a period of about forty-six days, An1 lt r.hipmnr la nhlls-nrnrv In th orthodox Greek, Lutheran and Catholic Catho-lic churches. The Western church does not Include the Intervening Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter, as they are considered days of fasting in themselves, them-selves, hence the number of fast days is reduced to forty. Special and appropriate services will be held In both Catholic and Episcopal churches of this city during the next forty days. Mass was held at St. Mary's church at 7:30 this morning, and holy communion at St. Paul's Episcopal church at 8 a. m. Other services will be held as follows: fol-lows: Special Lenten service will be held In St. Mary's cathedral Wednesdays and Fridays. At these the stations of the cross will be worshiped. The regular Sunday services will be held as usual. Ash Wednesday will be observed In St. Mark's cathedral today with morning morn-ing prayer. Litany and penitential offices wilt be celebrated at 11 o'clock this morning. Litany service, with discourse, dis-course, will be celebrated at 7:30 o'clock Friday evening. Special prayer service will be coraucted at 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon. The Lenten services will be held Mondays and Tuesdays In St. Paul's church. Holy communion will be celebrated cele-brated Thursday mornings at 10 o'clock nnd Friday evenings at 7:30 o'clock. The regular Sunday services will be held as usual. |