Lent begins with ashes in the North Allegheny area

Tribune-Review
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 3:11 p.m. | Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 3:11 p.m.

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Rev. Robin Jarrell administers ashes on Ash Wednesday 2023 to Archer Thompson and his mother Annemarie Malbon at St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church in Franklin Park.

Young and old alike eye the griddles at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church on Feb. 21. Bottom left, sisters Edith and Julia Waseleski; top, from left to right, Saundra Waseleski, Janice Moore and Alan Schneider.

Annemarie Malbon and her son Archer Thompson received ashes on Ash Wednesday at St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church in Franklin Park.

Lent began on Feb. 22 with the distribution of ashes in churches throughout the North Allegheny area, including St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church on McAleer Road in Franklin Township. The church also hosted a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper the day before on Feb. 21.

Shrove Tuesday is a traditional day of feasting the day before the arrival of Lent, which is a 40-day period of denial, prayer and reflection for Christians in preparation for Easter. Pancakes were served on Shrove Tuesday because they used up ingredients that were at one time forbidden during Lent.

The Twitter Lent Tracker operated by OpenBible.info tracks the number of mentions of Lent during the week of Ash Wednesday and what people are “giving up” for the next 40 days. It then compiles a Top 100 ranking. This year’s top three items were: Twitter, alcohol and social networking.