Panaji: Thousands gathered in churches across the coastal state on Wednesday to mark the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday services.
This marks a solemn occasion in the Christian calendar, where believers reflect on the themes of repentance, humility, and renewal.
The Ash Wednesday rituals commenced with mass services, where priests marked the foreheads of the faithful with ashes in the shape of a cross, symbolizing 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 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.
