| 12 Wednesday | |
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| violet | Ash Wednesday | |
| | Mass of Ash Wednesday; after the sign of the cross and greeting, the penitential act is omitted.
Preface of Lent III or IV. |
| | [219] Joel 2: 12-18; Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14+17; 2 Cor 5:20-6:2; Matt 6:1-6, 16-18 |
| | (Switch to Vol. II of the Lit. of the Hours.)
Hours of Ash Wednesday; Psalter Week 4 today and until Saturday.
Today at Morning Prayer, the psalms of Friday, Week 3 may be used. |
| | The celebrant blesses and distributes ashes after the homily.
Other persons may be associated with the bishop or priest in the imposition of ashes, e.g., deacons, special ministers of communion and other lay persons, when there is true pastoral need. |
| Special ministers of communion and deacons may bring blessed ashes to the sick and those confined to their homes. If a minister is not available, a member of the family or another person may bring the blessed ashes to a shut-in, using one of the formulas in the Roman Missal to impose ashes. |
| For pastoral reasons the blessing and distribution of ashes may take place outside Mass. In this case, the entire liturgy of the word should be celebrated: entrance song, opening prayer, readings and chants, homily, blessing and distribution of ashes, and general intercessions. See the Book of Blessings, nos. 1656ff. |
| Anniversary: | 177th anniversary of the death of P. Reginald Colley (55) d. 1904 at Stonyhurst, Lancs, England.  |
| Anniversary: | 64th anniversary of the death of P. Anthony Bex (ZIM) (95) d. 2017 at Harare, Zimbabwe. |
| Birthday: | 85th birthday of S. Francisco João SANTOS (born this day in 1996). |
| Birthday: | 123rd birthday of P. Tadeusz ÅšWIDERSKI (born this day in 1958). |
On this day in our Jesuit history...
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| 1787 | At Milan the death of Rudiger Boscovich, among the most famous scientists in Jesuit history. His theory of the composition of matter foreshadowed in part modern atomic theory. |
| 1866 | Pope Pius IX wrote a papal brief in favor of La Civilta Cattolica. |
| 1958 | Joseph Bonsirven, S.J. dies Scripture scholar. |
| 1964 | The Jesuits, 18 Canadian Jesuits, are expelled from Haiti. |
| 1967 | Francis X. Roser, S.J. dies A scientist, he worked on the measurement of radioactivity in Brazil. |
| 1977 | Calvert Alexander dies. Editor of Jesuit Missions. |
| 2000 | Richard McCormick, S.J. dies, age 77. Taught at seminaries, wrote ‘Notes on Moral Theology’ for Theological Studies, and many books on moral theology and medical ethics. |
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