“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
The Rev. Robert Pace recited those words as he marked ashes on Trinity Episcopal Church guests’ foreheads on Feb. 22.
Parishioners take their seats before Ash Wednesday mass begins on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A parishioner takes her seat before mass on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A sign tells parishioners what day it is on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Rev. Robert Pace welcomes parishioners on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A mass program reads: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The phrase is said by the pastor as he imposes ashes on parishioners’ foreheads on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Parishioners stand as Rev. Robert Pace reads the gospel on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Rev. Robert Pace says his sermon on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Rev. Robert Pace imposes ashes on a parishioner’s forehead on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
A parishioner takes the eucharist, or body of Christ, on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report) 
Parishioners leave mass on Feb. 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive South. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
Pace and the mass attendees practiced the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, a rite that marks the beginning of Lent, a season observed in some Christian denominations in which practitioners fast and pray for penitence.
“Lent comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word that actually just means ‘spring.’ I love that because spring is a season of renewal, so Lent as a church season is the season of renewal,” Pace said. “This is kind of like the master reset button. So Ash Wednesday is that huge reset button that we say, ‘Oh, let’s pause. Let’s pause in this crazy world and remember that we’re mortal.’”
Christian denominations that practice Ash Wednesday or Lent:
- Lutheran
- Presbyterian
- Roman Catholic
- Anglican/Episcopal
- Methodist
Source: Britannica and Learn Religions
The season of Lent lasts 40 days, not including Sundays, and signifies a period of self-reflection and the betterment of one’s self, Pace said.
“During Lent, part of the tradition is either giving things up or adding things,” Pace said. “A lot of our parishioners, for instance, will give up sweets or alcohol. I’m going to give up a variety of things during this for the purpose of helping me remember I am mortal.”
Lent ends with the celebration of Easter, or the day Jesus Christ was said to have been resurrected, Pace said.
Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by email or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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