1. Home
  2. Religion & Spirituality
  3. Catholicism
What is the season of Lent in the Roman Catholic Church? Which holy days fall in Lent? How is Lent practiced in Roman Catholicism? Find out more about Lent in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar.
Catholic Liturgical Calendar for Lent 2013
Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The following is a list of the dates of the Sundays and major feast days that fall in Lent 2013.
Catholic Liturgical Calendar for Lent 2012
Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The following is a list of the dates of the Sundays and major feast days that fall in Lent 2012.
Catholic Liturgical Calendar for Lent 2011
Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The following is a list of the dates of the Sundays and major feast days that fall in Lent 2011.
Catholic Liturgical Calendar for Lent 2008
Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The following is a list of the dates of the Sundays and major feast days that fall in Lent 2009.
Catholic Liturgical Calendar for Lent 2010
Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The following is a list of the dates of the Sundays and major feast days that fall in Lent 2010.
When Does Lent Start?
When does Lent start?
How Are the 40 Days of Lent Calculated?
Lent, the period of prayer and fasting in preparation for Easter, is 40 days long, but there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and Easter. How can that be?
Spiritual Reading for Lent
An excellent way to focus our thoughts and deepen our understanding of the meaning of Lent is to turn to the Bible. In the Office of the Readings, part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church, the Church has chosen scriptural passages that are appropriate to every day of the Lenten season.
Abstinence as Spiritual Discipline
What does abstinence mean? Why and when do Catholics abstain from meat? Learn more about the spiritual discipline of abstinence in the Catholic Church.
Fasting: A Powerful Spiritual Tool
What does fasting mean? Why and when do Catholics fast? Learn more about the spiritual discipline of fasting in the Catholic Church.
What Is Clean Monday?
For Western Christians, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. For Eastern Rite Catholics, however, Clean Monday is the first day of Great Lent.
When Is Mardi Gras 2008?
Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday") or Shrove Tuesday, is the last day of feasting before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
Shrove Tuesday
What is Shrove Tuesday?
Ash Wednesday in the Catholic Church
Most people know that Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the time of preparation before Easter. But how is it celebrated? And why do Catholics wear ashes on their foreheads on this day? Find out more about Ash Wednesday here.
Is Ash Wednesday a Holy Day of Obligation?
Is Ash Wednesday a Holy Day of Obligation? Find out here!
What Is Laetare Sunday?
Laetare Sunday is the popular name for the Fourth Sunday in Lent. "Laetare" means "Rejoice" in Latin, and Laetare Sunday has traditionally been viewed as a day of celebration, on which the austerity of Lent is briefly lessened.
Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday is the day that Christ celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, four days after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Is Holy Thursday a Holy Day of Obligation?
Is Holy Thursday a Holy Day of Obligation? Find out here!
Good Friday
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, commemorates the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. No Mass is celebrated on this day; a special liturgy is celebrated instead.
Is Good Friday a Holy Day of Obligation?
Is Good Friday a Holy Day of Obligation? Find out here!
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008
Each year, the Holy Father releases a message at the beginning of Lent, to focus the thoughts of Catholics and to guide them during the Lenten season. Pope Benedict XVI's Lenten Message for 2008 is a reflection on 2 Corinthians 8,9: "Christ made Himself poor for you."
Explore Catholicism
About.com Special Features

Ten common misconceptions about Islam debunked. More >

Use these prayers to inspire and inform your own conversations with God. More >

  1. Home
  2. Religion & Spirituality
  3. Catholicism
  4. Holy Days and Holidays
  5. Lent

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.