Fat Tuesday--a traditional day of celebration before Ash Wednesday
Daily Readings (on USCCB site):
» February 24, 2009(will open a new window)
Collect: Father, keep before us the wisdom and love you have revealed in your Son. Help us to be like him in word and deed, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
« February 24, 2009 »
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Today is the day before Ash Wednesday, called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Traditionally, it is the last day for Christians to indulge before the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians. In many southern states of the USA Mardi Gras is a traditional holiday. The most famous celebration takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. It has been celebrated there on a grand scale, with masked balls and colorful parades, since French settlers arrived in the early 1700s.
On April 17th, 1958, His Holiness Pope Pius XII confirmed the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday (Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) for all the dioceses and religious orders who would ask for the Indult from Rome in order to celebrate it. You can learn more about this devotion at Holy Face Devotion and at the Holy Face Association.
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Matthias. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on May 14th.
more...
See also:
PRAYERS » Shrove Tuesday Prayer
posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 12:52 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home