Christians mark beginning of Lenten season

Christians observed Ash Wednesday with services at churches across the region Wednesday.

The service ends by marking foreheads of the faithful with the sign of the cross with ashes made from last year's Palm Sunday leaves.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, a time of penitence for Christians.

Over the next 40 days — excluding Sundays — many will make sacrifices large and small as self-denial, which is a staple of Lent.

During the Ash Wednesday service, parishioners receive the ashen mark of a cross on their forehead.

The priest or lay minister usually says these words from Genesis: “Remember that from dust you came and to dust you will return.”