Parishes gearing up for Pancakes Parties before Lent begins
Many parishes across Sussex will be organising pancake parties and celebrations next Tuesday as they prepare for the start of the Christian season of Lent the following day.
Shrove Tuesday has become more popular in recent years with supermarkets and local shops stocking up on everything needed to make Pancake Day a success.
But for Christians, it is a last day of celebration and indulgence before the solemn season of Lent begins next Wednesday (Ash Wednesday).
Lent marks the 40 days and nights that Jesus was in the wilderness and Christians use the time to prepare for the great events of Holy Week and Easter which this year falls at the end of March.
The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, has commissioned a Lent Course for 2024. It takes up the theme of the whole year in the Diocese which has been designated as the Year of the New Testament. Parishes and individuals can find materials on the diocesan website to guide them through the Lent course.
On Ash Wednesday itself, the tradition is for last year's palm crosses to be burnt and for the ash to be combined with oil and applied as a cross on the foreheads of the faithful. It is also a day for prayer, fasting and reflection.
A spokesperson for the Diocese said today: "Lent Holy Week & Easter are hugely poignant times for many parishes and clergy and lay people will now be putting last minute touches to special services, meetings and events."
The Diocesan Lent course can be found here