Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1914 — St. Augustine’s Church Notes. [ARTICLE]

St. Augustine’s Church Notes.

Next Sunday the services at St. Augustine’s church will be as follows: First mass at 8 o’clock; Rosary highmass and reading of the lenten regulations at 10 o’clock. The Holy Name Society will meet at 2 o’clock. All candidates should make an effort to be present. The solemn reception of the candidates into the Holy Name Society will take place at 3 o’clock, Rev. Ignatius Rauh will deliver the sermon. All are welcome at these impressive servics. After these services there will be a banquet prepared by the ladies of the parish at the parochial school hall. A program has been prepared and will be rendered in connection with the banquet. This feast is not intended for the members of the Holy Name Society only, but also for the members of the parish and their friends.

Each morning during the week there will be divine services at 8 o’clock. Wednesday, 25th of February, is known as Ash Wednesday, and it is called thus because on this day the Catholic church blesses ashes and puts them on the foreheads of the faithful, saying, “Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.” (Gen. iil, 19). In blessing the ashes the church asks that all who receive them with a contrite heart may be preserved in soul and body; that God may give them contrition, and pardon their sins, and that he may grant them all they humbly ask for, particularly the grace to do penance, and the reward promised to the truly pentlent. The faithful are sprinkled with ashes because the sprinkling with ashes was always a public sign of penance. David sprikled ashes on his bread. The Ninevites, Judith, Job and others, did penance In sack cloth and ashes. We should receive the blessed ashes according to the intention with which, they blessed and sprinkled upon the heads of the faithful in humility, remembering and confessing that we are dust anif ashes and that for our sins we are willing to commence the holy season of Lent, and are not ashamed to follow Christ doing penance publicly, and bearing ashes on our foreheads. During the holy season of Lent there will be Lenten devotions on each Wednesday and Friday evening at 7:30 . x x