Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten season for Chicago Catholics, with many carrying an ashen cross across their foreheads. It is a tradition that goes back centuries, but at St. Pius V Church,

Many Chicago Catholics participated in Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

One by one, a cross was etched with dark ashes across each student’s forehead. “This is why we run a Catholic school, to do stuff like this and live the liturgical life amongst the students,” The Rev.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten Season in Catholicism, one of the most religious seasons in the Catholic Church. And, with Pope Francis' health failing, parishioners at Rockford's Cathedral of St.

Photos: Catholics around the Lehigh Valley attended services to mark Ash Wednesday, observed on the first day of Lent.

Many Christians throughout the area observed Ash Wednesday, including those at St. Michael Catholic Church in Vienna.