The Catholic Church of St. Gabriel in Fayetteville will begin the Lenten season with an Ash Wednesday communion service Wednesday, March 1, at 6:30 a.m. Masses will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. with ashes distributed at each. Deacon Al McHugh will preside over the communion service and Fr. Jimmy Adams will celebrate the Eucharist. All services will take place in the worship area at 152 Antioch Road.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent during which Christians embrace the remembrance of the 40 days Christ fasted in the desert. Upon its conclusion, the Catholic community will celebrate the Triduum and Easter.

The afternoon Mass on Ash Wednesday will be a children’s Mass and will have youngsters participating in special roles during the liturgy. Families are encouraged to bring the children to this celebration.

Each Friday during Lent, the parish will have a soup supper at 6 p.m. followed by Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m. The parish will also have a special Seder dinner, open to the entire community, on April 5.

The Stations of the Cross will be a mixture of traditional and those sponsored by the youngsters and teens. The traditional stations will be prayed on March 3, 17, 31, and April 7, all beginning at 7 p.m. The religious education classes will act out the stations in a special presentation on March 10 while the life teen group will sponsor the enactment on March 24.

Each Tuesday during lent, beginning March 7, a special prayer hour will be held in the sacristy from 6 until 7 p.m. and all are invited for quiet prayer and meditation.

The parish will have a penance service on March 14 at 7 p.m. and priests from the area will be available for individual confessions.

A regular weekend Mass schedule will take place during the entire Lenten season.

A complete schedule of Holy Week services, which will begin with Palm Sunday, April 9, and conclude Easter Sunday, April 16, will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Catholic Church of St. Gabriel is at 152 Antioch Rd., just south of the Ga. Hwy. 92 South intersection with Antioch Road. For additional directions or more information, call the parish office, 770-461-0492.

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