In the parish of San Juan Bautista, in San Juan Sacatepéquez, 30 kilometers west of the capital, dozens of people early for the first mass of the day, before the sunrise.
The priest Carlos Puac received the faithful with the imposition of the cross and a homily about the importance of seeking God at all times and not only at the beginning of Lent.
Puac officiated the Mass next to the local brotherhood that is composed of nursing homes and indigenous leaders who after the imposition of the Cruz de Asiza carried out a procession in the main streets of the town.
The women of the town went to the church with their traditional clothing with bright yellow tones and hand embroidery veils.
“We come every year as an act of faith and thanks because, although they are difficult times economically, we must preserve our tradition,” said María Ajú, a woman who attended the parish of San Juan Bautista this Ash Wednesday.
In addition, the Indigenous Mayor’s Office of the municipality went to the first mass of the day with drums and wind instruments to accompany the activity.
Prior to attending the imposition of the Cross, many people from San Juan Sacatepéquez bought flowers from purple and roses Cempasúchil and roses that are part of the tradition of Lent’s beginning.
As in this town, thousands of Guatemalan parishioners come in the temples throughout the country to start the 40 days prior to Holy Week 2025. EFE.
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“You are dust and in dust you will become” it is the phrase that the parish priests of the Catholic churches stand out at the time of imposing the Cross of Ash on the forehead of the believers. Catholics attend Ash Wednesday masses to begin a period of preparation for Holy Week.
Father Luis René Sandoval, of the Archbishopric of Guatemala, explained that during Lent he gets used to fasting as a sign of penance towards God.
He added that this period is also used as a time to reflect and strengthen faith in the Gospel.