Ashes to Ashes: Christians Mark Start of Lent

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<p>Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, a time when Christians commit to acts of penitence and prayer in preparation for Easter Sunday.</p>

The Rev. Gordon Reid with Saint Clement's Episcopal Church, accompanied by Daniel Craig, places ash on a worshiper's forehead on Ash Wednesday at the corner of Chestnut and 19th Streets in Philadelphia on March 5, 2014.Matt Rourke / AP

March 5, 2014, 3:38 PM EST

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, a time when Christians commit to acts of penitence and prayer in preparation for Easter Sunday.

Image: A woman prays at St. Patrick's Cathedral — A woman prays at St. Patrick's Cathedral, on March 5, 2014 in New York.Mark Lennihan / AP

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