On Wednesday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m., RooCatholic is hosting an Ash Wednesday Mass in the Gradner Theater inside of the Jean Hower Taber Student Union.
According to its President, Charlie Rizk, RooCatholic, a registered student organization at The University of Akron, wants to ensure that individuals from all faiths and backgrounds know that they are invited and welcome to the Ash Wednesday service.
Ash Wednesday is holy day, celebrated yearly by members of the Roman Catholic faith, at the beginning of the Lent season. Lent is the season of repentance and reconciliation for the church. 
Ash Wednesday Mass is always held on the first of the 40 days leading up to Easter. During the Ash Wednesday mass, the priest will bless the ashes that are brought forth and will distribute the ashes to the people in attendance.
Students will have the opportunity to hear a homily from Father Eric Garris, vocation director for the Diocese of Cleveland, who said mass last year and will again be the celebrant for this year’s Ash Wednesday service.
According to the Diocese website, for Catholics, a vocation is the calling that God has for their lives. Father Garris’ office helps individuals searching for their vocation through prayer, honest questioning, and sincere conversation about one’s own gifts and talents.
Attendees can also expect to see RooCatholic members as part of the ceremony. Those participating will assist with the Ash Wednesday mass as altar servers, lectors and greeters at the door.
The Ash Wednesday Service
For those who have not attended an Ash Wednesday service, or for those who are not Catholic, witnessing the distribution of ashes can be a strange new experience. The ceremony is filled with meaning for Catholic attendees.
“The ashes are actually made-up out of the palm leaves from last year’s Palm Sunday mass,” Charlie Rizk, President of RooCatholic, said. On Palm Sunday, another holy day that is part of the Lenten season, churchgoers hold palms to commemorate Jesus arriving in Jerusalem, which appears in the each of the four canonical gospels.
The ashes are mixed with holy water or chrism oil to create a light paste, so when the celebrant places a cross on the forehead of each person in attendance, it will remain on the skin as a symbol throughout the day.
For Catholics, the ashes symbolize the dust from which God created man and the dust to which a person returns after their death. 
During the ceremony, the priest will intonate, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” While with his thumb, covered in the ashes, makes the sign of the cross on the person’s forehead.
“It’s a line from Genesis,” Rizk said.
Those receiving ashes will say “Amen” with a cross on their forehead.
After the distribution of ashes, the mass will continue as normal.
What to Expect During a Catholic Mass
For those interested in attending who are not Catholic, the mass follows a predictable format.
A typical daily mass opens with a hymn, and then proceeds to the liturgy of the word where lectors read from the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible. The celebrant will read directly from the gospels, which detail the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
After the liturgy of the word, attendees can expect the distribution of ashes.
After the distribution and prayer intentions is the Eucharist, the Roman Catholic communion.
Because Catholics believe they are receiving the literal body of Jesus Christ in bread and wine, which becomes the body and blood after the priest’s blessing, NonCatholics cannot receive the Eucharist during a Catholic mass.
Receiving communion requires preparation and receiving two earlier sacraments, one of which is intended to allow the individual to confess their sins before receiving communion. 
“The Eucharist is for which we Catholics view as the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ,” Rizk said.
Although NonCatholics cannot take communion, they are still able to participate fully in mass.
Dana Weber, Liturgical Coordinator of RooCatholic in charge of organizing the flow of the mass and making sure that all the spots are filled including the roles of the eucharistic ministers, altar servers, and lectors.
“It’s a lot of work in putting on the Ash Wednesday mass that is held in the center of campus in the Union,” Weber said.
RooCatholic works to ensure the service is accessible to all who wish to attend. “It is usually the biggest event for mass that we have of the year,” Weber said.
After the mass, RooCatholic is hosting a pizza social. Everyone in attendance is invited to stay and socialize over slices.
“It’s an awesome time. It’s really wonderful to be able to be celebrating mass with a bunch of other students,” Weber said.
About UA’s Student Organization: RooCatholic
RooCatholic has been in operation since 1936, serving the University of Akron community.
“The goal of our ministry is to enrich the faith of the university community by acting as a witness of Jesus Christ in his church,” Rizk said.
The group does this by providing access to the sacraments and fellowship to the members of the university community.
RooCatholic has its office in the Newman Center, next to St. Bernard’s church, where they host their programs and events.
The group hosts ‘Newman Night’ every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The event includes free dinner, a featured presentation on the topic assigned, and then an opportunity to socialize after the talk.
Attendees can take leftovers home from the free dinner.
Outside of the weekly Newman Night events, students can attend student mass every Sunday at 8 p.m. in St. Bernard’s church. Along with a priest who says mass, the service is mainly led by students of RooCatholic.
After mass, RooCatholic hosts a social event ‘Catholic Crunch’ where they provide cereal and an opportunity to talk with peers.
St. Bernard’s also holds a “Student Candlelight Mass” on select Tuesday evenings at 8:15 p.m. led by Fr. David Verbsky. These masses don’t happen every Tuesday but those interested can stay up to date on when they will be held by following the church on Instagram and Facebook.
Ash Wednesday mass will be held on Wednesday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Gardner Theater inside of the Jean Hower Taber Student Union.
Parking decks are available for guests within short walking distance from the Jean Hower Taber Student Union. Those who don’t have a parking pass, can scan a barcode in the parking area to purchase a daily pass.
The Gardner Theatre is located on the second floor of the student union near the restaurants area, next to Auntie Annie’s pretzels.
Those interested in attending the mass or in joining RooCatholic can get more information about the group and their events on their social media accounts and website.
