Lent is about turning to God, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has said.
Speaking at the 8am Ash Wednesday Mass on Wednesday 2 March at St Mary’s Cathedral, Archbishop Costelloe continued saying that it is easy to forget about God or push God to the margins of our lives.
“We are very busy people; we all have lots of commitments, lots of worries, perhaps even lots of fears – about ourselves, about our families, about the future,” he said.
Archbishop Costelloe was joined for the Mass to mark the start of Lent, by concelebrants Vicar General, Fr Peter Whitely VG, Cathedral Dean Fr Sean Fernandez and Ukrainian Catholic Priest, Fr Ihor Holovko, who is based at Maylands St John the Baptist Church.
Some 150 people were present for the Ash Wednesday Mass on the 2 March at St Mary’s Cathedral, each wearing face masks for the second Ash Wednesday in a row because of COVID restrictions. Photo: Michelle Tan. 
Some 150 people were present for the Ash Wednesday Mass on the 2 March at St Mary’s Cathedral, each wearing face masks for the second Ash Wednesday in a row because of COVID restrictions. Photo: Michelle Tan. 
Ukrainian Catholic Priest Fr Ihor Holovko speaks at the conclusion of Ash Wednesday Mass, on 2 March at St Mary’s Cathedral. Photo: Michelle Tan.
Some 150 people were present for the Mass, each wearing face masks for the second Ash Wednesday in a row because of COVID restrictions, and with the ashes being sprinkled on the head instead of being imprinted with a cross on the forehead.
“These are very real, no more so, perhaps than now as we contemplate the horror of what is unfolding in Ukraine, as we think of those so badly affected by the floods in Queensland and New South Wales, and as we face the uncertainties of the rapid spread of the COVID virus here in our community.
Vicar General Fr Peter Whitely, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, Ukrainian Catholic Priest Fr Ihor Holovko and Cathedral Dean Fr Sean Fernandez during the Ash Wednesday Mass, 2 March, at St Mary’s Cathedral. Photo: Michelle Tan. 
Ashes for distribution at St Mary’s Cathedral ahead of the Ash Wednesday Mass. Photo: Michelle Tan. 
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe stands in solidarity with Ukrainian Catholic Priest Fr Ihor Holovko, who is based at Maylands St John the Baptist Church, Perth. Photo: Michelle Tan.
However, Archbishop Costelloe explained, in the midst of all this, the season of Lent comes along to remind us that, no matter what dangers or difficulties we face, we are never abandoned by God who remains with us, sometimes hidden but sometimes not, calling us to place our trust and our hope in him.
“Lent, then, he said, is a time when we are invited to ‘turn to the Lord our God again.’
“It is a time to be honest about our willingness to make space for God in our lives and about our readiness to consciously to live in the knowledge that God is our Father and we are all his children,” he said.
Archbishop Costelloe’s full homily is available by Clicking Here