Sacred Heart Church celebrates Mardi Gras

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The night before Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of Lent for the Catholic faith, the Sacred Heart Church hosted a pancake dinner at Holy Cross Collegiate to celebrate Mardi Gras. 

“It is a day characterized by the fact that we take ash from the burned palm branches that we used at a previous celebration earlier in the year and we put those ashes on our head in the shape of a cross as a sign of our devotion to Christ,” said Father Cristino Bouvette of Sacred Heart Church. 

“It is also a symbol to us that we are sinners and that we are in need of repentance. These 40 days of Lent are how we mark that period of time that we are trying to undergo some conversion and repentance.”

Mardi Gras, from French, translates to “Fat Tuesday,” and refers to the idea of needing to get rid of stored meat and lard and fasting from those for 40 days. 

Members of the parish also invited friends and peers from outside the church to also participate in the celebration, which featured activities for the kids, traditional pinatas, and a speech given by Bouvette. 

“In the Catholic culture, the idea behind fasting is that by depriving ourself of something that is good in itself … we are showing a sign of sacrifice … that is motivated by an awareness of our sin,” said Bouvette. “Because we know we are sinners, and because we are in need of God’s mercy, by performing voluntarily this act of sacrifice, we are trying to enliven within ourselves a spirit of repentance and conversion.”

The conclusion of Lent comes with the celebration of Easter, at which point in the Catholic lore, is the time of Jesus Christ being resurrected from the dead. 

Bouvette added hosting pancake breakfasts and similar events is nothing strange to the Sacred Heart Church parish, though this is the first occasion celebrating Mardi Gras in this fashion. 

The goal, however, would be to see Mardi Gras celebrated annually in a similar fashion. Going forward, the Sacred Heart Church will have the capacity to do so out of their own church building. 

“I get the sense that this will be probably something everyone will look forward to doing on an annual basis,” said Bouvette. “Ash Wednesday moves every year because the date of Easter is not consistent, but (it) is always the night before Ash Wednesday. It doesn’t matter what day it falls, there will always be a Mardi Gras.”