People kneel during Ash Wednesday Mass at the cathedral in Guatemala City.(CNS photo/Jorge Dan Lopez, Reuters) (March 6, 2014) ...read more

Pope Francis, in white, attends a weeklong Lenten retreat with senior members of the Roman Curia in Ariccia, Italy.(CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters) ...read more

A young volunteer displays food prepared for dinners served at a Friday evening fish fry at Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Detroit. The Friday fish fry is a big event during Lent for many people in Catholic parishes and is especially popular in some regions of the United States. (CNS photo/Jim West) ...read more

A child dressed as a penitent takes part in a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession in Guatemala City. (CNS photo/Jorge Dan Lopez, Reuters) ...read more

Children exit a church after receiving ashes during an Ash Wednesday Mass in Guatemala City. Catholics around the world began the penitential season of Lent with prayer, fasting and the mark of ashes. (CNS photo/Joe Penney, Reuters) ...read more

  Today we begin that long walk towards Holy Week, which culminates in celebrating the greatest event in human history: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Something that never fails to inspire awe in me however, is just how diverse our expressions of faith are. Encountering different Catholic rituals around the world, sometimes I’m intrigued, other ...read more

A Palestinian Christian prays in the Church of Nativity on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, West Bank. CNS photo/Debbie Hill ...read more

Fireworks light up the night sky near a giant Christmas tree along a bay walk in Palawan, Philippines, Dec. 1, 2011. The Philippines, a mainly Roman Catholic country, is known for its rich pageantry around the Advent and Christmas season. CNS photo/Romeo Ranoco, Reuters ...read more

Children touch the wings of a man dressed as an angel as he holds a sign reading “Christmas with Jesus is happiness” in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Dec. 13, 2011. Members of the Christian church Psalm 100 regularly dress as angels holding signs with religious messages for people to read. CNS photo/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Reuters ...read more

St. Mary’s Cathedral is illuminated by a 246-foot projected Lights of Christmas display Dec. 13, 2012 in Sydney. CNS photo/Tim Wimborne, Reuters ...read more