ASH WEDNESDAY--Father Michael Watson, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church, applies ashes to the forehead of a parishioner during an Ash Wednesday Mass held at the church, in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999. Ash Wednesday is the start of the forty-day Lenten season in which Christians commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ by fasting, performing good deeds, and spending time in prayer. (JACK KUSTRON../photoj.com)