Ash Wednesday | February 18, 2026
Ash Wednesday derives its name from this practice, in which the placement of ashes is accompanied by the words, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or the dictum “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations.
The imposition of ashes is a solemn ritual that signals the beginning of the holy season of Lent. The ceremony is distinctive; there is no liturgical action like it throughout the entire church year. For the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, the usual customary practice in the USA may be followed, i.e. tracing the sign of the cross with the ashes on the forehead while reciting the proper formula. Sensitivity should be given to parishioners seeking ashes who prefer that instead they be sprinkled on the head.
Those who wish to be sprinkled should bow their head when approaching the minister. Bishop Cantú leaves it to the discretion of the pastor whether or not to allow sprinkling at their parish.
Guidelines during Fasting Days
| Age 14 & older Abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays during Lent. |
Age 18-59 Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday; one full meal per day, two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. |
Let us prepare ourselves during Lent to grow deeper in our relationship with God in preparation for the celebration of the Paschal mystery of Christ – His passion, death and resurrection. During these 40 days, beginning Ash Wednesday through the Saturday before Easter, we are given an opportunity to reflect and transform our connection with Christ. Click on the button for Lent Resources.
Please click on the city to find a parish or your parish’s Ash Wednesday schedule:
Alviso | Campbell | Cupertino | Gilroy | Los Altos | Los Gatos | Milpitas | Morgan Hill | Mountain View | Palo Alto | San Jose | Santa Clara | Saratoga | Sunnyvale | Catholic Cemetery
Alviso |
Schedule |
| Our Lady Star of the Sea 1385 Michigan Ave. 408.263.2121 https://www.olsalviso.org/es/bienvenidos/ Livestream Link: Facebook |
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Campbell |
Schedule |
| St. Lucy 2350 Winchester Blvd. 408.378.2464 http://www.stlucy-campbell.org |
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Cupertino |
Schedule |
| St. Joseph of Cupertino 10110 N. DeAnza Blvd. 408.252.7653 http://www.stjoscupertino.org Livestream Link: Website, YouTube |
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Gilroy |
Schedule |
| St. Mary 11 First St. 408.847.5151 http://smpgilroy.org/ Livestream Link: Facebook |
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Los Altos |
Schedule |
| St. Nicholas 473 Lincoln Ave. 650.948.2158 www.stnicholasandstwilliam.org Livestream Link: YouTube |
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| St. Simon 1860 Grant Ave. 650.967.8311 https://stsimon.church/ Livestream Link: Facebook YouTube |
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| St. William 611 S. El Monte Ave. 650.559.2080 www.stnicholasandstwilliam.org Livestream Link: YouTube |
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Los Gatos |
Schedule |
| St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception 219 Bean Ave. 408.354.3726 http://www.stmaryslg.org/ Livestream Link: Parish Website |
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Milpitas |
Schedule |
| St. Elizabeth 750 Sequoia Dr. 408.262.8100 www.stelizabethmilpitas.org Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| St. John the Baptist 279 S. Main St. 408.262.2546 http://www.sjbparish.org Livestream Link: http://www.sjbparish.org |
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Morgan Hill |
Schedule |
| St. Catherine of Alexandria 17400 Peak Ave. 408.779.3959 http://www.stca.org Livestream link: YouTube, Facebook |
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Mountain View |
Schedule |
| St. Athanasius 160 N. Rengstorff Ave. 650.961.8600 http://stathanasiusparish.com/ Livestream Link: YouTube, Facebook |
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| St. Joseph 582 Hope St. 650.967.3831 http://www.sjpmv.org Livestream Link: YouTube |
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Palo Alto |
Schedule |
| Catholic Community at Stanford Stanford Memorial Church 650.725.0080 https://web.stanfordcatholic.org/ Livestream Link: Website |
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| Our Lady of the Rosary 3233 Cowper St. https://paloaltocatholic.net/our-lady-of-the-rosary-church |
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| St. Albert the Great 1095 Channing Ave. https://paloaltocatholic.net/st-albert-the-great-church |
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| St. Thomas Aquinas 751 Waverley St. 650.494.2496 http://www.paloaltocatholic.net/ |
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San Jose |
Schedule |
| Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph 80 S. Market St. 408.283.8100 https://www.stjosephcathedral.org/ Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| Christ the King 5284 Monterey Rd. 408.362.9958 http://ctksj.org/ |
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| Church of the Transfiguration 4325 Jarvis Ave. 408.264.3600 www.sanjosetransfig.com Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| Five Wounds Portuguese National Church 1375 E. Santa Clara St. 408.292.2123 http://www.fivewoundschurch.org Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| Holy Cross 580 E. Jackson St. 408.294.2440 https://holycrosssj.com/ |
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| Holy Family 4848 Pearl Ave. 408.265.4040 https://holyfamilysanjose.org/ Livestream Link: Website |
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| Holy Korean Martyrs 1523 McLaughlin Ave. 408.564.4947 http://www.sjkoreancatholic.org Livestream Link: YouTube |
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| Holy Spirit 1200 Redmond Ave. 408.997.5100 http://www.holyspiritchurch.org Livestream Link: Website, YouTube, Facebook |
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| Immaculate Heart of Mary Oratory 14418 Union Avenue, San José, CA 95124 https://institute-christ-king.org/sanjose-home |
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| Most Holy Trinity 2940 Nassau Dr. 408.729.0101 http://www.mht-church.org Livestream Link: YouTube |
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| Our Lady of Guadalupe 2020 E. San Antonio St. 408.258.7057 http://www.olgparishsj.org/ |
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| Our Lady of La Vang 389 E. Santa Clara St. 408.294.8120 https://dmlv.org/ |
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| Our Lady of Refuge 2165 Lucretia Ave. 408.715.2278 http://ourladyofrefugesj.org/ |
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| Queen of Apostles 4911 Moorpark Ave. 408.253.7560 http://www.qofa.org Livestream Link: Youtube |
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| Sacred Heart of Jesus 325 Willow St. 408.292.0146 www.sacredheartsanjose.org Livestream Link: Facebook All Events are in Person, inside the Church |
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| St. Anthony 20101 McKean Rd. Little Church – 21800 Bertram Rd. 408.997.4800 http://www.churchstanthony.com Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| St. Brother Albert Chmielowski Polish Mission 10250 Clayton Rd. 408.251.8490 http://www.saintalbert.us/ |
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| St. Christopher 1576 Curtner Ave. 408.269.2226 http://www.saintchris.com |
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| St. Frances Cabrini 15333 Woodard Rd. 408.879.1120 http://www.sfcabrini.org Livestream Link: Website , Facebook |
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| St. Francis of Assisi 5111 San Felipe Rd. 408.223.1562 http://www.sfoasj.com/ |
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| St. John Vianney 4600 Hyland Ave. 408.258.7832 https://sjvnews.net/ Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| St. Julie Billiart 366 St. Julie Dr. 408.629.3030 http://www.stjulies.org Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| St. Leo the Great 88 Race St. 408.293.3503 www.stleochurchsj.org Livestream Link: FacebookYouTube |
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| St. Maria Goretti 2980 Senter Rd. 408.363.2300 www.smgsj.org Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| St. Martin of Tours 200 O’Connor Dr. 408.294.8953 http://www.stmartin.org Livestream Link: Facebook , YouTube, Zoom, |
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| St. Mary of The Assumption Croatian Mission 901 Lincoln Ave. 408.279.0279 https://www.facebook.com/CroatianCatholicChurch |
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| St. Thomas of Canterbury 1522 McCoy Ave. 408.378.1595 StThomasSJ.org Livestream Link: Facebook , YouTube |
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| St. Victor 3108 Sierra Rd. 408.251.7055 http://www.parish.stvictor.org/ Livestream Link: Zoom link : https://dsj.zoom.us/j/488989641 Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/stvictorcatholicchurch/ |
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| Santa Teresa 794 Calero Ave. 408.629.7777 http://SantaTeresaChurch.com Livestream Link: YouTube |
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Santa Clara |
Schedule |
| Mission Santa Clara de Asis 500 El Camino Real 408.554.4023 https://www.scu.edu/missionchurch/ Livestream Link: Website |
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| Our Lady of Peace 2800 Mission College Blvd. 408.988.4585 https://www.olop-shrine.org/ Livestream Link: Facebook, YouTube |
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| St. Clare 941 Lexington St. 408.248.7786 http://www.stclareparish.org/ Livestream Link: YouTube |
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| St. Justin 2655 Homestead Rd. 408.296.1193 http://www.st-justin.org Livestream Link: YouTube |
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| St. Lawrence the Martyr 1971 St. Lawrence Dr. 408.296.3000 http://www.saintlawrence.org Livestream Link:Facebook |
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| San Jose Chinese Catholic Mission 941 Lexington St. (at St. Clare Parish) Parish web address : https://sjccm.com/ Voice Message: 408-758-8917 Livestream Link: Zoom ID: 732-732-7732 |
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Saratoga |
Schedule |
| Church of the Ascension 12033 Miller Ave. 408.725.3939 https://www.ascensionsaratoga.org/ Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| Sacred Heart 13716 Saratoga Ave. 408.867.3634 http://www.sacredheartsaratoga.org Livestream Link: Youtube |
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Sunnyvale |
Schedule |
| Church of the Resurrection 725 Cascade Dr. 408.245.5554 www.resurrection-church.org Livestream Link: Website (Click on Livestream) |
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| St. Cyprian 195 Leota Ave. 408.739.8506 http://www.saintcyprian.org Livestream Link: Facebook |
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| St. Martin 593 Central Ave. 408.736.3725 http://smswww.dsj.org/ |
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Catholic Cemetery |
Schedule |
| Gate of Heaven Cemetery 22555 Cristo Rey Drive,Los Altos, CA 94024 650.948.2158 https://www.cfcssanjose.org/location/gate-of-heaven-catholic-cemetery/ |
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