Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is a period of 40 days of repentance, with prayer, fasting and abstinence, and Confession.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter Sunday. (For an explanation why Lent begins 46 days before Easter but is only 40 days long, see How Are the 40 Days of Lent Calculated?) For Eastern Rite Catholics, Lent begins two days earlier, on Clean Monday.

The following is a list of the dates of the Sundays and major feast days that fall in Lent 2013.

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• Clean Monday(Monday, February 11, 2013)

• Ash Wednesday(Wednesday, February 13, 2013)

• First Sunday of Lent (Sunday, February 17, 2013)

• Second Sunday of Lent (Sunday, February 24, 2013)

• Third Sunday of Lent (Sunday, March 3, 2013)

• Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) (Sunday, March 10, 2013)

• Feast of Saint Patrick (Sunday, March 17, 2013)

• Fifth Sunday of Lent (Passion Sunday) (Sunday, March 17, 2013)

• Feast of Saint Joseph (Tuesday, March 19, 2013)

• Palm Sunday(Sunday, March 24, 2013)

• The Annunciation of the Lord(transferred to April 8, 2013; see When Is Annunciation 2013? for details)

• Holy Thursday(Thursday, March 28, 2013)

• Good Friday(Friday, March 29, 2013)

• Holy Saturday(Saturday, March 30, 2013)

• Easter(Sunday, March 31, 2013)

FAQs About Lent:

• When Is Lent?

• When Does Lent Start?
• How Are the 40 Days of Lent Calculated?
• Why Don't Roman Catholics Sing the Alleluia During Lent?
• What Should Replace the Alleluia During Lent?
• Should I Give Up My Diet for Lent?
• What Are the Rules for Fasting and Abstinence in the Catholic Church?
• Should We Fast on Sundays?
• What Is Laetare Sunday?
• When Does Lent End?