ASH WEDNESDAY--Father Jerome Stluka, pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church, applies ashes to the forehead of Jack Balogh, during an Ash Wednesday Mass held at the church, in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, March 1, 2006. 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)