Archdiocese of Miami Lenten regulations 2026

By Communications Department - Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI | The following are the regulations for the observance of Lent in the archdiocese, issued by the Office of Worship: 

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and continues through the beginning of the Sacred Paschal Triduum. During Lent, the faithful are encouraged to intensify prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and to make frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Days of Fast and Abstinence:

Ash Wednesday (February 18, 2026) and Good Friday (April 3, 2026) are days of fasting and abstinence.

Abstinence from Meat:

All Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat. Abstinence from meat is obligatory for Catholics 14 years of age and older.

Fasting:

Fasting is obligatory for Catholics from age 18 through age 59. On days of fasting, the norm is: one full meal, and two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal. Eating between meals is to be avoided, though liquids are permitted.

Who is Excused?

Those who are excused from fasting and/or abstinence include persons who are ill (physically or mentally), including those suffering from chronic illness, as well as pregnant or nursing women, and others for whom these obligations would be harmful. When in doubt, the faithful should seek prudent counsel.

Easter Vigil:

Holy Saturday is celebrated April 4 this year. The entire Easter Vigil celebration is to begin after nightfall (8 p.m.) and end before the dawn of Easter Sunday. This rule is to be strictly observed in order to manifest the full meaning of the rites. The Easter Vigil is not to be celebrated at the time of the day that is customary to anticipated Sunday Masses.

Liturgical Notes:

Lent runs from Ash Wednesday until the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. The Easter Triduum is celebrated from Holy Thursday evening until evening prayer on Easter Sunday. Alleluia is not said or sung from the beginning of Lent until the Easter Vigil, nor is the “Te Deum” sung at or on Sundays of Lent.

During Lent, the altar should not be decorated with flowers, and musical instruments should be used to support the community singing while respecting the need for silence and reflection during other moments in the liturgy.

On the fourth Sunday of Lent (“Laetare”) and on solemnities and feasts, musical instruments may be played and the altar decorated with flowers.

If marriages take place in Lent, couples are to be reminded that wedding plans should respect the special nature of this liturgical season in their simplicity.

It is recommended that during the Lenten season parishes should provide penitential celebrations that allow for the faithful to celebrate the mystery of forgiveness.

These celebrations should take place before the Easter Triduum, and should not immediately precede the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Where there is genuine pastoral need, the sacrament of penance may be celebrated on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Lenten discipline is not meant to be performative or burdensome, but a real, interior return to the Lord. The external practices of Lent, especially fasting and abstinence, are ordered toward freedom: a clearer heart, a truer repentance, and a deeper hunger for God.