On Ash Wednesday, 18 February 2026, at the Church of Chiesa di Santa Maria Annunciata-Chiesa Madre di Merì, a representation of the Eastern Sicily Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George held a Spiritual Retreat and took part in the Eucharistic Celebration with the Imposition of the Ashes.

Ash Wednesday, whose liturgy marks the beginning of public penance, opens the salutary season of Lent. The communal spirit of prayer, penance, fasting, and charity—of Christian sincerity and conversion to the Lord proclaimed by Sacred Scripture—is symbolically expressed in the rite of ashes sprinkled upon our heads, to which we humbly submit in response to God’s word. Ash Wednesday, like the rest of Lent, has no meaning in itself but points toward the Resurrection of Jesus, which we celebrate interiorly renewed and with firm hope that our bodies too will be transformed like His.

The season of Lent is one of the most significant moments of the liturgical year, since the “forty days” represent the journey that leads to the Resurrection of the Lord, the source and cause of our salvation. Therefore, for the Constantinian Knights and Dames, the Lenten period entails a strong commitment both spiritually and charitably.

“Lent is the time when the Church, with maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back at the center of our lives, so that our faith may regain vigor and our hearts not be scattered by daily anxieties and distractions,” wrote Pope Leo XIV in his Message for Lent 2026, Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion.

The Delegation

The representation of the Eastern Sicily Section was led, in place of the Delegate, by Nob. Avv. Ferdinando Testoni Blasco, Knight Grand Cross of Justice, together with the Secretary General, Dr. Michele Lauro, Knight of Merit with Silver Star; the Treasurer, Dr. Matteo Santoro, Knight of Merit with Silver Star; the Head of Communications, Antonino Lauro, Knight of Merit; the Head of Charitable Activities, Dr. Francesca Rizzuti, Dame of Merit; and the Interim Representative for the Province of Catania and for the Provinces of Ragusa and Syracuse, Dr. Luigi Lauriola, Knight of Merit.

Spiritual Retreat

At the invitation of the parish priest, Fr. Damiano La Rosa, Chaplain of Merit, the Knights, Dames, postulants, and friends of the Order gathered at 5:00 p.m. for the Lenten Spiritual Retreat and a formative session.

Fr. La Rosa delivered a meditation centered on the Gospel account of the healing of the man born blind (John 9), highlighting the path of conversion experienced by the healed man—from blindness to light, culminating in his profession of faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

Three verbs mark the journey of salvation: he went, he washed, he returned seeing. The miracle is not merely physical but interior: the blind man gradually arrives at full faith. In contrast, the Pharisees, despite the evidence, refuse to recognize the sign performed by Jesus; their blindness is spiritual, rooted in pride and idolatry, substituting their own ideas for the true God.

Applying the Gospel message to the present, Fr. La Rosa invited participants to examine their own forms of blindness and to ask that faith continually open the eyes of the heart to recognize God’s action in history.

The retreat concluded with contemplative prayer, asking Christ, the true and unfading light, for healing and perseverance.

Formative Session

A formative talk followed, delivered by Prof. Salvatore Italiano, Knight of Jure Sanguinis, who reflected on the concept of penance. He noted that penance was largely unknown in Greco-Roman antiquity, whereas within the Jewish tradition it became an urgent necessity when humanity confronted its frailty before divine perfection.

Fasting and abstinence, still recommended by the Church and recalled in the Pope’s Lenten Message, represent not only detachment from what is superfluous but especially from what harms our spiritual life and the Christian community, such as judgment and slander.

He also recalled that the Constantinian Order is a religio placed sub Divi Basilii Regula, referencing the Rules of Basil of Caesarea, which call Christians to communal life, conversion, and abundant good works. True penance, he emphasized, consists in metanoia—a change of mind and heart that leads to vigilance and active charity.

Holy Mass and Imposition of Ashes

At 6:30 p.m., Holy Mass with the Imposition of Ashes was celebrated by Fr. La Rosa. The readings and psalm were proclaimed by members of the Delegation and parish, followed by the homily, which stressed living Lent and the Christian life with authenticity rather than outward show.

The priest reminded the faithful that Lent is the privileged time for beginning a conversion that must last a lifetime: placing God first, fasting from sin, hatred, and division, and returning to what is essential. The ashes, he concluded, signify the commitment to reconciliation with God and with one another.

After the homily, the ashes were blessed and imposed upon the faithful, and the celebration concluded with the Constantinian Knight’s Prayer recited by Prof. Italiano.