Bishop marks 10th year of leading Ash Wednesday service

Bishop Edmond Carmody and Manuel Salinas embrace each other during the February 17 Ash Wednesday Service at the Corpus Christi State Supported Living Center. Salinas is a resident of the center which was established in 1970. Below, a resident raises his arms to the beat of "Cross Tide," a praise team from First United Methodist Church, which led the music during the Ash Wednesday Service. Bishop Carmody has presided at the service for the past 10 years. The season of Lent is a time of conversion of the heart and a preparation for Easter. The first reading from the Book of Joel on Ash Wednesday calls all to spiritual growth, "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God…"