Worshipers Mark the Beginning of Lent : Religion: Churches report large turnouts. In commemoration of Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness, many will now observe a period of denial, which will end on Easter Sunday.

In observance of Ash Wednesday and its message of renewal and forgiveness, Oryden Gould returned to church for the first time in years to renew her faith and to cast off a deep-seated animosity.

“This is a season for a new beginning,” said Gould, 44, of Orange after a noon Mass at Holy Family Cathedral.

For the past two years, Gould has been consumed by anger and bitterness that stemmed from a romantic relationship gone wrong and the abrupt loss of a job she had held for 22 years. “Lent is a time to look into ourselves and forgive others, and that’s what I’m going to do,” she said.

Gould joined thousands of Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans across Orange County who went to services Wednesday to celebrate the start of Lent, a commemoration of Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness. It ends on Easter Sunday, April 16. Between now and then, those observing Lent will follow the age-old ritual of prayer, repentance, forgiveness and symbolic abstinence from worldly pleasures.

“When I used to smoke, I gave up smoking,” said Elizabeth Lynch, 73, of Santa Ana, while she waited for Mass to begin. “Now I give up sweets. It won’t be easy, but it’s not much to give up considering what Jesus gave up for us.”

Wednesday’s noon Mass was one of four held at Holy Family Cathedral, where an estimated 3,500 congregants attended, about equal to the total attendance at the seven services held on Sundays, church officials said. Other churches in the county reported similarly high attendance.

Observers leave Mass with an ashen cross smudged across their foreheads, a symbol of human mortality on Earth. The ashes are generally gathered from palm fronds burned after the previous year’s Palm Sunday, which heralds Holy Week, the final week of Lent.

“We’re reminding ourselves first of all that we are simple human beings--we will return some day to the earth,” explained Father John Procter as he began Mass at Holy Family. “As we are marked with the sign of the cross, we are also marked with the sign of transformation.”

While the Lenten season is traditionally observed as a time of repentance and abstinence, some observe the period by resolving to participate more in spiritual activities.

“I will try to attend Mass more often, take communion, and try to be more helpful to people,” vowed Richard Juliano, 59, of Placerville, who was visiting his children and grandchildren in Orange. “Some people give things up. I believe it’s good to add something new to your life.”

Gould vowed to make an effort to change her “attitude toward life.”

“For me, Lent is a change of lifestyle,” she said. “I’m going to let go of my anger. I’m going to become more spiritual, stronger than I have been the last two years. I’m going to smile more. This is indeed a time for renewal.”