On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, the beginning of Lent took on special meaning on a farm in Quebec, where dozens of seasonal workers from Guatemala and Mexico labour far from their families and their homelands. Amid long days, winter cold and the ache of distance, the Church went to meet them in the very place they live and work.

A pastoral presence in the heart of the fields

Fr. Pierangelo Paternieri, C.S., Episcopal Vicar for Cultural Communities of the Archdiocese of Montreal, travelled to the farm to celebrate the Rite of Ashes with the workers. He was accompanied by Eliana Jaramillo, pastoral collaborator for Cultural Communities, and the Consul General of Guatemala, Julissa Hengstenberg. The gesture was simple yet deliberate: to bring the Church’s pastoral care beyond parish walls and into the fields, even in the depths of a Quebec winter.

Men and women gathered in an improvised space, separated from their families and homeland, carrying a living faith that sustains them through the daily sacrifices of their work. For many, this celebration was much more that a liturgical observance; it was a moment of communion, remembrance and hope.

A spiritual embrace far from home

As ashes were traced in the form of a cross upon each forehead, this age-old sign took on renewed meaning. For workers living thousands of kilometres from their native soil, the gesture became a spiritual embrace, a reminder of their roots and a quiet assurance that they are not forgotten — that someone is thinking of them, that the Church is thinking of them.

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Voiced in a barn rather than a parish church, these words of the Lenten liturgy spoke both of human frailty and of God’s abiding presence. In that setting, they acknowledged the vulnerability inherent in migrant labour while affirming a faith that accompanies believers wherever they find themselves.

Reaching out, accompanying, supporting

The celebration reflects a defining commitment of the Diocese of Montreal: to reach every community entrusted to its care, without exception, and to provide them the accompaniment and care they need, both spiritually and personally. It also serves as a reminder that the Church knows no borders, and that solidarity is central to the Gospel.

Seasonal agricultural workers make an often unseen but vital contribution, sustaining the province’s food supply and nourishing families and communities across Quebec each year. Recognition of their work must extend beyond economic necessity to include respect for their dignity, culture, and spiritual life.

During Lent, the faithful are invited to respond in tangible ways: through prayer, hospitality, awareness of migrant workers’ living conditions, and support for pastoral initiatives that serve them. In the Gospel of Matthew (25:35–40), Christ identifies himself with the stranger who is welcomed, and the Ash Wednesday encounter in the fields offered a lived expression of that teaching.

It was a moment of faith, of shared humanity, and of closeness. May this Lenten season draw us nearer to one another, and to the God who walks with us.

By Alessandra Santopadre
Assistant, Office for Cultural and Ritual Communities
Coordinator, Sponsorship Program for Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Archdiocese of Montreal