“Since Lent is 40 days of preparation for Easter, Lent cannot be set without first determining the date of Easter,” responds Colin Donovan, vice president of theology at EWTN.

“In the early Church, there were a variety of practices, including celebration of Easter on a weekday, following the celebration of the Jewish feast of Passover. The Council of Nicea (held in the year 325) sought to settle the issue by decreeing that Easter would fall on a Sunday, on or after the first full moon of spring.  

“Nonetheless, even today a variety of calendars and practices continue, depending on which calendar is used (Julian or Gregorian) and which of several slightly different formulas is used. For Latin Catholics, the matter was settled most recently by the legislation and calendar of Pope Gregory XIII (1583), who established that Easter would fall on the Sunday after the first full moon of spring. This set Easter’s date between March 22 and April 25 and Lent’s beginning between Feb. 10 and March 16, depending on the year.”

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