The Church calls for the removal of holy water from the fonts during the Sacred Triduum only (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday).  This is done in preparation for the blessing of water at the Easter Vigil when the fonts are refilled.  Some pastors expanded the practice to include all the days of Lent but this is not an accepted Church observance.  They might say that their intent was to add to the desert experience of Lent or the focus on fasting and abstinence.   But a March 14, 2000 communication from the Vatican stated that, “The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of her sacraments and sacramentals is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent.”   It also pointed out that besides being a season of penance, it “…is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts.” 
 
 
Religious images are covered two weeks before Easter. The purple cloth serves as a reminder of the penitential tone of the season.  Also, we are reminded of how Christ hid his glory during that time and helps us to focus our attention on Christ’s passion and death.  To that end, the only images that are not covered are the stations of the cross.   The cloths are removed to reveal crucifixes on Good Friday and from the remaining images in time for the celebration of the Easter Vigil.