Lenten practices

Question from Delores H. Noyes on 2/7/2008:  
Are the holy water fonts supposed to be emptied before the service on Ash Wednesday and left empty for the entire 40 days? There seems to be two schools of thought and I would like to know where you can find out answers to these type of questions. Thanks for your answer and God Bless you and everyone at EWTN.
Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 2/8/2008: 
Delores, Emptying the holy water stoups, filling them with sand sometimes, this beginning on Ash Wednesday is something novel, unknown to the past. It is a private effort to bring to mind the desert experience, the Dark Night of prayer, the hardship of overcoming the world with all its trials. This novel effort is not all that common. Fr. Bob Levis