The palms themselves don’t necessarily come from the Holy Land, but instead from various religious suppliers around the country. Typically, the ashes that are placed on the forehead of the individual come from branches used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday services, which falls one week before Easter and commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. For Catholics, Ash Wednesday rites usually (but not always) consist of Mass. A pastor, deacon or lay person can administer the ashes. that administer on-the-go ashes can be found at. A state-by-state list of churches in the U.S. Some churches offer “ashes to go,” which gives busy participants the option of receiving ashes on a street corner, at a train station or in some other public venue. While Catholics almost always receive the ashes inside a church, people in other religious traditions now celebrate the ritual without necessarily having to step foot inside a church.

In a typical Ash Wednesday service, a minister recites Genesis 3:19 - “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” - while applying the ashes in the shape of a cross on the recipient’s forehead.ĭoes the service have to be performed in a church? “It gives us a profound sense that we are mortal, and Ash Wednesday is a reminder of that.” “People recognize that it is a symbol of our mortality,” he said. Panula said Muslims, Jews and even people who aren’t religious can honor the tradition as a reminder of man’s shortcomings.

Historically, the practice has not been common among evangelicals. Anglicans/Episcopalians, Lutherans, United Methodists and other liturgical Protestants partake in receiving ashes. Is Ash Wednesday a Roman Catholic observance?Ĭatholics are not the only group observing Ash Wednesday. Monsignor Kevin Irwin, a liturgy specialist at Catholic University, said the practice started in the 10th century and became an official liturgy in the 13th century. When was the first Ash Wednesday celebrated?Įarly Christians celebrated the first Ash Wednesday sometime around the Early Middle Ages, Panula said. Here are a few basics on the Ash Wednesday tradition: Arne Panula, director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., said his experience is that more people go to church on Ash Wednesday than any other holiday, including Christmas and Easter.

For Christians, Lent is a 40-day season of fasting, reflection and penance culminating in Holy Week and the Easter Sunday commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection. Today (March 5) marks the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday.

Imposition of ashes presbyterian