Then the inferior ministers expelled them out of the doors of the church. After the seven penitential psalms were sung, the bishop laid his hands on them, sprinkled them with holy water, and poured ashes upon their heads, declaring “that as Adam was cast out of paradise, so they, for their sins, were cast out of the Church. On Ash Wednesday they were presented to the bishop, clothed in sackcloth and barefooted. In the ancient Church, penitents expressed their humiliation by appearing in sackcloth and ashes. The practice within the Church originated from a custom involving those who had committed serious sins. In the Book of Judith, acts of repentance involved ashes being put on people’s heads: “All the Israelites in Jerusalem, including women and children, lay prostrate in front of the Temple, and with ashes on their heads stretched out their hands before the Lord” (Judith 4:1). The customary use of ashes as a sign of repentance is seen in the Books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Jonah of the Old Testament. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, “they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts,” notes. The ashes, which help us to develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice, are made from the blessed palms used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday. The ashes are a symbol of penance and remind us that we are creatures of the earth and mortal beings: “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19). It is a day of fasting and abstinence, although not a holy day of obligation.ĭuring Ash Wednesday services, ashes are sprinkled atop the head or marked on the forehead with the Sign of the Cross. Catholic News Herald Ash Wednesday customsĪsh Wednesday – March 2 this year – signals the start of Lent. Ashes are an ancient biblical sign meant as an outward demonstration of repentance for our sins and reminder of our mortality. The instruction also noted that face masks should not be worn during the imposition of ashes.Īsh Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is a holy day of fasting and abstinence. 18 instruction from the Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Divine Worship noted.
Priests may say “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” either to each person as they receive ashes or once to the entire congregation, a Feb. Conference of Catholic Bishops has left guidelines for the distribution of ashes this year to the discretion of each bishop. – is similar to diocesan churches were instructed to do last year. The practice – customary at the Vatican and in Italy but not as common in the U.S. Parishes are being directed again this year to sprinkle ashes on the top of each person’s head rather than using them to make a cross on their forehead.
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