In preparation for Ash Wednesday, February 18th, we have begun the process of collecting old palms.
Please bring in your old palms from last Palm Sunday and place them in the container located in the vestibule labeled Old Palms.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for Catholics. The ashes we receive on our forehead in the shape of a cross serve as an outward sign of our sinfulness and need for penance. The ashes also symbolize our mortality, a reminder that one day we will die and our bodies will return to dust. Hence the traditional words, “Remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.”
The tradition of receiving ashes has its origins in the Old Testament, where sinners performed acts of public penance. Ash Wednesday is also a day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics.