Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. At Mass, the priest marks a small cross of ashes on each person’s forehead, a sign that we are sorry for our sins and want to turn back to God. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, February 10, 46 days before Easter.
They remind us that our life on earth is short, that we came from the dust like Adam (Genesis 3:19), and that it’s time to turn back to God. They are made by burning the blessed palms from last year’s Palm Sunday.
Yes. Anyone can come forward for ashes, including babies and children, and even people who aren’t Catholic. The priest or minister marks a small cross on the forehead.
No, but it is a day of fasting for adults and of abstinence from meat from age 14, and many families go to Mass that day to begin Lent together.
One of two short phrases from the Bible: that we are dust and will return to dust (Genesis 3:19), or a call to repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15).
