Ash Wednesday brings Ashes to Go to the streets of Oklahoma City

Carla Hinton, Oklahoman
·1 min read
The Most Rev. Katie Churchwell, dean of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, administers the imposition of ashes to Patricia Carino on her way to work. St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral conducted Ashes to Go, for an Ash Wednesday outreach at NW 7 and Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City.
The Most Rev. Katie Churchwell, dean of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, administers the imposition of ashes to Patricia Carino on her way to work. St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral conducted Ashes to Go, for an Ash Wednesday outreach at NW 7 and Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City.

For the second year in a row, Episcopal priests took an Ash Wednesday ritual outside the four walls of the church and onto Oklahoma City streets.

The Rev. Katie Churchwell, dean of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 127 NW 7, administered the imposition of ashes at NW 7 and Broadway on Wednesday as part of the St. Paul's "Ashes to Go" outreach. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the Christian season of Lent. Ashes used to observe the day often come from the burning of palm leaves used during Palm Sunday services the previous year. During Ash Wednesday services at churches around the world, the ashes are placed on the forehead of congregants in the sign of the cross. Clergy offer a brief prayer, typically including the words “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” to remind believers of their mortality.

The Most Rev. Katie Churchwell, dean of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, administers the imposition of ashes to a person in a car Wednesday.
The Most Rev. Katie Churchwell, dean of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, administers the imposition of ashes to a person in a car Wednesday.

"Ashes to Go" and similar outreach programs like "Ash and Dash," are designed to make the dispensation of ashes custom and Ash Wednesday more accessible. This fresh approach to the centuries-old observance is often offered to passersby as they stop at street corners, coffee shops, in church parking lots and other places.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ashes were administered in OKC outside the walls of a church