Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day fall on the same day this year. For OKC churches, it's a celebration of love

A local Lutheran minister was asked if he would be placing ashes in the shape of a heart — instead of a cross — on his church members' foreheads on Wednesday at his Oklahoma City church.

"Definitely not" was the answer the Rev. Mark Muenchow gave the church member who made the teasing reference about Ash Wednesday 2024.

The good-natured question comes as Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Christian season of Lent, falls on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, the secular day celebrating love and relationships. Muenchow said the convergence doesn't mean that the traditional ritual of the imposition of ashes will be modified at Messiah Lutheran Church, 3600 Northwest Expressway, where he is senior pastor. Lenten season is the 40 days preceding Easter, excluding Sundays.

"We're still going to follow tradition," he said.

That sentiment was expressed by several local clergy who talked about the coming confluence.

Ash Wednesday and Lent are observed particularly in Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran and United Methodist faith communities.

Christians observing Ash Wednesday typically attend solemn services focusing on the Lenten season, a time when people reflect on Christ's sacrifice and suffering. During traditional Ash Wednesday services, ashes from the previous year's Palm Sunday palm branches are placed on the forehead of congregants in the sign of the cross. The ashes are christened with holy water and symbolize penance and contrition.

By contrast, Valentine's Day is often a festive day known for an abundance of sweet treats, romantic dinners and other activities that highlight love and lovers. Despite being named after a Catholic saint, it's not an official religious holiday.

Renewing vows of love on Ash Wednesday

The last time Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day coincided was 2018.

At that time, Acts II United Methodist Church, 4848 W Covell in Edmond, held a traditional Ash Wednesday service, including the imposition of ashes, but the church's leaders decided to do something different to help mark the convergence.

The Rev. Mark Foster, Acts II senior pastor, said the church will do the same thing on Wednesday by giving people an opportunity to renew their vows with God and their loved ones during an outreach for married couples called "Say Yes Again." He said the vow renewal will be held prior to the imposition of ashes and holy communion.

More: Ash Wednesday 2024: When and why Christians wear ashes to start Lent

To add another heartfelt element to the occasion, some edible trappings of a typical wedding or vow renewal ceremony will be offered.

"We will have a five-tier wedding cake after the service to celebrate God's love for us as the bride of Christ as the Scripture calls the Church and to celebrate our love for one another," Foster said.

"We did this service in 2018 hoping it would work and I have had more unsolicited praise about how meaningful it was to couples than anything else we've done as a church for married people."

Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day are 'both, in some ways, celebrations of love'

The Rev. Rick Stansberry, senior pastor of Our Lady's Cathedral, 3214 N Lake Ave., said both Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day focus on a type of love.

"It is unusual to have Valentine's Day on Ash Wednesday, but if you think about it, Jesus gave his life out of love for us and the whole point of Ash Wednesday is to walk with Him in the desert, because of His love for us," the Catholic priest said.

Thus, he said Ash Wednesday, like Valentine's Day are "both, in some ways, celebrations of love."

The Rev. Tim Luschen, senior pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 5024 N Grove, shared similar comments.

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"It's kind of interesting to me that as people of faith, the Lenten season is a time in which we're kind of supposed to turn back to look at how we're loving God and loving our neighbor and in the Catholic tradition, we're called to do that through prayer, fasting, and giving help or alms to the poor," he said.

"So, it's kind of nice that it (Lent) starts on Valentine's Day."

The Rev. Joseph Alsay, rector of St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church, 14700 N May, said he has wondered if his church will have the same crowds for Ash Wednesday services as they do on years when the observance does not coincide with Valentine's Day.

He said he thinks some people may feel torn between attending a traditional service and going out for Valentine's dinner or participating in other Valentine's Day activities. He said his church will offer its annual Ash and Dash Drive Through Ashes outreach in the morning and afternoon on Wednesday and some church members may take advantage of these opportunities for the imposition of ashes. As part of the outreach, the ritual will take place in the church parking lot and most people will participate from their cars.

Like Stansberry and Luschen, Alsay said both Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day focus on love.

He said the cross is a sign of Christ's death on the cross because of his love "for this broken world."

"One of the best gifts you can give to your honey bun is to come to church on Ash Wednesday and receive a love mark from the true lover of our souls," he said, referring to the imposition of ashes.

How you can get ashes for Ash Wednesday on the go

Can't get to a traditional Ash Wednesday service? Two local churches have outreach events that take into account busy schedules and other factors that might prevent the faithful from attending one of the traditional services. Here is information about these annual outreach activities.

● Ash and Dash Drive Through Ashes, St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church, 14700 N May, 7 to 9 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday. Information: https://www.sac-okc.org/.

● Ashes to Go, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 8 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, corner of NW 7 and Robinson Avenue. Information: https://www.stpaulsokc.org/.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Churches offer traditional and unique ways to celebrate Ash Wednesday