St. Andrew Episcopal Church distributes Ashes to Go for Ash Wednesday in Mentor

Feb. 22—St. Andrew Episcopal Church held an Ashes to Go on Mentor Avenue for Ash Wednesday.

Ashes were placed on the foreheads of willing participants in the Christian tradition to mark the beginning of Lent.

Ashes were offered to all comers on Feb. 22 for two hours in the morning and another two hours in the late afternoon at the entrance to the Malley's Chocolates/Manhattan Deli Plaza, located at 8920 Mentor Ave.

St. Andrew's rector, the Rev. Lisa O'Rear, led the event to offer ashes and prayers to those who pulled into the plaza.

"We are here as a reminder to people that the season of Lent begins today, and the ashes remind us that we lived but we came from the dust and we return to the dust," O'Rear said. "It reminds us that our lives are finite in this world, and Ash Wednesday helps us to be mindful of what we're doing with our time,our treasure and our talent."

O'Rear said that it's the little things that can help turn someone around to the light and that her parish hopes to spread their beliefs to the community in a friendly and accepting way.

"This helps us reorient ourselves to our spiritual connection with God and to our spiritual connection with each other," she said. "So it's a spiritual remembrance and kind of a call to action in a sense to be the spiritual people that we are in an active way."

O'Rear said that Lent is a chance to reconnect with one's faith and help educate people who know nothing about Ash Wednesday who just want to connect with them in a constructive way.

St Andrew Episcopal Church Community is located at 7989 Little Mountain Road in Mentor. O'Rear said that all are welcome.