How to make ashes for Ash Wednesday

It is the season of ashes.  On Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, Episcopalians join other Christians around the world in participating in an ancient ritual. We have crosses of ash placed on our foreheads as an outward and visible sign of our mortality.

Those ashes come from the burning of palms from Palm Sunday. Last year, those graceful green and blessed palms marked our remembrance of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Now, dried and yellowed, the palms are set on fire, producing fine ashes.

Watch a short video about making ashes below or on YouTube.

Watch a video of Bishop Mayer inviting us into a holy Lent.

Find Lenten resources.