'At first, this rite was not directly connected with the beginning of Lent,' explained Father Wisniewski. These ashes, according to Father Wisniewski, are made from either burning olive branches or the palms blessed the previous year on Palm Sunday.īut where does the tradition of receiving ashes at the beginning of Lent originate?
'The imposition of ashes is not just a simple rite, but it is something very profound that touches our hearts,' said Father Lukasz Wisniewski, vice-rector of the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Brookline.
Lenten program promotes prayer, supports Cor Unum Meal CenterĪrchdiocese provides Lenten resources for familiesīROOKLINE - Walk through any local school, supermarket, subway, or shopping center on Ash Wednesday, and you are likely to find Catholics marked with the sign of the cross in dark ashes on their forehead.
