Ashes to go

David Murray of the All Saints’ Episcopal Church and Preschool said they had their pancake supper Tuesday and on Wednesday were ready for Lent and fasting.

“We grew up with the pancake suppers,” Murray said. “It always happened on Shrove Tuesday and prepared us for Lent that is a season of fasting and prayer.”

To facilitate people receiving their ashes and prayers, the All Saints’ Episcopal Church and Preschool took to the sidewalks fronting Kuhio Highway in Kapaa to offer ashen crosses and prayers to passing motorists.

“The weather is not helping,” said the Rev. Ray Sheldon. “Last year we did more than 120 people. But this year, the weather is not cooperating so we’ve only gotten a few dozen people.”

The Ashes to Go program brings the ashes to the streets where patrons can get their forehead crosses and a prayer without having to go through Mass. It is done in the morning to benefit people heading to work, and in the afternoon to accommodate people returning home from work and school.

Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday, and is observed by Catholics, although other Christians observe the event as well.

“This is the start of 40 days of Lent,” Sheldon said. “It is a time to think about anything that does not bring you closer to God, and the changes one needs to make to get closer to God.”

During the administering of ashes, people are invited to accept the ashes, created from palm branches taken from the previous year’s Palm Sunday Mass, as a visible symbol of penance.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.