It’s my first Ash Wednesday Mass in the EF this year. Our Mass is happening during the day, and my employer will let me go since the majority of Mass is during my hour lunch break, and my parish is close to where I work, and the union says they have to let me attend but I need to know about how much time to allot myself in my schedule that day.
It’s a low Mass, which on a regular day usually takes my priest about 30-40 minutes to do. Now factoring his homily, blessing of ashes (which appears to be a lot longer than the OF blessing of ashes) and the distribution of ashes, I have no clue how much time to allot myself.
Those of you who have attended such Masses, can you give me some numbers?
Ash Wednesday is one of the biggest mass attendance days of the year, not only will there be longer than usual communion queues, distributing ashes takes time as well.
Not only that, a larger than usual flock can motivate a priest to give a longer than usual homily.
I think you should allow about an hour for Ashes and Mass. It depends on how many are in attendence for Ashes. Numbers normally “bump up” for Ash Wednesday.
Last year went to an evening Dominican Missa Cantata. Very wonderful Mass. Not sure what we’ll do this year; perhaps a low Mass in Portland or if the $ are a little short an OF Mass locally.
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but I need to know about how much time to allot myself in my schedule that day.