Mass attendance on Ash Wednesday

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Elzee

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Our parish offers 5 Masses on Ash Wednesday - all of them packed and somtimes it’s standing room only. But, on holy days of obligation, we’re lucky if the one extra Mass offered fills the church by 1/3.

Anyone else notice this in their parishes? I think it’s great so many go to Mass on Ash Wednesday, but why not on holy days??
 
Funny you should say that Elzee, our Priest said during his Ash Wed homily that - in his experience - the three most attended days in the Church in Scotland are:
  1. Christmas
  2. Ash Wednesday
  3. Good Friday
I have no idea why 2 & 3 are more popular than other Holy Days of Obligation here, what is even more curious is why they are more popular than Easter Sunday!
 
I attended mass last night and people had their kids sitting on their laps–were sitting person to person and there were still some standing in the back all the way to the doors. This is in a town which has 6 churches which all had multiple masses…I couldn’t believe it!
 
We not only had filled masses, but filled liturgy of the word services as well as people coming and going all day long looking for the ashes.
If anything, I think this is our largest day even bigger than Easter and Christmas. We also get a mob for Palm Sunday. Go figure!
 
Our old youth minister siad that people like coming to Ash Wednesday because you get something extra. Like little kids who like going to Mass for the donuts.
 
Our Church is always packed on the Feast of the Assumption, and All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Feast of the Assumption most of all. People love Our Lady.
 
Yes, I think the reason why Ash Wednesday and lets’ not forget Palm Sunday too is because you get something extra. These people should realize that if they came every Sunday they would get something too, JESUS!!
 
Maureen Fiore:
Yes, I think the reason why Ash Wednesday and lets’ not forget Palm Sunday too is because you get something extra. These people should realize that if they came every Sunday they would get something too, JESUS!!
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I guess you’re probably right. I was talking to a mom this morning at school who doesn’t really ‘get into Mass’, but she said she went to Mass yesterday and 'got my ashes, very cool’. It’s starting to click now…never would have thought of that being the reason, though…
 
  1. Most people assume that it is one of those “supposed to go” days (nominal Catholics term for Holy day of Obligation)
  2. Anyone can go up and recieve ashes. I live in a small town and noticed a very large number of non-catholic protestants go up (with big smiles on their faces) to recieve. We have alot of mixed marriages in my parish and I noticed many non-Catholic spouses tromping up to get ashed. Its the only time of the year besides St. Blaise throat day that the non Catholic spouses can go up with their families. SO I am guessing they are inclined to go to ash wednesday services.
  3. In relation to #1 I have a few freinds who are Easter and Christmas Catholics who had no idea what a holy day of obligation was. People are so so so misinformed in my diocese that most people just go to church but don’t appear to really be practicing catholics. I called it the fruits of the post VII syndrome.
 
Maureen Fiore:
Yes, I think the reason why Ash Wednesday and lets’ not forget Palm Sunday too is because you get something extra. These people should realize that if they came every Sunday they would get something too, JESUS!!
Click to expand...
How true. We have to remember that on Ash Wednesday, not only the non-practicing Catholics come out of the wood work but many others come as well, Protestants, Atheists, Poly-Theists etc. It is sad, but because of the Ashes, they come - it becomes a kind of superstitious thing for some. Fr. gave a wonderful Homily about that yesterday - I attended the 12:10 Mass yesterday and it wasn’t packed but I can guarantee that the evening Masses were!

Brenda V.
 
Brenda V.:
How true. We have to remember that on Ash Wednesday, not only the non-practicing Catholics come out of the wood work but many others come as well, Protestants, Atheists, Poly-Theists etc. It is sad, but because of the Ashes, they come - it becomes a kind of superstitious thing for some. Fr. gave a wonderful Homily about that yesterday - I attended the 12:10 Mass yesterday and it wasn’t packed but I can guarantee that the evening Masses were!

Brenda V.
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I was not aware of this. Well, I guess it pays be a member of CAF it is truly an informative site. 👍
 
Maureen Fiore:
Yes, I think the reason why Ash Wednesday and lets’ not forget Palm Sunday too is because you get something extra. These people should realize that if they came every Sunday they would get something too, JESUS!!
Click to expand...
Ah yes. These are called the A&P Catholics. (Ashes and Palms Catholics.)

I think it is simply because Ash Wednesday is far less obscure than the Feast of the Assumption, or some such thing like that. And also, something ‘extra’ doesn’t hurt either.
 
Off-topic, sorry. But don’t others find a crowd at the Feast of the Assumption? Last one I attended (6:30am), the place was packed. I didn’t realise until the end when I turned around and saw.
 
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JeffAustralia:
Off-topic, sorry. But don’t others find a crowd at the Feast of the Assumption? Last one I attended (6:30am), the place was packed. I didn’t realise until the end when I turned around and saw.
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I have not had this experience. Maybe its an Australia thing? (thats where you are, right?)
 
Yes, I am. It’s the only truly orthodox parish within the diocese too, and led by a highly reverent Marist priest. So maybe it’s not a typical Australian thing either. In many of the parishes I’m sure you’d hear “Mary who?”
 
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JeffAustralia:
Y In many of the parishes I’m sure you’d hear “Mary who?”
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Uh, unfortunately, that would include my parish. We might hear Mary’s name during the homily on the Assumption and Immaculate Conception. She wasn’t even mentioned on Mother’s Day last year. Very sad. Can’t remember the last time I’ve heard a ‘Hail Mary’ recited in our parish…don’t think ever, to be honest.
 
Such a shame, isn’t it? I asked our populist bishop why Mary (and saints, sin, purgatory, hell, purgatory, confession, real presence in Eucharist, authority of the Pope, Rosary, etc etc) were literally never mentioned in his cathedral in the four years that I’d attended every Sunday. He said they had so many things to cover, and would get around to these things eventually. Yeah, right!
 
Our priest mentioned today that we get 3 times the crowd on Ash Wednesday as we do on any Holy Day of Obligation. (I’m sure he didn’t include Christmas on that one. Mass was full, but it wasn’t that full!)

I may be being a bit over-optimistic, but I’d like to think that so many come to Ash Wednesday Masses because they take their Lenten sacrifices seriously and want to get off on the right foot.
 
Many people think it is a holy day of obligation. I just ran into someone the other day who listed it as one (and I told them otherwise). I’ve also encountered a similar belief about Good Friday, even in an otherwise very well catechized person.

I always found Christmas, preparation for Easter (ash Wed), Good Friday, Easter, and Ascention to be easier to connect with than, say, the Immaculate Conception. Even the wisemen or circumcision were easier to get a hold of than saint days. Maybe it is just a connection thing. People show up for the Jesus kind of days?

Just a thought for the poster who mentioned Ash Wed as more popular than Easter…Easter has secular and family ways to celebrate it that do not require a church. Ash Wed doesn’t.
 
Maybe central Connecticut is different. We had a handful of people at 8:30 Mass, and roughly the same number as normally go to Sunday masses at 7:00. Our music director also heads the music program in a small parish in another town, and he said there were FIVE people at 5:00 Mass in that town!

The 7:00 Mass was also attended by a music critic. I was cantoring, and every time I opened my mouth to sing, the critic, aged about 8 months, would go “WAAAAH!”
 
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