May I remove the Ashes at work?

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crazylady2011

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After going to the Ash Wednesday liturgy, I noticed that I received a very dark, messy smudge. I am proud to be Catholic, but don’t want too much attention at work in a medical office. May I remove them? Or is that contrary to Catholic doctrine? What is the policy on the removal of ashes? Thanks!
 
crazylady2011 said:
After going to the Ash Wednesday liturgy, I noticed that I received a very dark, messy smudge. I am proud to be Catholic, but don’t want too much attention at work in a medical office. May I remove them? Or is that contrary to Catholic doctrine? What is the policy on the removal of ashes? Thanks!
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Of course you can remove the ashes. It’s a sacramental, so you can choose to wear it or not, just as using a rosary or scapular is optional in your practice of faith.
 
Aside from what Spencerian said, ashes may be seen as unsanitary for a medical office.
 
crazylady2011 said:
After going to the Ash Wednesday liturgy, I noticed that I received a very dark, messy smudge. I am proud to be Catholic, but don’t want too much attention at work in a medical office. May I remove them? Or is that contrary to Catholic doctrine? What is the policy on the removal of ashes? Thanks!
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Growing up, the nuns always taught us to never remove the ashes. To this day, I can’t bring myself to take them off…(even when I was a bit embarrassed as a teen) :o
 
dailey said:
Growing up, the nuns always taught us to never remove the ashes. To this day, I can’t bring myself to take them off…(even when I was a bit embarrassed as a teen) :o
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Same here. I wouldn’t think of removing them. Somehow, I would feel that I am betraying Our Lord. Am I ashamed of letting everyone know that I am Catholic? Is it humiliating to wear the ashes? If so, all the more reason to not wash them off.
 
I’m always worried about being too prideful with my ashes/sacramentals. Im afraid that it is going from an act of devotion to me being a pharisee saying “Look at Me I have Ashes! I’m such a good Catholic”

I don’t want to be a pharisee but I have a hard time telling the difference between practicing your faith and not being ashamed to being too showy or prideful 😊

Still wearing my ashes though b/c at RCIA I was told to never wash them off until you were ready to go to sleep.

The medical profession, especially if you are dealing with patients, is a different story. Ashes get all over the place especially if you forget you have them and wipe your forehead from being sweaty. Then it gets on your hands. If you deal with patients I would wash them off.
 
If it is completely out of the question for your profession, I’m sure Jesus will understand. But I’d leave them on if possible.
 
Thanks to all for the thought provoking responses. I kept the ashes on in the a.m. as I contemplated my decision. I did get such a wide variety of reactions from people. I can’t imagine the discrimination that our Lord and the apostles went through, so I kept them as a sign of my faith and a reminder to others that it is a Holy Day today.

But, when the ashes began dripping onto my nose and lips (I got a heavy dose!), I thought about the practical aspects of my work. Although I am in a counseling role and not a clinical role, I felt that the hygienic aspects of the dripping ashes might be a turn-off to some of the patients, so as soon as they began dripping, I wiped them off, keeping in mind Spencerian’s comment that they are sacramental. I don’t go around flaunting my rosary, so too, have I internalized the importance of Ash Wednesday. Now all I need is to survive the fasting today!

Thanks again for all your words of wisdom.
 
Oh, I work at a Catholic hospital and there has never been a concern about wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday. Staff and patients all over the place wear them, and infection control has never had a problem with it. I think in surgery or in a department like the cath lab where sterile procedures are being done, it could be a problem and they would have to be washed off or covered. You just have to use common sense, but it’s never been an issue. Our hospital had 5 services today for the distribution of ashes, one was a Mass.
 
I wish this were a Catholic hospital, but it is not. However, they do embrace diversity, both religious and otherwise. Perhaps next year I will keep the ashes on all day and not worry about it so much. Too much overthinking perhaps this year.
 
I think whether it is good to leave them on or wash them off depends in part on your own view and what you think the ashes mean.

This year I was thinking I would refrain from wearing them in public, based on Jesus telling us in Matt 6:17-18 to “wash our face” when we fast, so we may not appear to be fasting.

I started a thread on this here.

There were lots of good comments both supporting and against my point of view.

Some thought the ashes were not about fasting, but I countered that they are a symbol of our membership in the RC church, which is well known for fasting on Ash Wednesday.

Then some said that ashes are not restricted to RC. I didn’t know that.

Most agreed, though, that if there is any sort of feelings of pride associated with wearing them, they should probably be removed.

I guess it’s too late to discuss it for this year, but I still find it an interesting topic for good discussion.

Alan
 
I always felt like I shouldn’t wash the ashes off. But I agree if there is a feeling of “look at me I made it to mass aren’t I so pious etc.” With or without the ashes still being on our forehad God knows what is in our hearts.

I went to a Catholic high school so never felt uncomfortable till I had to take the public bus home. As I got older I would get those interesting looks, some had respectful questions or comments, others had the “oh you must be Catholic” attitude. It became a good time to help spread the word and then pray for the people who were disrespectful.

I work for a company that prides itself on divirsity and inclusion.I was so disappointed one year when I came to work with ashes on my forehead, and I had gotten a really good dose of them, my supervisor was talking to me and said, “you know if someone complains about the ashes I am going to have to ask you to wash them off.” I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Then I got mad and wanted to go again at noon to get even more. Anyway that incident helped me think of my lenten promise, being more prayerful and not so quick to anger. It also made me question the integrity of a company that up to that point I had loved working for.
 
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