Who can get ashes on Ash Wednesday?

[babochka]

I’ve only ever seen ashes in the context of mass. I’ve never seen a service designed to distribute ashes. What are these mass-less ash services that people are mentioning on the boards? What happens there? What are they like? Who officiates? Where can they be held? Curiosity is killing this cat.

(My parish had 6 *masses *today. They distribute ashes at mass only.)

Note: I mean for Latin rite Catholics. I know Protestants have Ash Wednesday services. I don’t mean that.

Bishop Jaime Soto of the Diocese of Sacramento held three services (Liturgy of the Word, plus distribution of ashes) in various parts of the city. I think they were mostly downtown, accessible to office workers, etc. I thought it was great, for people who couldn’t make it to Mass, to bring the ashes to them.

I have heard more than one priest tell stories about late-night knocks on the rectory door on Ash Wednesday, from people who just needed to get their ashes. It seems many people treat it as a superstition of sorts.

 

[MommaElspeth]

We are mid size rural parish, and we have two masses (morning and evening) and ashes services in between.