Words used for imposition of ashes

[anon64350612]

What is supposed to be said when ashes are placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday? When I was in Puerto Rico last year, this was the script we were expected to use:
Sacerdote (priest says): Conviértete y contempla a Jesús.

Pueblo (people say): Para que me libere del miedo.

Loosely translated, Priest: Convert yourself and contemplate Jesus. Response: That I may be free from fear.

When I received ashes that day, I just said “Amen.”

Are there rules about what may be said during the distribution of ashes?

 

[Entwhistler]

From what I remember, the priest says, “Remember thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.”

 

[FrDavid96]

What is supposed to be said when ashes are placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday? When I was in Puerto Rico last year, this was the script we were expected to use:
Sacerdote (priest says): Conviértete y contempla a Jesús.

Pueblo (people say): Para que me libere del miedo.

Loosely translated, Priest: Convert yourself and contemplate Jesus. Response: That I may be free from fear.

When I received ashes that day, I just said “Amen.”

Are there rules about what may be said during the distribution of ashes?

In English (in the US states) we have 2 different options

Remember man that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.

Repent and believe in the Gospel (or something close to that, I don’t use that one)

I don’t know exactly what forms of the words apply in P.R. but they sound about right.

Yes, there are rules, but they’re not very strict ones. There’s some leeway here.

If that’s what they do in P.R. then “that’s what they do.”

I wouldn’t think twice about it.

If I happened to be there on Ash Wednesday and for some reason found myself helping with the ashes: if the priest said to me “this is what we say” and used those words that you typed, I would use those words and not think much more about it.

There can be a lot of variations on how to do the ashes especially cultural differences.

 

[FrDavid96]

What is supposed to be said when ashes are placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday? When I was in Puerto Rico last year, this was the script we were expected to use:
Sacerdote (priest says): Conviértete y contempla a Jesús.

Pueblo (people say): Para que me libere del miedo.

Loosely translated, Priest: Convert yourself and contemplate Jesus. Response: That I may be free from fear.

When I received ashes that day, I just said “Amen.”

Are there rules about what may be said during the distribution of ashes?

There is no “official” text for the person who receives the ashes, so strictly speaking, there is no response. Some people say “amen.” I don’t bother telling people “don’t say amen” because I just don’t see the point. If they want to say it, they say it.

As for a longer response (like the one you typed) there’s nothing in the missal. Maybe it’s an adaptation of the text specifically approved for PR (since they’re not part of the US bishops conference but have their own).

Maybe it’s cultural.

In any case, as I said earlier, if that’s what they do then that’s what they do.

 

[JohnLilburne]

The two formulae are:

Repent and believe in the Gospel

or

Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

The Roman Missal used in Australia has two commas not included above:
“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
Or:
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

 

[Irishmom2]

I have not hard the word man used in my memory. So it’s been a long time since its been used in my part of the U.S.