Churches Mark Ash Wednesday with New Traditions

Ash-wednesday-HEAD-smFor Ash Wednesday, many churches tried to find new ways to incorporate ancient Lenten traditions. Father Leo Patalinghug, the cooking priest, created a series of YouTube videos with recipes for people who have given up meat for Lent. The videos highlight Catholic Relief Services work with the poor. For Christians with a super busy schedule, many congregations offered “Ashes to Go,” and some even offered drive-through service they called “Ash and Dash.” Many churches encouraged Christians with ash marks to post “selfies” on social media sites. There were clever hashtags including #ashtag and #showusyourash. Some complained that was inappropriate for the solemn period of Lent, but others praised any attempt to get people excited about their faith.

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