Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Masses at Notre Dame, 6:45 am and 5 pm, and at Saint Mary's Cathedral at Noon. Ashes will be distributed at the Noon Mass. To avoid physical contact during the pandemic, the ashes will be sprinkled upon our heads instead of marked on our foreheads in the shape of a cross. The tradition of ashes being sprinkled is an ancient practice in the Vatican and other places around the world, and it is rich in theological significance. Each year on Ash Wednesday, we are reminded that our faith is more than just outward show. We hear in the Gospel: When you fast do not look like you are fasting...wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting. There is a spiritual benefit to doing good acts without getting seen doing them. For this year only, we will do what we hear in the Bible: "put dust on their heads" as a sign that we are dust and to dust we shall return.