March 1 | 7:00 am - 8:00 am
Unnamed Venue
Rochester,
Contact:
Phone
507-289-1841
Email:
hagenmoskalik@gloria-dei.com

Additional Information

On Ash Wednesday, March 1st , ministers from several churches will be offering “Ashes to Go,” a new approach to a centuries-old Christian tradition, from 7 - 8 a.m. near the bus stops on 2nd Street and 1st Avenue downtown.

Ashes To Go is part of a new nationwide movement that has clergy and lay people visiting transit stops, street corners, coffee shops, and college campuses to mark the foreheads of interested passers-by with ashes and invite them to repent of past wrongdoing and seek forgiveness and renewal.

In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday marks the start of the holy season of Lent, a time for reflection and repentance in preparation for the celebration of Easter. For centuries, Christians have received a cross of ashes on the face at the beginning of that season as a reminder of mortal failings and an invitation to receive God’s forgiveness. Ashes to Go provides the opportunity to participate in that tradition for people who may have lost their connection to a Faith Community or have never participated before.

“God meets us where we are,” says Rev. Karna Hagen Moskalik of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. “God meets us in our broken world and busy lives. The ashes remind us as the day begins, Jesus’ love on the cross breaks into our suffering and mortality. Recognizing our need for God prepares us for the Lenten journey that offers healing, hope and the resurrection celebration of Easter.”

Rev. Emily Mellott, who maintains the website AshesToGo.org with resources and stories about this ministry. “As people get busier and busier, we need the church in new and non-traditional ways. We especially need reminders of forgiveness in the tough places of our working lives. The people who accept ashes on the street are often people longing to make a connection between their faith and the forces of daily life, and Ashes to Go helps them feel that connection.”

In Rochester, this is the fifth year several ministers from the Ecumenical Community are offering Ashes to Go. We will gather just before 7 a.m. on Ash Wednesday and find a corner near several bus stops in hopes of meeting people for a moment of prayer as they make their way to work!

Contact Rev. Karna Hagen Moskalik, Gloria Dei Lutheran hagenmoskalik@gloria-dei.com or 507289-1841 for more information. More information about the Ashes to Go movement can be found at www.AshesToGo.org.