# Have you seen students at your school or co-workers wearing a Ash Wed Cross on forehead?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 8, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773 "2019-03-08T15:48:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/1 "2019-03-08T15:48:59Z")
This news story is circulating. I’ve been racking my memory trying to remember any kids at my school with a Ash Wed Cross on their forehead. I certainly haven’t seen any teachers with one.
I can’t recall any of my Co-workers wearing one either.
There were Catholic kids in my school. I’m sure some people at my job are Catholic.
Have I just not been paying attention? There’s a photo here and the cross is pretty hard too miss.
I vaguely remember movie scenes where a priest used a finger to apply something to dying peoples faces. I have no idea what.
I’m Southern Baptist.
> **[Ash Wednesday](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Wednesday)**
>
> Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent, the six weeks of penitence before Easter.
> Ash Wednesday is observed by Catholics, Lutherans, Moravians, Anglicans, and United Protestants, as well as by some churches in the Reformed, (including certain Congregationalist, Continental Reformed, and Presbyterian churches), Baptist, Methodist and Nazarene traditions.
> Ash Wednesday is traditi...
> **[Teacher on leave after telling 4th-grader to wash cross off forehead on Ash...](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teacher-leave-after-telling-4th-grader-wash-cross-forehead-ash-n980786)**
>
> "The actions were unacceptable. No student should ever be asked or required to remove an ash cross from his or her forehead," the school district said.
> [@](#):
>
> The boy’s grandmother, Karen Fisher, said Patterson told her grandson, William McLeod, that the cross was inappropriate and forced him to wash it off in front of his classmates, leaving him crying and embarrassed.
>
> “We are sorry about what happened and apologize to the student and the family for the teacher’s actions,” the district said in a statement. “The actions were unacceptable. No student should ever be asked or required to remove an ash cross from his or her forehead.”
>
> The district reached out to the family and then called its educational equity director, who happens to be an ordained Catholic deacon. He reached out to the boy’s family and reapplied the ash cross to William’s forehead, the statement said.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/2 "2019-03-08T15:57:10Z")
I see it occasionally, but IME most weekday church services are in the evening, so most people with work and school commitments won’t be at work or school after church. (Obviously that wasn’t the case for the poor kid in the story.)
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### Author:  [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/3 "2019-03-08T15:57:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> This news story is circulating. I’ve been racking my memory trying to remember any kids at my school with a Ash Wed Cross on their forehead. I certainly haven’t seen any teachers with one.
>
> I can’t recall any of my Co-workers wearing one either.
>
> There were Catholic kids in my school. I’m sure some people at my job are Catholic.
It’s not just Catholics. The imposition of ashes is observed in (as far as I know) pretty much all Christian denominations except the Eastern Orthodox and (most?) Baptist churches.
It’s not uncommon for me to see people with it at work. A lot of churches (including mine) have evening services, so that plays a role.
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### Author:  [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/4 "2019-03-08T16:05:39Z")
Among Protestants, it broadly falls along the mainline/Evangelical divide. Mainlines tend to do it (Episcopalians, United Methodists, Lutherans, some Presbyterians) Evangelicals don’t tend to do it (Pentecostals, Charismatics, Baptists, ubiquitous ‘Community Churches’) Among Catholics, the imposition tends to take place all day long, so many get them before work in the morning. Among Protestants, it’s almost always in the evening. (Our United Methodist church did our imposition at 7 pm as an example.) If you’re in a Protestant area with mainlines, you will likely not see any ashes unless you’re out in the evening. If you’re in a Catholic area, you’ll see them more commonly throughout the day.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/5 "2019-03-08T16:08:57Z")
The teacher seemed unaware of the significance of Ash Wednesday and made a bad decision.
I had seen Ash Wednesday on calendars and never knew it’s significance. I do understand the importance of the cross and would never ask anyone to wash it off or make any comment.
I learned something new today. That’s always a good thing.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/6 "2019-03-08T16:09:28Z")
In 2010, a [presenter (news anchor, in American lingo) for Sky News](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1251794/Kay-Burley-sorry-mistaking-Joe-Bidens-Ash-Wednesday-cross-bruise.html) thought the mark on VP Joe Biden’s head was a “bruise”, not remembering until later that it was Ash Wednesday. And the presenter was Catholic.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/7 "2019-03-08T16:10:20Z")
> [@Falchion](#):
>
> It’s not just Catholics. The imposition of ashes is observed in (as far as I know) pretty much all Christian denominations except the Eastern Orthodox and (most?) Baptist churches.
The whole evangelical side of things is (at least in the USA with all of our weird outcast churches) usually pretty sour on the entire concept of a liturgical calendar, outside of Christmas and Easter (and I think those were only saved from the Puritans because there are aspects that are _fun_). Some of them are starting to come around on Good Friday too, but there are plenty of “low church” congregations that held their normal Wednesday bible study without even the faintest realization that it was a special Wednesday for the Catholics and Lutherans across the street.
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/8 "2019-03-08T16:11:51Z")
In Chicago, it’s common. Ashes to go are available at some of the Loop El stations.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/9 "2019-03-08T16:13:54Z")
[Your Guide to Ash Wednesday ashes.](https://churchpop.com/2017/02/27/your-comprehensive-guide-to-ash-wednesday-ashes/)
I didn’t see any at school, but there were loads on TV. All the “Hallelujah, I’m a Republican!” commentators were so adorned.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/10 "2019-03-08T16:15:35Z")
Chris Cuomo had ashes on his fore-head on his CNN program Wed.evening. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a news anchor with that on.
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### Author:  [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/11 "2019-03-08T16:37:40Z")
I didn’t see any in my office this year but most years I see a couple of people at least. I only remember a couple of students in my entire school career who ever got them in the morning. I grew up in a pretty Catholic area too, so I’d imagine a lot of kids got them after class.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/12 "2019-03-08T16:43:41Z")
I graduated from high school about 35 years ago, and don’t remember seeing people wearing the ashes, but I do remember in grade school some of the kids were dismissed early for regular catechism classes (which was for the Catholic kids at school).
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/13 "2019-03-08T17:03:04Z")
I was at a brewery Wednesday evening and there was a woman with ash on her head. Initially I thought she had a hygiene issue, then I realized what was up.
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/14 "2019-03-08T17:45:13Z")
I went to a Catholic grade school. Everyone got ashes - they cycled us all through the church in the morning to get them. And heaven help the poor kid who wiped his own off - the nuns would come down on them like a ton of bricks.
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### Author:  [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/15 "2019-03-08T18:04:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> I was at a brewery Wednesday evening and there was a woman with ash on her head. Initially I thought she had a hygiene issue, then I realized what was up.
Huh? Wouldn’t wearing an ash cross and being in a brewery a bit contradictory?
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/16 "2019-03-08T18:07:09Z")
> [@clairobscur](#):
>
> Huh? Wouldn’t wearing an ash cross and being in a brewery a bit contradictory?
Why? I know a few catholic people who drink.
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/17 "2019-03-08T18:30:25Z")
> [@clairobscur](#):
>
> Huh? Wouldn’t wearing an ash cross and being in a brewery a bit contradictory?
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Why? I know a few catholic people who drink.
From [catholic.org](https://www.catholic.org/lent/ashwed.php):
> [@](#):
>
> It is important to remember that Ash Wednesday is a day of penitential prayer and fasting. Some faithful take the rest of the day off work and remain home. It is generally inappropriate to dine out, to shop, or to go about in public after receiving the ashes. Feasting is highly inappropriate. Small children, the elderly and sick are exempt from this observance.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/18 "2019-03-08T18:33:13Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#):
>
> From [catholic.org](https://www.catholic.org/lent/ashwed.php):
Huh! This was a 30-something woman, and she was feasting and drinking. Maybe she just had an amazingly dirty forehead!
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/19 "2019-03-08T18:54:50Z")
There are plenty of self-professed Catholics who go to church on Christmas & Easter & skip everything else, but it is an odd combination of someone devout enough to go to the trouble of getting ashes, but unaware that you’re not supposed to treat the day as a celebration. That’s what Fat Tuesday is for after all.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-students-at-your-school-or-co-workers-wearing-a-ash-wed-cross-on-forehead/830773/20 "2019-03-08T19:03:15Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#):
>
> There are plenty of self-professed Catholics who go to church on Christmas & Easter & skip everything else, but it is an odd combination of \*\*someone devout enough \*\*to go to the trouble of getting ashes, but unaware that you’re not supposed to treat the day as a celebration. That’s what Fat Tuesday is for after all.
(Bolding mine)
Likely pure coincidence, but [check out the brewery](http://devoutbrewingco.com/index.html?aspxerrorpath=/#/home)where I saw the woman.
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