Get Your Ashes to Go in Arlington

Church offering ashes at Metro station

You may see another line forming at a certain Metro station today. It’s not because of track work or escalator problems, but because of ashes.

St. George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington is bringing the ancient and solemn tradition of marking a cross of ashes on believer’s foreheads to the Virginia Square Metro station. It’s called “Ashes to Go.”

The distribution of ashes is a tradition on the first day of Lent, and this year, St. George’s decided to take the tradition out from behind church walls and bring it directly to people.

Ashes were offered during the morning commute and will be offered again during the evening commute before the church holds their 7:30 p.m. service a block away from the station. You don’t have to be a member of the church or any particular faith to take part. Ashes will be offered to all who wish to receive them.

“’Ashes to Go’ is about bringing church to the people: bringing spirit, belief, and belonging out from behind church doors, and into the places where we go every day,” the church said in a statement.
 

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