John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis All Did Ashes on the Crown

Last updated on: February 16, 2021 at 1:41 pm by Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis All Did Ashes on the Crown 2021-02-16T13:41:23-05:00 Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This Ash Wednesday, the distribution of the ashes will be a little different for Canada and the USA. Usually in our countries, the priest imposes them by making a cross on the forehead. However, this year, the Vatican suggested: “The Priest takes the ashes and sprinkles them on the head of each one without saying anything.” This sprinkling on the crown of the head seems odd for us in the US and Canada but is a common tradition elsewhere. I experienced it when studying in Italy. All three of our recent Popes both received and gave out ashes this way.

There are plenty of photos of the Popes on Ash Wednesday. However, I have the right to none of them: I’ll embed social media posts below. Thus, I looked for a picture of sprinkling the ashes on the head to use for this post instead. Doing so, I found a Polish painter 140 years ago. This shows it is a common practice in multiple Catholic countries.

Julian Fałat, Popielec (Ash Wednesday), 1881, showing ashes on the crown of the head was normal in Poland. (CC0)

Popes St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis on Ash Wednesday

The last three Popes have been seen on both sides of the Ash Wednesday celebration. Both in giving and receiving ashes, they do so on the crown.

This is how Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis receive ashes on Ash Wednesday in the Vatican (� courtesy photos) pic.twitter.com/krM58Z88A1

— Rev. D. Vu (@VudatNation) January 13, 2021

Pope St. John Paul II Distributing Ashes on the Crown

Pope Benedict XVI Distributing Ashes on the Crown

Pope Francis Distributing Ashes on the Crown

Pope Francis' Ash Wednesday Homily http://t.co/pPpxLGMhcu pic.twitter.com/WqXl3Hxh7Q

— Aleteia (@AleteiaEN) February 19, 2015

Conclusion

Although the way ashes will be distributed this year is a little odd for our North American sensibilities, it’s common elsewhere. Let’s enter this season of Lent thinking about how we can sacrifice to grow spiritually and help others. Let’s not be distracted by such minor liturgical changes.

Note: please support me and my community on Patreon so I can keep writing online.

Previous Post

February 13, 2021

DNR Orders Forced on Those With Learning Disabilities

Next Post

February 25, 2021 Another German Bishop Denies Catholic Teaching on Homosexual Acts

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Autism Bioethics Book Review Business and Economics Catholic Social Teaching Culture Diocesan Life Disability Discipleship Euthanasia Family Life Genetics Global Politics History Immigration Inspiration Interview Liturgy Moral Theology My Life News Analysis Original Articles Prayer Privacy Pro-Life Science Sexual orientation or identity Social Media Sports Technology Theology Uncategorized US Politics Vatican

Select a Month March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz