tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post3849058928317881378..comments2023-09-26T00:42:29.508-07:00Comments on Caritas in Veritate: A Good Ash Wednesday AttendanceFather John Boylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10581732723849634398noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-67081519972445041102010-02-18T10:58:37.307-08:002010-02-18T10:58:37.307-08:00We had good numbers at both the morning and the ev...We had good numbers at both the morning and the evening Mass. Like you, our schools were on half-term and it was good to see quite a number of children at Mass - and a respectable number of altar servers too.<br /><br />Re producing your own palm ash. I was wondering about this too on my blog. I think it might be a bit problematical nowadays with the 'Elf 'n' Safety' brigade to keep happy! :)Idle Ramblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07583960388335420573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-44276610529398230592010-02-18T07:09:03.282-08:002010-02-18T07:09:03.282-08:00Fr. John, I was present one year when our then pas...Fr. John, I was present one year when our then pastor concocted the ashes. The left over palms were saved, along with the huge palm branches which decorated the church for palm Sunday (plus the branches from the various potted palms. They'd dried out after palm Sunday. And then one Sat. when I was over in the rectory doing the bulletin not too long after Easter Father burned the palms in the barbecue. No particular ceremony! [Other than he had a grin on his face when he lit those first couple of palms. There was enough to save in two custard cup sized dishes...which were then kept on a high shelf in the sacristy -- and those slipped into plastic zip lock bags. <br /><br />However, palms around here literally grow on trees outside....(though I think even we normally buy commercially! No one having the patience, normally, to wash those things individually, though there were a couple of years when the palm trees were due for a trim around that time and we had a cottage industry cleaning the things the day before Palm Sunday.<br /><br />And then there was the time the simpletons at the 11:00 Mass didn't leave ANY (as in NOT ONE SINGLE) palm for the 5:15 Mass. However, as I as assisting at the 5:15, it was one thing I'd been in fear of for years....so as was my wont I had gotten there WAY early for the Mass -- and denuded the sanctuary of two of the four large palm branches decorating the church, and fortunately there were scissors in the sacristy, because the 11:00 people would have been dead, dead, dead ... and you'd have read about me long before for "most unusual murder circumstances."<br /><br />[Last night I went to a Missa Cantata, good numbers, and there had been two earlier Masses that day. 5 servers,gemoftheoceanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521207668262592414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-33811281433953239512010-02-18T00:34:41.725-08:002010-02-18T00:34:41.725-08:00Fr: I think that most companies have always provid...Fr: I think that most companies have always provided free sachets of ash if you are one of their customers or are ordering goods at the same time. I agree: it's not much to create good customer relations.<br /><br />Some people this year returned their palms from last year expecting me to burn them for Ash Wednesday. Is this a custom in some places? I too tried burning them myself one year and ended up with a ruined pan. One obviously needs a proper incinerator.<br /><br />Owl: good to hear numbers up around the place. Hope you had a good holiday!Father John Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10581732723849634398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-15336761125757878922010-02-17T18:46:31.120-08:002010-02-17T18:46:31.120-08:00Yes, Father John - very good attendance and I'...Yes, Father John - very good attendance and I've heard from other priests here across the pond that they had excellent attendance. I also used the breviary prayer for my homily. Happy Birthday for the other day!the owl of the removehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997766157711823147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845239886251312993.post-36862100570186837722010-02-17T15:48:25.733-08:002010-02-17T15:48:25.733-08:00We had a nice crowd too - although, considering it...We had a nice crowd too - although, considering it is half term here too, the numbers of families and younger parishioners present at two Masses was a little disappointing. <br /><br />Speaking of ash, for the first time in 20 years as a Parish Priest we were invoiced for what used to be complimentary packets of palm ash from one purveyor of liturgical goods. (The pathetic amount supplied in each packet wouldn't 'ash' one person if we did it in the Roman style - dry ash sprinkled onto the crown of the head.)<br /><br />Having ditched one firm over the last year because of incompetence and downright lack of decent customer service, I fear that these may be next. A recent re-organisation of the communications system and efficiency drive doesn't seem to have done them or their image much good. If it weren't for very obliging local branch staff and the outstandingly helpful delivery man I wouldn't hesitate to look elsewhere for consumables. A few goodwill packets of ash used to go a long way towards customer loyalty!<br /><br />I have tried burning piles of left-over dried palms in the past but the ash produced from this exercise is a little too rough on the skin and takes some reducing with a mortar and pestle to be usable.Frhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14452381203940231150noreply@blogger.com