Ashes to Ashes...

For the past three years, I have been a part of a group of Episcopal and Lutheran clergy and lay people who have offered imposition of ashes at the St George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island.  I vividly recall the reaction of our Liturgy Committee on that Thursday evening when I proposed we distribute ashes at the ferry: complete and utter silence.
I went on and on explaining that the Episcopal Church USA supported a movement called "Ashes to go" that brought the imposition of ashes to the streets where people, who are usually on their daily commute, are given the opportunity to receive ashes on their forehead on their way to work or school without judgement and without recrimination.

My then rector was a bit skittish about the whole thing, but called me up after the liturgy meeting saying that was the most exciting thing he  had heard at those meeting since he became rector six years ago.  But, he wondered, would we get arrested if we did it? We consulted our attorney who said we would be in public space, and would be okay. So we went. We went with two small glass bowls, ashes, one lay person with prayer cards and a charge to count how many people came forward to take the ashes and no expectations.

We stood aside a coffee shop whose owner bought us coffee for imposing ashes on himself and his employees.  Police officers, train conductors, bankers, stock traders, secretaries, administrative assistants, lawyers, janitors, students, ferry pilots, homeless folks: they all lined up to have ashes placed on their foreheads and listen to the words:" Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return".

Many people said "Thanks you for doing this."  Some others asked us to pray with them or for them or for family members who were facing difficulties. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit moving among God's people as they traversed past us on their way to work, school and who knows where, just living out their daily lives. Each year we encountered so many people who were walking in faith; people who held deep beliefs that sustained them throughout their everyday lives. People who sought repentance and redemption as they commuted  every day to work to support their families.  These were people to whom this rite of the imposition of ashes meant so much.  It became for them a proclamation of who they were.  They were Christ's own, sealed forever by faith and the Holy Spirit

But this year, we were told that we needed to file for a "performance permit" at the ferry, the same one given to filmmakers. We did so, and received a very restrictive one. We would be limited to a predetermined spot that was assigned to us by an undefined bureaucratic entity who said we were preforming "religious ritual" that would somehow offend someone. We finally negotiated three spots that would not offend: an assigned spot in an isolated corridor and two spots just off the radar and out of Department of Transportation jurisdiction.

We imposed ashes on 311 commuters on Ash Wednesday morning.  It was an adventure, to be sure, but we were there.  We were witnesses of Christ and for Christ to the faithful ones who came to us, and prayed with us, and rejoiced with us as we stood together to remind everyone "...thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return."