Ashes to go at Anglican Cathedral

Confidentials 4 March 2014

ASHES To Go has nothing to do with cricketing updates on your mobile phone, nor is it something you can order in Starbucks. Rather, it's a new way in which to mark the start of Lent.

Lent, where people give up things that they like. Usually vices. In the past it would be drink and fags. Now it's Facebook and Twitter. Kids would forgoe chocolate, now it's Minecraft.

This Ash Wednesday (March 5) visitors to Liverpool Cathedral will be offered ashes on their forehead, all day.

Ash Wednesday, the start of the Christian season of repentance and reflection, is remembered by many by having a cross of ashes “to remind them of their human failings and to seek forgiveness”, not forgetting it's how you are going to end up (well, hopefully not on someone's forehead).

Oh stop it, it's way more spiritual than that. This year, as well as giving out ashes during the usual Ash Wednesday services, cathedral clergy will be available from 10am to 3:30pm to offer this ancient tradition and enable visitors to take a moment to pause and reflect.

Ashes to Go is a national movement that aims to allow as many people as possible to participate in the start of Lent.

Canon Paul Rattigan, Liverpool Cathedral’s Canon for Discipleship said:“Ashes to Go provides the opportunity for people to take part in the Lent tradition even if they can’t get to a service. You can call in to the cathedral in your lunch hour or whenever you can during the day.”

I give up

Whether you are religious or not, many people see Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, as a way of ridding themselves, temporarily, of some behaviour or habit that can end in no good.

If you're short on ideas but want to join with the misplaced notion of fun, here is a top 20 of things that people gave up last year, results aggregated from zillions of twitter users and their tweets.