On March 5, Ash Wednesday, the Episcopal Church of the Ascension will offer “Ashes to Go,” a modern approach to a centuries-old Christian tradition, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Veterans Square and 2 to 2:30 p.m. at the Bradford Regional Medical Center chapel.

“Ascension is proud to take part again in this nationwide movement that has clergy and lay people visiting transit stops, street corners, coffee shops, and college campuses to mark the foreheads of interested passers-by with ashes and invite them to repent of past wrongdoing and seek forgiveness and renewal,” church officials said in a press release.

In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday marks the start of the holy season of Lent, a time for reflection and repentance in preparation for the celebration of Easter. For centuries, Christians have received a cross of ashes on the forehead at the beginning of that season as a reminder of mortal failings and an invitation to receive God’s forgiveness. Ashes to Go provides the opportunity to participate in that tradition for people who have lost their connection to a church, or have never participated before.

“Ashes to Go is about bringing the important traditions of our faith out from behind church walls and into the places we need them every day,” said the Rev. Stacey Fussell, Ascension’s rector. “As people get busier and busier, we need the church in new and non-traditional ways. We especially need reminders of forgiveness in the tough places of our working lives. The people who accept ashes on the street are often people longing to make a connection between their faith and the forces of daily life, and Ashes to Go helps them feel that connection.”

Contact Fussell at (814) 368-8915 or motherstacey@gmail.com for more information about Ashes to Go in Bradford. More information about the movement can be found at AshesToGo.org.