We were at Mass today and picked up our blessed chalk!!! 
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St. Paul is my fave. Is it ok to have favorites?
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Shouldn’t that be St. Patrick?
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no, he chased the snakes out, he didn’t crush their heads beneath his heel
for those unfamiliar w/ the iconography, this is a common motif with Mary in Catholic art. (like Peter & the keys, for instance)
If you look at Renaissance/Baroque paintings w/ Mary in them, if it’s particularly depicting her as Queen of Heaven, you’ll see her bare feet crushing a serpent (which is supposed to be Satan).
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I was joking about driving out the snakes, though truly didn’t know Mary is often depicted crushing a serpent. I’ll see myself out, since I’m not actually Catholic.
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Oh, and Feb 14 is Ash Wednesday, so stickers are probably your best choice for “celebrating” that aspect.
I doubt any but the squishiest bishops are giving dispensations
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I like how St. John Cantius literally buries an Alleluia during Lent…
at a nursing home!
and the great thing is, I don’t even have to care if they’re Catholic (or can swallow, etc.) – anybody who wants the ashes will get them
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That’s awesome, meep.
So Protestants seem to be doing the Ash Wednesday thing these days. Debating on if I want to go. And if I’ll go at lunch or after work. I have mixed feelings about walking around with ashes on my face. Which is probably the point…
I can never recall a time when Protestants didn’t do Ash Wednesday / ashes. Maybe not Evangelicals… dunno. But I’ve certainly done it all my life. 
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My denomination—or at least the churches I attended—never did it until recent years. I guess I had extrapolated that to all Protestants and that was wrong.
We were at church whenever the doors were open, and we moved a lot. Of the 8 churches I actually remember attending, there was never an Ash Wednesday service. At the church I have attended for the last 8 or so years, we have either had one ourselves or joined with another church.
Also I never saw anyone come to work with ashes on their faces until recent years and it’s only been people I know to be devout Catholics.
So… I learned something today.
Huh, I attended UCC, Presbyterian (PCUSA, but I’m pretty sure PCA also does Ash Wednesday), United Methodist, Lutheran, and now Episcopalian churches and they all do Ash Wednesday.
I haven’t put in much time with the Baptists or Seventh Day Adventists. I think those are the major ones.
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Our UCC church started doing ashes maybe 10-12 years ago. Very Congregational branch of the UCC, so that may mean something. Started when our assistant minister at time (former Catholic) decide to add them to the liturgical calendar. Very few went at the time and still low participation rate.
UCC was a bunch of different denominations that combined, so it may have to do with which denomination the congregation was pre-merger. My UCC church from the 80s certainly did ashes back when I went there.