‘To dust you shall return’: Christians begin Lent with Imposition of Ashes

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‘To dust you shall return’: Christians begin Lent with Imposition of Ashes

By Triblive

1 Min Read • Feb. 18, 2026 | 1 hour Ago

| Wednesday, February 18, 2026 1:43 p.m.

The Rev. Philip Beck provides ashes-to-go for Ash Wednesday in the parking lot of First United Presbyterian Church in Tarentum on Wednesday. (Shane Dunlap | TribLive)

Christians across the Alle-Kiski Valley began Lent on Wednesday by donning ashes in the sign of the cross on their foreheads.

The “Imposition of Ashes” is a centuries-old Christian tradition meant to signify repentance and mortality and marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent, one of the holiest periods for Christians that culminates in Good Friday, when Christians believe Jesus was crucified for their sins, and Easter, the day they believe marks the resurrection of Jesus.

Ashes were used by early Christians to signify those atoning for serious sins, but was popularized as a tradition for all Christians by Pope Urban II in the year 1091.

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” from the Bible’s Book of Genesis, is a popular invocation used when clergy apply the ashes.

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