Q. 1. What is the purpose of the ash holder in the Catholic Church?

A. 1. The purpose of the ash holder is to hold the ashes, a sacramental, that are used to administer ashes on the forehead of the faithful on Ash Wednesday. These ashes are made from the burning of palms blessed in the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration, when Christians carried palms to recognize the Gospels' reference to Jesus's path being covered in palm on the day He entered Jerusalem.

Ash holders may be made out of ceramic, metals or glass. You can even find ash holders in the form of a pyx with a screw top lid that features a gold cross image on top. Such a holder holds enough ashes to serve 250+ parishoners.