Q. 1. Where does the Church get the ashes that it uses on Ash Wednesday? Do they buy them?

A. 1. In the Catholic Church, the ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made from the burned palm branches that were distributed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year.

The priest blesses these ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross and saying, "Remember, man you are dust and to dust you shall return," or the words "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."