Courtesy photo
Robed priests will await drivers outside of St. David's Episcopal Church.
Once again the Lenten season is upon us. For the most devout Christians among us, that means 40 days of "fasting and repentance," which translates to pretending you're giving up chocolate until Easter and eating deep fried cod every Friday night.
We digress.
Those 40 days begin on Feb. 14, a day in the Christian church known as Ash Wednesday. This day is marked by a mandatory mid-afternoon service when a priest/pastor/minister marks your forehead with an ashen cross, and henceforth everyone you meet must make some remark about the smudge on your face.
Well, for the third year in a row a local church is axing that mandatory service (mass?) and offering an Ash Wednesday drive thru where motorists can pull up, get crossed by a robed priest, and be on their merry way.
The drive thru will be open at St. David's Episcopal Church in Southfield from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to best accommodate the morning, lunch time, and evening rush hours.
The drive thru is accessible from 12 Mile Road, and motorists can enter from one of two driveways, receive their ashes, and then exit back on to 12 Mile Road.
“Last year, hundreds of people received prayer and ashes through this ministry,” the Very Rev. Chris Yaw, rector of St. David’s, says in a press release. “And those of us who served on that day were blessed by the opportunity to meet and pray with others.”
In addition to the #blessed drive thru, the church is also holding Ash Wednesday services at noon at 7 p.m.
St. David's Episcopal Church is located at 16200 W. 12 Mile Rd. in Southfield.
Of course, before Ash Wednesday comes Fat Tuesday. If you're looking for ways to celebrate that holy day, click here.
