Community Corner
Ash Wednesday 2026: Where to Receive Ashes In Ridgefield
In Ridgefield and neighboring Danbury, several congregations will offer opportunities to receive ashes and participate in worship on Feb. 18
RIDGEFIELD, CT — Local churches in Ridgefield and neighboring communities are preparing for Ash Wednesday services on Feb. 18, 2026, marking the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season of prayer, fasting and reflection leading up to Easter Sunday.
Ash Wednesday is observed by many Christian denominations, including Catholic, Episcopal and Congregational churches, with the imposition of ashes on the forehead as a sign of repentance and mortality. The practice traditionally uses ashes made from the previous year’s Palm Sunday palms and recalls the biblical phrase “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
In Ridgefield and neighboring Danbury, several congregations will offer opportunities to receive ashes and participate in worship on Feb. 18:
Ridgefield Area Services
- St. Elizabeth Seton Parish – Mass with distribution of ashes at 8:30 a.m., noon and 7:30 p.m.; additional 4:45 p.m. service with ashes for families and religious education participants.
- St. Mary Parish – Masses with distribution of ashes at 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., noon, 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
- First Congregational Church of Ridgefield – Ash Wednesday worship service beginning at 7:00 p.m. Following a community dinner, this service includes imposition of ashes.
- Christ the King Church – Ash Wednesday schedule includes a 7:15 a.m. Mass and blessing of ashes, an 8:15 a.m. school Mass, and a 7:00 p.m. Mass.
Danbury Area Services
- St. Peter Catholic Church – Multiple Masses with distribution of ashes at 7:30 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., with a 7:00 p.m. Spanish Mass.
- St. Joseph Church – Liturgy of the Word service with ashes at 7:00 a.m., additional Masses at 9:00 a.m., 12:05 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. begin the Lenten season.
- St. Gregory the Great Parish – Ash Wednesday services with ashes at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., noon, 5:30 p.m. Mass and 7:00 p.m. service.
- Saint James’ Episcopal Church – Services will be held at 7:00 a.m., noon and 7:00 p.m.
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a period observed in Christian liturgical calendars that emphasizes penitence, reflection and spiritual preparation for Easter. During many services, clergy place ashes in the shape of a cross on worshippers’ foreheads, symbolizing human mortality and the Christian call to repentance.
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