Returning Catholics FAQs: Ash Wednesday

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

So, Ash Wednesday. I haven’t done it for a long time. What do I have to do?

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is a wonderful time to start discerning a returning to an active...