what does the priest say when giving ashes
When a priest gives ashes on Ash Wednesday, he normally says one of two short, traditional phrases to each person:
- “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
- “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (sometimes worded “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”)
Both lines are meant to remind you of human mortality and the call to repentance at the start of Lent.
Quick Scoop: Core Answer
Most Catholic and many other liturgical Christian churches use one of these two sentences as the priest (or minister) places ashes in a cross shape on your forehead or sprinkles them on your head:
- “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
- “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Some English-language parishes may use a very close variation like “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel,” but the meaning is the same: mortality plus conversion.
Mini-section: What’s Going On In That Moment?
When you go up for ashes:
- The ashes (often from last year’s blessed palm branches) have already been blessed with a special prayer and sprinkled with holy water.
- You step forward; the priest or minister makes a small cross with ashes on your forehead or sprinkles them on your head.
- As he does that, he quietly says one of the formulas above, once per person.
In some newer protocols (for health reasons), the phrase may be said once to the whole congregation before individual imposition, and then the ashes are given in silence, but the official words are still those same two lines.
Mini-section: What Do You Say Back?
There isn’t a required response from you after receiving ashes.
- Many people simply bow their head slightly and walk back in silence.
- Some quietly say “Amen” or “Thank you,” but that’s more personal habit than rule.
In forum discussions, people even joke about wanting to say “You too” after hearing “Remember that you are dust…”—which shows how natural it feels to answer, even though liturgically you don’t have to.
Mini-section: Why Those Words?
Each phrase picks up a major biblical theme:
- “Remember that you are dust…” echoes the creation and mortality language from Genesis, stressing that life is fragile and finite.
- “Repent and believe in the Gospel” echoes Jesus’ call at the beginning of his public ministry, focusing on conversion and trust in God’s word.
So when you ask “what does the priest say when giving ashes?” , the complete, liturgically accurate answer is: he says either “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.