Laois church takes unique approach to Ash Wednesday 

A Laois-based priest has found a unique way of distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday.

Fr Martin Delaney, Fr Sylvanus Attoh and Sr. Anita O'Leary of the Rathdowney/Durrow Parish have taken to Breslin's Supervalu in Rathdowney and the green in Durrow to offer ashes to locals.

Fr Delaney has been taking this unique approach for over ten years, to help provide ashes to parishioners who may not make it to Mass.

"It's bringing religion out of church to people in a very non-threatening kind of way," Fr Delaney told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"When I worked in Kilkenny, a group of fellow priests and I would go to the local shopping centre to give out ashes, and it proved popular.

"People were quite surprised, and responded very generously to it. Some people might not have the opportunity to get to a Mass on Ash Wednesday," he explained.

Pictured: Fr Martin Delaney with singer Daniel O'Donnell at the opening of Rathdowney's Garden of Remembrance in 2023. Photo: Alf Harvey

"There is something about it, it's the beginning of Lent and people are reflecting on their lives, and how they can make it better. We all like to try with Lenten promises, we might not keep them, but we try," he said.

"Ashes are a very visible sign that we are trying to make a change. When I came to Rathdowney, I wondered how we could do that, and I spoke to Supervalu's owner Connell Breslin and asked him how he would feel.

"He wasn't skeptical, but he was amused," Fr Delaney said.

"I am grateful that he and Noreen have decided to take a chance. After the first year, he realised that people liked this idea. We have done it ever since," Fr Delaney said.

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Fr Delaney has had some amusing experiences while undertaking this task.

"I remember the first year we did this in Supervalu, someone came in and thought it was quite weird," he said.

"She came over and told me, 'I thought you were doing a demonstration of black pudding!'" Fr Delaney laughed.

Fr Delaney worked in tandem with Reverend Richard Whiteley, the Church of Ireland Rector for Rathdowney and Durrow.

"For the first few years, and this morning, the local Rector came with me," Fr Delaney said.

"It is an ecumenical thing, we do it together."

Pictured: Sr Anita and Fr Sylvanus in Breslin's Supervalu, Rathdowney

"People come in and look around suspiciously at it. I never knew there were so many people passing through Rathdowney, people from all over the place. One of the greatest thing about it is that i get to have wonderful conversations with people," he said.

"It's a lovely way to get in contact with people, and I have great conversations with people from neighbouring parishes as well as our own. I love that contact, it's great. The conversations are short by nature, but they are with people from all age groups.

Fr Delaney remarked that one of his favourite moments of the day was the amount of young students that approached him to receive ashes.

"It was lovely today, and not something I have seen so much before, but the number of students from St Fergal's College who came up looking for ashes gave me a great lift," he said.

"You typically don't think that teenagers would, with something so obvious, that i was really taken by that. They happily came for it. I don't have that much contact with of young people relating to religion, it's a lovely connection with people," he said.

"It's one of the ways to bring out faith out to the people, outside of a church context. If people don't want to receive ashes, they don't have to get them. We had people today come in purely to get the ashes, along with people in to get their shopping.

"We were also in Durrow on the green with a gazebo, near the entrance to the school. Lots of parents with children came over, along with people from the hotel.

It has been a great experience, and I look forward to this day every year," Fr Delaney finished.

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