The implication of not blessing palms on palm Sunday is that there would be no ashes for the celebration of ash Wednesday this is because according to the the instructions of the Roman Missal, ashes for ash Wednesday are typically supposed to be made from last year’s Palm Sunday palm branches. These branches are then burned down into a fine powder and, in the United States, are mixed with holy water or chrism oil to create a light paste. In other parts of the world, sometimes dry ashes are sprinkled on the head rather than made into a paste. There is liturgical significance in the use of the palms from Palm Sunday, as opposed to other materials, to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday. Father Randy Stice, associate director for the Secretariat of Divine Worship for the U.S. Bishops’ Conference, told CNA that the ashes made from palms remind us of what Lent is all about. “Those branches herald Holy Week, the suffering death and resurrection of Christ,” Stice said. The feast of Palm