On Wednesday, Feb. 18, Carling set up shop at Fairfield’s downtown train station to hand out ashes to the early morning commuters who may not have been able to find time to stop at their churches.
“What I find is that there’s just so many people who commute to the city that they just can't find the time to get to church because they work such long hours,” Carling said. “People seem to really appreciate it, and it’s great.”
For the past three years, Carling has made his way to the busy Unquowa Road train station at 6 a.m., working for about three hours to hand out ashes to those who ask. On Wednesday, he stood inside a waiting room, next to the door that leads to the tracks, with a welcoming smile and a sign advertising “Ashes To Go.”
“It’s been very popular,” Carling said. By about 8:30 a.m., he had already given ashes to more than 100 commuters.
His presence on Ash Wednesday has become a fixture for commuters. But commuters aren’t the only ones who stop by the station for ashes on the first day of the Lenten season, he said.
“Its funny, you know,” said Carling, “I love the part when the conductors will jump off the train and they’ll get their ashes and then jump back on again.”
As Carling stood quietly near the door of the waiting room filled with about 15 others awaiting a train, he said many are shy and will wait until the train comes before they ask for their ashes.
For Brian Farnen, a Fairfield resident who commutes to Stamford for work, Carling’s effort on Ash Wednesday is a happy way for him to keep in touch with his religion on a holy but busy day.
“Just the fact that it’s so convenient … it’s great,” Farnen said. “[Getting ashes] is something that I get worried about at work, like, ‘Oh when am I going to find time to do this.’ Is there a church where I work to go on my lunch break, or getting home with two little kids and kind of getting out there to do it.”
Carling said he has previously given ashes only during the morning commute.
However, commuters heading home to Fairfield may want to keep an eye out for the local reverend. When asked whether he would be at the train station for the evening commute, Carling said he hadn’t thought of it, “but that’s a really good idea for the late commuters who come home after churches are closed.”
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