The Rev. Kevin Birmingham, of Hazel Crest, stood before Cook County Judge Frank Zelezinski on Wednesday afternoon, touched his forehead and told him to "turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."

Zelezinski is Roman Catholic and he, along with dozens of other employees of the courthouse, took a break during their busy day to meet with Birmingham to observe Ash Wednesday.

About 40 judges, attorneys, sheriffs and staff met in an upstairs conference room where Birmingham led a brief prayer service.

Birmingham offered the service to courthouse employees too busy to attend a service at church, but who wanted to receive ashes nonetheless. Performing the service in a courthouse holds special relevance for the Catholic tradition, according to Birmingham.

"It actually has its roots in the courthouse," Birmingham said. "People wore ashes because they committed a crime."

Wednesday marked the second year Birmingham has distributed ashes at the Markham courthouse. The pastor of St. Anne's Church in Hazel Crest, Birmingham was invited to Markham by a parishioner, Ethel Gaines, also of Hazel Crest.

"A lot of (courthouse employees) were calling me from other departments," Gaines said. "They really appreciate what we're doing here."

Although many of those in attendance included lawyers, judges and sheriffs police who spend most of their days staked on opposing sides of the law, Ash Wednesday brought them together to celebrate their shared faith.

"It's impressive to me to know that regardless of our positions -- we all belong to the Lord," Birmingham said.