How Catholics will observe Ash Wednesday in the new normal

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lent season for Catholics. And it is the first time that we are observing Ash Wednesday amid a pandemic. So, the observance of Ash Wednesday this 2021 is going to be different from what we've all been accustomed to.

Catholics observe Ash Wednesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic / Source: @cbcpnews (FB)

Ash Wednesday is a 40-day period leading up to celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday. During this period, Catholics usually fast and pray, since it is a season of reflection and repentance.

Traditionally, Catholics observe Ash Wednesday by hearing mass and having priests, nuns, or lay ministers mark their foreheads with a cross using ashes.

The cross symbolizes repentance from sins and serves as a reminder that all of us came from ashes and to dust we shall return.

However, since we are still navigating our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, modifications on the observance of Ash Wednesday needed to be implemented to ensure the safety of churchgoers.

In their website, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) shared the liturgical guidelines from the Vatican on how priests can distribute ashes safely amid the pandemic.

Catholics line up to have ash sprinkled on their foreheads this Ash Wednesday / Source: @cbcpnews (FB)

In a note published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on January 12, priests are directed to say the formula for distributing the ashes once to everyone present, instead of to each person, which is what has been done traditionally.

Priests will say the formula as it appears in the Roman Missal: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

After which, priests will sanitize their hands, put on their face masks and distribute the ashes to each person that approaches them or they will approach each person standing in their places, if appropriate.

One of the biggest modifications in this year's observance of Ash Wednesday is that it is contactless, meaning priests won't be putting ashes on the churchgoers' foreheads.

Instead, priests will sprinkle the ashes on each person's head without saying anything, since the first and only time they will be saying the formula for the distribution of ashes is already applicable for all.

Also, in the note written by Most Rev. Victor Bendico, D.D., Chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Liturgy and Bishop of Baguio, he emphasized that even the source of ash for this year's observance of Ash Wednesday has been modified.

This year, the ashes to be used can be from dried branches of leaves of plants or trees. This modification was done in consideration for parishes that might have a difficulty securing old palm branches blessed during last year's Palm Sunday.

Although the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020, some places in the world have already implemented lockdowns in February last year, making attendees of Palm Sunday Mass fewer than usual. Thus, there were also fewer palm branches blessed that time.

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