Vatican modifies distribution of ashes for Ash Wednesday
By Vatican News
The health situation caused by Covid-19 continues to forces changes on daily life, which are also reflected in the Church鈥檚 sphere.
Ahead of the beginning of Lent, on Wednesday, 17 February, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has published a note detailing how Catholic priests are to distribute ashes.
Instructions
After blessing the ashes and sprinkling them with holy water in silence, the priest addresses those present, reciting once the formula found in the Roman Missal: 鈥淩epent, and believe in the Gospel鈥� or 鈥淩emember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return鈥�.
At that point, the note continues, the priest 鈥渃leanses his hands, puts on a face mask, and distributes ashes to those who come to him or, if appropriate, he goes to those who are standing in their places.鈥�
He then sprinkles the ashes on each person鈥檚 head 鈥渨ithout saying anything.鈥�
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