For Ash Wednesday, Vatican asks priests to ‘sprinkle’ ashes on heads
This year, due to the pandemic, the Vatican has asked all priests to impose ashes via sprinkling. (NOELANI PARYS)
The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments asked priests to take special anti-COVID-19 precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, including sprinkling ashes on the top of people’s heads rather than using them to make a cross on people’s foreheads.
The congregation’s note on the “distribution of ashes in time of pandemic” was published on the congregation’s website Jan. 12 and directs priests to say “the prayer for blessing the ashes” and then sprinkle “the ashes with holy water, without saying anything.”
“Then he addresses all those present and only once says the formula as it appears in the Roman Missal, applying it to all in general: ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel’ or ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.’”
“The priest then cleanses his hands, puts on a face mask and distributes the ashes to those who come to him or, if appropriate, he goes to those who are standing in their places,” it said. “The priest takes the ashes and sprinkles them on the head of each one without saying anything.”
The usual practice would be to repeat the formula — “Repent and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” — to each person as the ashes are sprinkled on the top of their head or rubbed onto their forehead.
Sprinkling ashes on the top of people’s heads, rather than marking foreheads with ashes, is the customary practice at the Vatican and in Italy. Given the spread of the coronavirus, the practice has the advantage of not requiring the priest to touch multiple people.
The Latin, Italian, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese versions of the note also specify that the mask should cover the priests’ “nose and mouth.”
Is this suggestion to be taken seriously? What woman adviser in the Vatican thought this a good idea?
Easier, safer and less cumbersome is for the priest to administer Ashes to himself and the congregation to make the sign of the cross at the same time.
Alternatively each parishioner could be given a small vial of ash to sign themselves as the priest says the words.
Dermid I find your comment, “What woman adviser in the Vatican thought this a good idea?” – highly offensive. Whilst probably not surprised by your continued misogyny I do wish you would be more respectful of the role of women in our Church.