VATICAN: On Ash Wednesday 2021, Vatican Recommends Sprinkling of Ashes on the Head
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Following Covid-19 measures which call for minimal person-to-person contact to help curb the spread of Coronavirus, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has released a note offering guidelines for use on Ash Wednesday, encouraging sprinkling of Ashes on the head.
In a co-signed note by the Congregation’s Prefect, Robert Cardinal Sarah, and its secretary Archbishop Arthur Roche, the Church leaders highlight that the priests will have a formula of prayer for all congregants that will be done only once.
“The Priest says the prayer for blessing the ashes. He sprinkles the ashes 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,” reads the note released Tuesday, January 12.
The Congregation explains further, “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. The priest takes the ashes and sprinkles them on the head of each one without saying anything.”
The normal practice is usually 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 rubbed on the foreheads of congregants with the Sign of the Cross.
This year, Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lenten season falls on February 17.
