Meanwhile in Scotland, where public worship is banned, the Catholic Union has continued to lobby for churches to be reopened. This advice by the bishops’ conference follows guidance issued by the Vatican, which customarily sprinkles rather than imposes ashes.īecause of the ongoing pandemic there is still no obligation to attend Mass on Sundays or holy days of obligation. Services for Ash Wednesday will be conducted differently this year, with priests asked to sprinkle ashes over congregants rather than marking their foreheads with the sign of the cross. This year, it may be best to do this, not by going to church, but by sharing the prayer, the blessing and this moment of dedication within the love of your family and friends.”
Open your hearts to the gift of God’s presence to support, comfort and strengthen you. He likened the practice of blessing one another within the family to the tradition of a parent making the sign of the cross on their child’s forehead before sleep, and urged Catholics not to hesitate to do this: “Please do take up this invitation. He suggests Catholics use one of the traditional blessings for the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, such as: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” or: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” But please, make this a prayer of your heart for God’s mercy upon this world struggling to cope with the terrible pandemic and the devastation it is bringing.” Spend some time praying in a way that you know.
In a pastoral letter due to be read out in diocesan churches this weekend, Cardinal Nichols outines a form for marking the beginning of Lent in the home, starting with a time of prayer: “Bless each other by making the sign of the cross on each other’s forehead. Speaking to churchgoers in London, where the South African variant of the coronavirus has been detected in several boroughs, Cardinal Nichols said: “My suggestion is this: celebrate Ash Wednesday at home, with your family, in the household or ‘support bubble’ of which you are a part.”
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