COLUMBIA COUNTY, Pa. — COVID-19 will now have an impact on Christians who mark the holy season of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is going to look a little different this year in the way ashes will be received.
At Our Lady of Mercy Church just outside Catawissa, parish volunteers were working into the evening, preparing food that will be sold during their Frostbite Festival on Saturday.
They will sell some hearty dishes to-go as a fundraiser for the church that the pandemic has financially impacted.
“You know, with COVID, the attendance of the churches have been down, so it's like this is a good way,” said Carol Leipold of Locust Township.
And it's because of the pandemic that Catholic parishes in northeastern and central Pennsylvania and around the world will be handling Ash Wednesday next week, February 17, a bit differently.
The four dioceses in the area, Harrisburg, Scranton, Allentown, and Altoona-Johnstown, say ashes will not be placed on foreheads in the form of a cross but sprinkled on the heads of parishioners to maintain social distance.
Paul Wirth is the spokesperson for the Allentown Diocese and says the Vatican made this change.
He also says it's not an uncommon way to receive ashes.
“In fact, it's the norm in many countries around the world and even at the Vatican,” explained Wirth.
The parishioners at Our Lady of Mercy in Columbia County, which is part of the Diocese of Harrisburg, say with COVID-19, they prefer to receive ashes without contact.
“I think it's the only safe, smart way to do. In these times, we have to be careful, and it's the only way to do in my opinion,” said Tom Leipold of Locust Township.
In the Diocese of Scranton, church leaders are offering a second option to receive ashes. That would be to use a Q-tip to draw a cross on the recipient's forehead.
The Diocese of Scranton says a new Q-tip would be used for each parishioner, with the used one being thrown into a receptacle for burning.
“Either way, as long as there's no direct contact, I think it's appropriate,” said Leipold.