A message from Bishop Marshall regarding Ash Wednesday
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Marking the beginning of the season of Lent with the blessing and distribution of ashes is a deeply held tradition in the Catholic Church. Though it has never been a Holy Day of Obligation, our Ash Wednesday Masses have often been among the best attended celebrations of the year. As we struggle with winter weather and very difficult driving conditions, we are facing a much different Mardi Gras today and Ash Wednesday tomorrow. I encourage you to keep as many of the Ash Wednesday traditions as possible. Tomorrow is a day of Fast and Abstinence for those in the affected age groups. Most of us can observe these practices in our homes. Some of our parishes will be able to live-stream their Masses. I invite you to participate remotely. If you cannot view a Mass on live-stream, pray with the readings of the day: Joel 2: 12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2; Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18. Please do not risk your life (or the lives of others) to drive to church tomorrow.
As always, ashes will be blessed at the Masses tomorrow and distributed to those who are able to attend. For those who are not able to attend, I have granted permission to our priests to distribute ashes (already blessed on Ash Wednesday) after each of the Masses on the weekend of February 20-21. This permission is granted this year only because of the hazardous driving conditions that will persist through Wednesday. This is not a blanket permission that will be annually observed.
Please check with your parish church through their website or Facebook page before attempting to attend Mass in person tomorrow. Many parishes had scheduled multiple Masses to accommodate the anticipated crowds. With difficult driving conditions, our priests may not be able to travel from one location to another or to celebrate all of the multiple Masses.
I encourage you to stay safe and warm and to use this time when we are again homebound to open your heart to the Lord.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Robert W. Marshall, Jr.
Bishop of Alexandria