KUALA LUMPUR: The observance of Ash Wednesday by Roman Catholics in the country this year will be carried out with several safety procedures in light of the Covid-19.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia in a statement today, outlined the measures, in anticipation of Feb 26, when thousands of Catholics will be flocking to churches in the country to attend mass and receive the traditional Imposition of Ashes.
Ash Wednesday begins a 40-day period marking the Catholic Church’s Lenten season, which is dedicated to penance, prayer and fasting.
“In view of the continuing risks posed by the Covid-19 outbreak and to mitigate the human-to-human transmission, especially through tactile contact, the archbishop and bishops of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia have agreed that the following procedures for the imposition of ashes are to be observed in all parishes and mass centres under our jurisdiction,” its president, Archbishop Most Reverend Julian Leow Being Kim said.
The procedures are:
That priests and other extraordinary ministers tasked with the imposition of ashes are required to thoroughly wash and disinfect their hands prior to and immediately after the imposition of the ashes;
Following a long-established custom in Rome, ashes will be imposed by the minister sprinkling dry ash on the crown of a person’s head. The previous local custom of drawing a cross on the forehead of a person with moistened ash is now suspended; and
No holy water should be added to the ash before the sprinkling.
“Although Ash Wednesday is not a day of obligation and the imposition of ashes is not mandatory, we would like to retain this practise even under the weight of the current crisis, provided that the above steps are taken to minimise the risks of infection through tactile contact,” Leow noted.
“As we continue to pray for the current situation and prepare ourselves for this holiest season of our Church year, let us not forget to offer our prayers, sacrifices, fasting and other penitential acts for those who are most vulnerable, those who have suffered during this crisis and those who continue to put themselves in danger’s way to work for its alleviation.”