A canny priest has come up with a clever way of getting around coronavirus restrictions for Ash Wednesday this week – takeaway ashes.
Normally, parishioners would receive the sign of the cross from priests at masses on the day.
But parish priest for Clonmany on the Inishowen Peninsula in Co Donegal, Father Brian Brady, has come up with a solution.
Having teamed up with his local Centra, he is delivering takeaway ashes.
They have been placed in sealed containers and left in local churches so they can be picked up by parishioners.
Among the churches in the Clonmany parish taking part are St Mary’s Church, Clonmany, St Michael’s Urris and the Oratory of the Assumption, Ballyliffin.
Fr Brady said: “The containers will be left during Sunday at each of the churches for pick-up before Wednesday.
“Unfortunately they will be available only on a first-come-first-serve basis, one container to each family and whenever they run out there will be no more.
“Receiving the ashes has been an important part of our way of being Catholic and this is an attempt to ensure that those who wish to continue this valuable tradition will have the opportunity to do so.”
As well as the holy ashes, the containers will have a prayer to be said by the family on Wednesday when the ashes can be given out to each person in their homes.
