Coronavirus: Priest providing 'takeaway ashes' for Ash Wednesday

 

A priest in the Republic of Ireland has made "takeaway ashes" available for parishioners to administer at home on Ash Wednesday.

Fr Brian Brady teamed up with a shop in Clonmany, County Donegal, to provide holy ashes in sauce containers.

Covid-19 restrictions in the country means all church services must be conducted online.

Fr Brady told BBC News NI it was vitally important that traditions continued through the pandemic.

"A lot of our parishioners would come every year for their ashes and it's so important that we honour those traditions - even at these most difficult times," he said.

"We really did have to stretch the old imagination on this one though."

'Huge community spirit'

More than 200 containers have already been distributed for the holy day.

The containers are limited to one per household and they also include a prayer.

 

 

Staff at the local Centra have being helping make up the containers, which are usually for sauces.

They have been using burnt palms from Palm Sunday to make up the containers, which have been blessed and left out for collection at the three churches in the parish.

 

 

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, a season of reflection and preparation before Easter.

Catholics traditionally attend a Mass at which their foreheads are marked with ash in the shape of a cross.

By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.

The period of reflection is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.

Shop owner Joe Joyce said he could not believe how popular the takeaway ashes have been, and he's also blown away by the amount of media attention they were getting.

Staff have now started working on more containers to help meet the demand, he told BBC News NI. 

 

 

 

"There is a huge community spirit here in Clonmany, and this is just another thing the village has got behind during these tough times," he said.

"Through our local community group, Clonmany Together, people have helped deliver groceries, they've delivered medicines, they've done online bingo and now this.

"It's just another simple gesture that people here wanted to do for others."

The Clonmany parish includes St Mary's in Clonmany, St Michael's in Urris and the Oratory of the Assumption, Ballyliffin.

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56074495