CHICAGO (WLS) -- To celebrate Ash Wednesday 2021, churches got creative with cotton swabs, sprinkling and outdoor services to stay safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Usually ashes are applied by hand to the forehead, but this year at Holy Name Cathedral safety measures included hand sanitizer, face masks and no physical contact.
"Ashes today will not be imposed on the forehead as we usually do," said Bishop Robert Casey. "Rather, they will be sprinkled upon the head of each person."
Sprinkling ashes is one of the method approved by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Stations were set up both inside the church and out throughout the day where people could receive ashes.