“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
With these words pronounced during the ceremony for the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021, we will begin the penitential season of Lent in preparation for the glorious celebration of Christ’s Resurrection from the dead. This year the imposition of ashes will follow a different form of distribution due to safety precautions necessitated by the coronavirus. This form is described in the box that appears below.
As I contemplated this message that ordinarily speaks of Lenten practices of penance, I could not help but acknowledge the many penances you have endured resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Isolation, the inability to visit loved ones, the sacrifices of all who serve the public in the medical, scientific, educational, safety, food and housing fields, agencies and programs are just some of the areas representing our present state of great sacrifice, which is penance lived positively in t