Though the Omicron variant’s spike seems to have peaked, we nonetheless must continue a vigilance which will safeguard our physical well-being and that of those in our communities, not risking further pressure on the hospitals still strained to the breaking point. Many of you were creative in your response, devising methods for providing your parishioners with ashes for self-imposition which-while lacking the fullness of the Ash Wednesday liturgy’s grace-laid claim to a measure of its blessing. Last year, given conditions then prevailing, we were left with only the most limited options for observing Ash Wednesday, that powerful moment of our entry into the spirit of Lent. We approach Lent yet again with unexpected concerns about how to balance our observance of this sacred season with care for one another in an extended pandemic. The following COVID-19 update with the bishops' guidance for Ash Wednesday was sent to clergy and congregational and diocesan leadership on Jan.
