Ash Wednesday in Mt. Pleasant

Ash Wednesday looked a bit different this year at the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church of Mt. Pleasant. The church decided to go ahead with an in-person service but with many COVID restrictions.

'Instead of using the ash to create a cross on the forehead, we decided to follow the European style of sprinkling the ashes on the head,” the Rev. Paul Connolly said. 'This way we can still use the ashes and prevent direct contact to keep everyone safe.”

In addition to changing the traditional way of ash marking, the church used COVID barriers to hold communion.

'We wanted to have a safe service, and that meant finding ways to uphold our traditions while meeting the safety requirements like wearing a mask at all times and keeping three pews apart,” Connolly said.

Though the noon mass turnout wasn't as big as previous years, more than 45 people showed up in person to partake in Ash Wednesday, with more tuning in via the livestream.

'We're glad we were able to have this service since it means so much to so many,” Connolly said. 'The church is here for people, and that means having services even in these hard times.”