To start the Holy Season of Lent, Bishop Sullivan will celebrate Mass on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 12:05 PM with Imposition of Ashes at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 642 Market Street, Camden. All are invited to church with regards to NJ COVID precautions and guides including face masks, social distancing and occupancy limits.
Also all are welcome to join Bishop in prayer virtually on diocesan social media:
https://www.facebook.com/CamdenDiocese; https://twitter.com/camdendiocese; https://www.youtube.com/camdendiocese
Also parishes throughout our diocese will celebrate Mass and services for Ash Wednesday in person and on-line. Go to: camdendiocese.org/psl for parish websites and schedules.
Please note, this year, following guidelines from the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, clergy in our diocese will distribute ashes a little differently. Instead of ashes being placed on the forehead using the sign of the cross, they will be sprinkled on the penitent’s head. This is the style of distribution in many European countries, including the Holy See in Rome.
See this Catholic News Service article explaining Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments guidelines this year: https://www.catholicnews.com/for-ash-wednesday-vatican…
You can also watch our video also explaining the changes to the distribution of ashes this year: