Due To COVID-19, Ash Wednesday Ashes May Be Sprinkled Or Smeared With Cotton Swabs This Year

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Anyone who goes to church to get ashes for the beginning of Lent should expect a few changes.

COVID-19 protocols are in place, meaning it is necessary to sign up to go to mass.

Instead of the traditional distribution of ashes, Catholic priests may sprinkle ashes on top of people's heads, as is frequently done in Europe, or they may use a disposable cotton swab or cotton ball to make a cross on the forehead.