This week marks the beginning of Lent, but many Ash Wednesday services are going to take on a different look this year.

Churches around the area have been planning ways to safely distribute ashes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Catholic Church, the Vatican has asked priests around the world to sprinkle ashes on the heads of the faithful rather than using the ashes to make the sign of the cross on foreheads.

“The idea is to minimize contact, and to eliminate the need for the celebrant to speak in close proximity to the recipient of the ashes,” said Paul Wirth, spokesman for the Diocese of Allentown. “Sprinkling ashes on the tops of slightly bowed heads, rather than using them to mark foreheads, is not a new practice; it is the norm in many countries of the world.”

Droplets of ashes placed on top of each person’s head will be the practice at Sacred Heart Church in Palmerton, which has three Ash Wednesday services scheduled. Masses with ash distribution will take place at 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. It will also have a midday prayer and distribution of ashes at noon.

“The Prayer of Imposition will be recited only once and not individually,” the church noted on its website. As it has been since returning to in-person masses, Sacred Heart is asking potential Mass attendees to call the rectory to reserve seating.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lehighton is also adapting to an Ash Wednesday in the COVID-19 era. It will hold two services, one at noon and another 7 p.m.

“Here at Trinity and at many congregations around our synod, there has been discussion among pastors and congregational leaders about new ways to safely impose ashes in the midst of the pandemic, and here at Trinity, we will be imposing ashes in person by family/individual at our Ash Wednesday services,” said The Rev. Nancy L. Moore.

Moore also noted that the church will use prepackaged communion cups for Holy Communion, as it has been doing.

“Unfortunately,” Moore said, “we will be unable to hold our soup suppers this year, but we anticipate resuming these suppers in Lent of 2022.”

The ashes to be distributed on Wednesday, Wirth said, are rich in symbolism.

“They are a call to repentance, a physical sign that we are sinners in need of forgiveness,” he said. “They remind us that God created us from the earth, and that we will return to it when we die. They also symbolize God’s promise that even though our bodies will return to dust, our souls are meant to live forever with him.”

The ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from burning last year’s blessed palm branches.

Ash Wednesday will remark the return of in-person worship in the sanctuary at St. Peter’s Church of West Penn in Tamaqua. The church is asking those who come to the 7:30 p.m. service to adhere to the COVID-19 masking protocols.

“It is a joy to worship God together, but it is also a priority that we all stay safe and healthy,” the church posted on Facebook.

Other services will have outdoor options. Jerusalem United Church of Christ in Trachsville will have a socially distant 7 p.m. service indoors, but will also transmit it on 95.5 FM for those who wish to sit outside in their vehicles. The service, like many around the area, will be live streamed on Facebook.

For people looking for a quicker way to get their ashes, many churches will be offering the drive-thru option again this year.

Pastor Cindy White of Zion Lutheran Church in Tamaqua will administer ashes on a drive-­thru basis from noon to 1 p.m. at the corner of Mauch Chunk and Greenwood streets. Anyone can also hear the Wednesday message live by calling 570-393-2180 at 9 a.m. The message is recorded and available both online and by phone.