Ash Wednesday was a little different for Holy Family Parish members in Plum, Oakmont
Mary Kitchener of Plum had prepared herself for Mass and to receive ashes on her forehead much like she had done for the past six decades.
However, due to the pandemic, this start of Lent would be different.
The Holy Family Parish member stood before the Rev. Kevin Poecking as he sprinkled the ashes on top of her head, a new covid safety protocol from the Diocese of Pittsburgh and many others throughout the nation.
“Very different, but I have seen a lot of changes this past year with my whole life,” Kitchener said of the experience. “With my grand kids and everything, I have them at home with me on their computers for school. It’s very, very different. It felt good to be back in church. I have peace in my heart now.”
Kitchener, 75, was one of 108 people inside the doors of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Plum, one of five churches in the parish.
About a handful of people sat together in one pew, and there were two pews separating the next group of parishioners.
Tony Traficante, 85, a retired Army lieutenant colonel from Murrysville, sat right up front.
“I enjoyed it,” he said. “I preferred the sprinkling (on the head).”
Traficante also supported the additional safety protocols that come with in-person Mass.
“I don’t have any problems with that at all,” he said. “I think that’s the way to go. Everybody should adhere to that. It’s safe. Those who don’t want to come can watch online, which I used to do. I prefer coming to Mass because I prefer getting Communion, which you can’t get on the computer.”
Ushers Kathy Aubele, Dan Duchholz and Ron and Jan Domen assisted with temperature checks and seating arrangements of those who attended Mass.
People not on the list of registered participants had to give their name and phone number in case contact tracing was required. Everyone inside, including children, wore masks.
Aubele said those protocols have been in place for months, and the only thing that recently changed was how ashes were administered.
“Putting it on the head, we’ve never seen that before,” she said. “I guess you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to improvise. When (the pandemic) started we didn’t have Mass at all for awhile. When they started (back up with live services) this is what you have to do.
“Eveyrone’s mostly agreeable. We’ve only had a couple that refuse to wear masks and they don’t come. For everyone else, this is their night out. Usually there’s eight ushers, but we don’t need eight ushers now so we do it with four. We used to have an usher at the end of the pews to let people out at Communion, but we can’t do that anymore. You can’t let people pass. … We don’t pass baskets anymore (for collection).”
There are separate doors for ingress and egress at the church.
Poecking said he has no preference on how parishioners receive ashes as long as he and his flock are following proper protocols so everyone can enjoy Mass safely.
“This was easier than I thought it was going to be,” he said. “It’s still very different, but it’s essentially the same. On a day like this, we’re used to large crowds. There were more people than normal in the last couple of weeks. Compared to last year it’s a much smaller crowd. … Whatever we’re doing is keeping people safe.
“There’s a lot of people watching livestream and participating in other ways, so that’s fine. One thing about working in the church as a priest, praying is always virtual. You can pray for anyone wherever they are. It’s going to God somehow.”
Poecking said similar safety measures are being taken at the parish’s other Plum and Oakmont churches.
More information about Holy Family Parish is available at holyfamilypgh.org.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.
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