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A Catholic faithful participates in the traditional Ash Wednesday service at the 20 de Julio Church in Bogota, Colombia, February 10, 2016. Wednesday marked the first day of the 40-day period of Lent during which Roman Catholics are called to make some form of sacrifice, usually by fasting for a short period of time. | (Photo: Reuters/John Vizcaino)
Amid ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and a major snowstorm, churches throughout the United States and overseas have made changes in how they are distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
Though the idea of receiving the Lenten rite on the go is not new and has been practiced in previous years, it is being done in various fashions this year as churches once again had to consider ways to distribute ashes in a safe manner that does not risk the spread of coronavirus.
On January 21, 2021, President Joe Biden continued an American tradition by attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. The event included a closing prayer from Presiding Bishop Curry. Since 1933, the National Inaugural Prayer Service has been a familiar part of the inaugural ceremonies, but even before the was a National Cathedral, The Episcopal Church prayed for and with Presidents. That tradition began with George Washington and the first inauguration in 1789.
Washington took the oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City, the nation’s temporary capital, on April 30, 1789. After swearing his oath, the new President and his wife Martha walked up Broadway to pray at St. Paul’s Chapel, now part of the Parish of Trinity Church Wall Street. The Episcopal Church officially acknowledged Washington’s ascension to the nation’s highest office, sending the new President a message on August 7, 1789. This message, offered by a developing church to the fir