Philippine bishops issue Ash Wednesday protocols Coronavirus rules mean no marking of the forehead by priests with ash Catholic bishops in the Philippines have released new guidelines for celebrating Ash Wednesday on Feb. 17. Priests will bless the ashes in silence before saying a verse in Scripture only once instead of repeating it to each churchgoer. “The priest says the prayer for blessing the ashes. He sprinkles the ashes with holy water without saying anything. Then he addresses all those present and only once says the formula as it appears in the Roman Missal,” said the prelates, quoting the Vatican’s Congregation on Divine Worship.