Earlier Feb. 21, South Dakota Bishop Jonathan Folts had said Episcopalians who needed to cancel their service the next day could use the Ash Wednesday liturgy on the First Sunday in Lent “or at any other time when the weather permits.” Other congregations across the church were planning to do the same.
To All South Dakota Clergy and Congregations:
Should you have to cancel your Ash Wednesday services due to weather, you have my permission & blessing to use the Ash Wednesday liturgy on the First Sunday of Lent or at any other time when the weather permits.
Faithfully,
Bishop Jonathan.
Improvisation was a liturgical rubric for many. The forecast allowed others to plan – and act – ahead of the storm. At St. Katharine’s Episcopal Church in Martin, South Dakota, when members saw the storm was coming, they cleaned up the kitchen from their Shrove Tuesday pancake supper on Feb. 21, and the Rev. Michelle Dayton presided at an Ash Wednesday liturgy that night.