Two weeks ago, the Archdiocese of Chicago, under the leadership of Cardinal Blase Cupich, decided to recruit a group of volunteer priests to visit and give last rites to terminally ill coronavirus patients.
Catholic Faith
Sister Helen Prejean Spending COVID-19 Quarantine Advocating for Prisoners
In back-to-back homilies, Pope Francis prayed for prisoners and those facing unjust sentences – something Sister Helen Prejean has spent her life spotlighting, no more so than in light of the COVID-19 pandemic where the prison population is more vulnerable than ever.
Georgetown Panel: COVID-19 Crisis Shows Need for Solidarity, Community
Addressing the world two weeks ago at the height of the global pandemic, Pope Francis paid tribute to the “forgotten people” – the grocery clerks, service industry workers, cleaners, and caregivers that are frequently overlooked yet are now keeping the world functioning.
Holy Week at Home: Author Offers Ideas for a Meaningful Triduum
It’s a Holy Week like no other. No in-person Masses, Holy Thursday processions to the altar of repose, communal veneration of the cross, or gathering with fellow parishioners outside, in the dark, faces lit by fire as the Easter Vigil begins.
Pandemic is Prime Time for Conversion, Pope Says
The COVID-19 quarantines, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders are the perfect opportunity for conversion: for individuals, for the church and for governments, Pope Francis said in an interview.
Driven By Pandemic, U.S. Church Hits the Online Superhighway
When Pope Francis told the Vatican’s communications department in 2017 the digital world should be a primary vehicle for spreading the gospel, he certainly couldn’t have predicted a global pandemic that would leave the online realm as one of the only means for doing so.
Priests in Ireland Under Pressure to Celebrate Funeral Masses During the Pandemic
Despite regulations established by civil and ecclesiastical authorities to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, many priests in remote areas of Ireland are feeling pressure to celebrate funeral Masses. In rural parishes, funerals are “big occasions for the community,” according to Father Brendan Hoban, co-founder of the Irish Association of Catholic Priests.
Dorothy Day: A Unique Dissenting American Voice
Pope Francis, addressing the U.S. Congress in 2015, spoke of four exceptional Americans to be emulated during our challenging times.
Faith Against Fear: Priest Offers Advice
At a time when our lives are looking more and more like a Google calendar packed with live streamed Masses, online classes and work from home, stresses — and separation anxiety — are at an all-time high.
Pope Calls for Universal Prayer as Virus Death Toll Skyrockets
Following a particularly deadly week for Italians inflicted with the COVID-19 coronavirus, Pope Francis Sunday urged Christians everywhere from different confessions to unite in shared moments of prayer, including several he will be leading at the Vatican.