Welcome back.
That was the message to parishioners at the Church of St. Mel in Flushing, Queens, as in-person Sunday Masses returned to the Diocese of Brooklyn for the first time since mid-March.
Coronavirus Pandemic
U.S. Deporting Guatemalans Has Led to Spread of COVID-19, Report Says
A report by the Washington-based Refugees International organization charges U.S. immigration policy with helping the spread of the coronavirus in Guatemala, as federal agencies in the U.S. and Mexico have repatriated infected Guatemalans through deportations.
Only in Print: How Homilies Have Changed (For the Better?) Under Pandemic
In one old cartoon from The Tablet, a parishioner leaving church commented that a priest must have been a geometry teacher before, “because his homilies had so many tangents.”
Checchio: Racism Denies Jesus’ Teaching and ‘Our Common, Created Humanity’
When sin entered the world, the mirror image of God was shattered, said Metuchen Bishop James F. Checchio at a June 19 prayer service for racial harmony, peace, justice and healing of the nation.
Three New Saints-to-Be Capture Pope Francis’s Convictions
Pope Francis on June 19 advanced the sainthood causes of a handful of figures who, at first glance, might seem relevant only to small pockets within the Catholic Church.
Loss of Catholic Schools Would Be an ‘American Tragedy,’ Says Archbishop
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said June 16 that his recent virtual message to 2020 graduates — posted on YouTube and shared on social media — is “a sign of these unusual times” amid the coronavirus.
New Book, ‘This Is Not Forever,’ Explains Coronavirus to Children
By Emily Drooby BAY RIDGE — Heading outdoors to play with their children used to be something the Meehan family did without any thought at all. Now, they all wear masks as they play outside their Bay Ridge, Brooklyn home — just one of many obvious effects of the pandemic. It is also one example […]
Better Late Than Never: 88-Year-Old Finally Gets Degree
The graduating class of 2020 hasn’t had the best luck. The coronavirus pandemic has forced many colleges and universities to hold their ceremonies online. After four years of hard work, most graduates would be disappointed, or even angry, with not receiving proper recognition, but not Pat Branley.
Financial Fallout From Pandemic, Recession Causes Catholic Schools to Close
More than 100 Catholic elementary and secondary schools nationwide are expected to close by the fall, largely because of financial challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic recession.
First Chance to Receive Eucharist at Mass in Months Leaves Some in Tears
A parish priest in Bangor, Maine, said he saw many Massgoers “in tears” as they took holy Communion for the first time in close to three months at a publicly celebrated Mass June 7, Trinity Sunday, at St. Paul the Apostle Church.
