Don’t expect any palms this Passion Sunday. And distribution of palms later in the year might not happen, either, according to Rita Thiron, executive director of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions.
Coronavirus Pandemic
Diocesan Churches to Ring Bells For Coronavirus Patients, Victims And Heroes
Beginning Friday, April 3, parishes in the Brooklyn Diocese with outdoor bells are being called to ring them every day at 3 p.m. as part of a new initiative known as “Bells of Hope.”
Catholic Events Canceled, Moved Online in Wake of Coronavirus Pandemic
The best-laid plans of Catholics across the country have been upended, as colleges and universities are now canceling commencement ceremonies and a range of high profile conference and gatherings have been nixed, postponed, or switched to new formats as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vatican Approves Special ‘Mass in the Time of Pandemic’
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has approved a special “Mass in the Time of Pandemic” to plead for God’s mercy and gift of strength in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nursing Home Staff, Residents Adjusting To New Way of Life
A normal day at Queen of Peace residence home is filled with people and human interactions. Meals, Mass and recreation are what bring nearly 80 senior citizens, staff and Little Sisters of the Poor together at the Queens Village assisted living facility.
States Doing Best to Calm ‘Mass’ Hysteria
Catholic bishops across the United States have banned public Masses and opted for a virtual celebration of the sacraments as the nation continues to be roiled from the COVID-19 pandemic, but throughout the country, governors are issuing mixed guidelines on policies for houses of worship.
The Importance of Protecting Our Children in Times of Crisis
Today, the world is being hit with a tsunami of non-stop bad news, shaking up every level of our past sense of security, and sending us all in a whirlwind of uncertainty and unparalleled fears.
St. John’s University Donates Gloves, Masks to Hospital in Need
It was a scene of hope and humanity as dozens of boxes of medical equipment from St. John’s University were packed up and driven over to New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital.
Pope: ‘We Implore You … Wake Up, Lord!’
On Friday, March 27, under a persistent light rain coming down from a gray Roman sky, and facing an empty St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis imparted a special Urbi et Orbi, the blessing “to the City [of Rome] and to the World” that is normally only given on Christmas and Easter.
This Quarantining Is Deeply Biblical
The coronavirus pandemic forced us into quarantine and instituted a new normal that is far from our old normal. Non-essential workers remain in closed quarters due to logical, scientific justification: to contain the spread as much as humanly possible. But even logic can’t completely quash our very human and very real fear of the present moment.