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April 11, 2020
During this time of isolation, it is very difficult to think, meditate and write about Easter. The churches are closed and we do not know at what point the COVID-19 infection will peak.
I have many fond memories of my Uncle Frank from Coshocton, Ohio. He was my dad’s older brother, a lifelong Republican and an elegant man.
VATICAN CITY -- In a dark and nearly empty St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis blessed a fire, lit the Easter candle and called Christians to keep kindling sparks of hope, knowing that Jesus has risen and death will not have the last word.
April 12, 2020
Second Sunday of Easter, April 19 (Year A) Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 118; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31 The quality of the communal life of the early Christian communities was a major source of their power and growth. It was certainly not a once-a-week experience, but an experience of sharing their lives.
Although choirs are prevented from gathering physically due to COVID-19, it has not stopped many from finding creative ways to come together in song at Easter.
VATICAN CITY -- In an Easter celebration like no other, Pope Francis prayed that Christ, "who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation," would "dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his glorious day, a day that knows no end."
April 14, 2020
VATICAN CITY -- Celebrating Mass on Easter Monday, Pope Francis prayed that the political and economic planning for recovery after the coronavirus pandemic would be inspired by concern for the common good and not for "the god money."
MEXICO CITY -- Latin American and Caribbean bishops have dedicated the Americas to the care of Our Lady of Guadalupe, praying for her "maternal protection" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SYDNEY -- Cardinal George Pell, whose conviction on five counts of sexual abuse was overturned by Australia's highest court, said in in his first television interview his knowledge that he was innocent and the prayers of thousands of people helped him during his 405 days in prison.
WARSAW, Poland -- Although Catholics in most East European countries have backed measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic, for some it has also revived painful memories of communist rule.
April 15, 2020
Deacon Michael Corpus had family coming to Toronto from California and the Philippines to attend his May ordination to the priesthood. Other members of his St. Augustine’s Seminary graduating class were expecting family from as far away as Poland, South Korea and South America.
Two of my grandparents have shown me by example what it looks like to live a life of true Christian values.
Young Catholics seeking a role model on how to serve God during the COVID-19 pandemic can look to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the patron saint of youth.
VATICAN CITY -- Looking for a way to provide both spiritual and physical care on Easter, a group of Italian doctors received their bishop's permission to distribute Communion to those infected by the coronavirus.
VATICAN CITY -- The peace that is Christ's gift to individuals and to humanity as a whole is not some superficial sense of calm, but an active force of reconciliation that calls for cooperation and self-giving, Pope Francis said.
Feelings are constantly swirling in my world — in health care and in my home and in my heart. The myriad of messages coming from every direction are little help in sorting through the emotional tremors.
VATICAN CITY -- More than four months after Pope Francis named a new president for the Vatican's financial watchdog agency, the leadership roster of the agency was completed with the naming of a new director and vice director.
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis created a new commission that will confront the challenges the world is facing in battling the coronavirus pandemic and what it will inevitably face in its aftermath, the Vatican announced.
PARIS -- Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris welcomed a renewed pledge by French President Emmanuel Macron to rebuild Notre Dame cathedral.
It’s a cliché heard all the time: “This is a movie that is so right for its time.”