Posts In Category
National & World News
With borders closed because of pandemic, ‘an infinite abyss’ opened
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Barbara Fraser By Barbara J. Fraser LIMA, Peru (CNS) — Late March 15, Peru’s president declared a state of emergency, ordered ordinary people like me to stay home, and announced that no one would be allowed to enter or leave the country. By closing the borders, he …
Pope prays for coronavirus victims, workers who died serving others
IMAGE: CNS photo/Flavio Lo Scalzo, Reuters By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis asked people to pray for all victims of COVID-19, including the health care workers who sacrificed their lives caring for others. "Let us pray today for the dead, for those who, because of the virus, …
Pandemic can be time to rediscover love, kindness, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Lindsey Wasson, Reuters By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — People must use this time of the coronavirus pandemic to rediscover the importance of small, concrete gestures of affection and care toward others, Pope Francis said in a new interview. "Sometimes we only experience a virtual form of …
Using the lockdown for good: CUA professor shares his family’s experience
IMAGE: CNS photo/Elias J. Widmer By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) — Looking on the "bright side" or seeking the "silver lining" of something like a lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is not naivete, but an exercise of one’s God-given will, said a U.S. professor locked down in …
‘Bless me, Father – but from 6 feet away!’ Coronavirus and confession
By Mary Farrow Lincoln, Neb., Mar 18, 2020 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Demand for confessions at St. Mary’s in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, has always been high: it’s a centrally-located church with convenient, daily confession times and often multiple confessors. During the parish’s normal 11:30-noon weekday confession times, penitents on their …
How are Catholics coping with school closures?
By Matt Hadro Washington D.C., Mar 17, 2020 / 03:00 pm (CNA).- The coronavirus pandemic has caused Catholic schools across the United States to close. With no clear timeline for when they might reopen, parents, students, teachers and schools are finding innovative ways to balance distance learning and home life. …
French Catholics begin novena as Lourdes closes for first time in history
By Courtney Mares Lourdes, France, Mar 17, 2020 / 05:30 am (CNA).- The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has closed for the first time in over a century following new restrictions in France to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “For the first time in its history, the sanctuary will …
Archbishop advises prayer routine, Scripture reading if confined at home
IMAGE: CNS photo/Archdiocese of Louisville By Marnie McAllister LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CNS) — Times of uncertainty are times to stay especially close to Christ and one another — though not necessarily in close physical proximity — said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville. The archbishop has suspended all public Masses in …
Care for retired religious takes special emphasis amid pandemic
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — The retired Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace might not be able to escape the news of the coronavirus’ deadly impact on nursing homes just a few miles away from them, but they have a …
As coronavirus spreads, many volunteers are asked to stay at home
IMAGE: CNS photo/Brad Birkholz By Dennis Sadowski CLEVELAND (CNS) — The volunteers are fewer, but Ernie Stetenfeld and his fellow Vincentians in Madison, Wisconsin, are not slowing down in the face of the coronavirus. Boxes of food are being packed for pickup, the state’s only charitable pharmacy continues to operate, …