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 …
Badin wrestling program in great shape as Carpenter hands reins over to Martin
Dexter Carpenter has left a strong legacy as he turns the reins of the Badin High School wrestling program over to Craig Martin. “I’ve had a ball,” said Carpenter, the head coach who started the program from the ground up for the 2005-06 season and is retiring this summer. “This …
‘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, …
In the time of COVID-19, the cloistered life offers lessons for the world
IMAGE: CNS photo/Rhina Guidos By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — People often telephone Sister Maria Elena Romero, a Capuchin Franciscan Poor Clare in Wilmington, Delaware, to ask for her to pray for a personal intention, to sound out a problem, sometimes just to cry. But lately, she’s received a phone …
Science-solidarity combo needed to stop pandemic, says Vatican official
IMAGE: CNS photo/Dylan Martinez, Reuters By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The effects of the coronavirus can be defeated only with a combination of science and solidarity, said the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. "An emergency like COVID-19 is fought especially with the antibodies of solidarity," said …