Catholic Church

By Michelle Arnold, Catholic Answers - Churches are closing, Masses are being canceled, bishops are dispensing the faithful from the Sunday obligation, priests are becoming increasingly unavailable for confession and anointing of the sick. This year, the Holy Week liturgies will be celebrated in Rome without the faithful in attendance. During this outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Catholics are beginning to grapple with a new reality: a loss of access to the sacraments while the world struggles to contain the disease to manageable levels through quarantines and social distancing.

By Constance T. Hull, Catholic Exchange - In the United States, most states have cancelled schools, are encouraging working from home, and social distancing measures. In some areas the economy is being impacted and those who work in service related jobs are finding themselves unable to work. As of this writing, over 100 dioceses have suspended all public Masses, ministries, Adoration, and in some cases, even the Sacrament of Confession. People are being told to stay home and isolate themselves from everyone else.

By Rodney Pelletier, Church Militant - The Solemnity of St. Joseph is especially dear to Catholics this year due to so many of the faithful being unable to attend Mass in his honor. Devotion to this great saint is more important than ever, especially since people in the United States are preparing for the worst… In his astounding new book, Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, Fr. Donald Calloway maintains that this is the age of St. Joseph. He notes that over the centuries, more and more saints have written about the glories of St. Joseph and have successfully appealed to him to remedy the most hopeless situations.

By Courtney Mares, CNA - Italian dioceses surrounding Milan have reported the deaths of 30 priests during the coronavirus outbreak. Avvenire, the Italian newspaper owned by the Italian bishops conference, attributes at least 28 of these priests’ deaths to COVID-19, and also notes two additional cases: that of Fr. Guido Mortari, who died of pneumonia before he could get tested, and Fr. Giorgio Bosini, who had a serious underlying medical condition… All but three of the priests were over the age of 70, and more than half were over 80 years old. The youngest priest to die from coronavirus, Fr. Andrea Avanzini of the Diocese of Parma, was 54 years old.