The Hidden Heroes of 2020, by Peter Jesserer Smith

I Kissed Twitter Goodbye, by John Zmirak

January 2, 2021

Saint of the Day for January 2: St. Saint Basil the Great

January 2, 2021

Clockwise, a St. Michael’s Indian School student prepares to meet his teacher and start class virtually. The Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, who are shown gathered at a prepandemic convention, responded to the pandemic with their ‘Claver COVID-19 Outreach,’ to aid those in need this past year. The ‘Divine Mercy Drive-In Holy Hour’ is underway at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Clayton, North Carolina. Catie and Michael Kopf celebrate their wedding under COVID-19 lockdown in Jerusalem. Andrew Walther, president and COO of EWTN News, died Nov. 1 in New Haven, Connecticut. He died one day after Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, was beatified by the Church. Walther did much to help persecuted Christians in the Middle East. (photo: Renee Tsinnie/St. Michael’s Indian School; Courtesy the Knights of Peter Claver; Caitlin Rose Photography; Courtesy Catie Kopf; Photographer Kelsey Paff)

The year was not only a year of global hardship — it was a year when hidden Catholic heroes made a difference.

By Peter Jesserer Smith, National Catholic Register, December 30, 2020

Peter Jesserer Smith Peter Jesserer Smith is a staff reporter for the National Catholic Register. He covered Pope Francis’s historic visit to the United States in 2015, and to Jerusalem and the Holy Land in 2014. ..

When Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of St. Joseph late in the year, he made clear the “St. Josephs” of 2020, those living hidden lives of service, “praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all,” inspired the Church’s new holy year.

“Each of us can discover in Joseph — the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence — an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” he said.

In a year that saw more than 75 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, and more than 1.67 million deaths from the virus, seeking the intercession of St. Joseph, who has been venerated for his temporal care of the Holy Family and also called upon for the grace of a happy death, was most fitting. …

The Hidden Heroes of 2020, by Peter Jesserer Smith

I Kissed Twitter Goodbye, by John Zmirak

Saint of the Day for January 2: St. Saint Basil the Great

The year was not only a year of global hardship — it was a year when hidden Catholic heroes made a difference.

By Peter Jesserer Smith, National Catholic Register, December 30, 2020

When Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of St. Joseph late in the year, he made clear the “St. Josephs” of 2020, those living hidden lives of service, “praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all,” inspired the Church’s new holy year.

“Each of us can discover in Joseph — the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence — an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” he said.

In a year that saw more than 75 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, and more than 1.67 million deaths from the virus, seeking the intercession of St. Joseph, who has been venerated for his temporal care of the Holy Family and also called upon for the grace of a happy death, was most fitting. …

Continue reading >>>

Related posts

Vatican Meeting on ‘Human Fraternity’ Seeks ‘Answers’ for the Future But is Silent on Faith

Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation: I Will Send the Counselor to You

‘Keane’ for Rupnik, by Brad Miner