“We were stripped of all our false idols. Our priorities were exposed. We were separated from the sacraments. Yet, God remained the same. We just began to know him in the stillness, desire him in true rest and see him in the people around us. And we got to experience a longing that mirrors the love of the Father who waits for us by waiting for Amen, in the Eucharist.”
— Kelli Kleinschnitz, St. Louis, Paynesville
“We got creative. Masses were livestreamed from all around the world. Rosaries and Divine Mercy Chaplets were prayed via social media by the thousands. Text message chains supporting each other with Bible study reflections, words of encouragement and prayer intentions were started. We worked, played and prayed more with our domestic church at home, our family. We were reminded of our Catholic roots and what really matters in our life: our hope and faith in Christ. This pandemic allowed us to remember to “be still and know” that God is always with us.
—Ann Marschel, Immaculate Conception, Rice
“As I reflect on the question, I hope that we will be a people who remembered to put our trust in God. I sometimes hear from people that God is putting this plague onto us for punishment. I don’t believe that. What I believe is that although God allows troubled times, those things are not from him. He does support us and helps us grow in the midst of the pain and suffering. I see that as a much more positive and realistic view of who God is. God works through and in the pain, he does not cause the pain.”
— Mike Lamb, Immaculate Conception, St. Anna
“Living in a time of uncertainly is exhausting. Things are constantly changing or being taken away from me. My senior year is cut short and things continue to be postponed or canceled. This time is very challenging; however, I am able to seek comfort in my relationship with God. Since I can’t leave the house to receive Jesus, he is revealing to me how I must bring him more into my home. Whether it’s reading the Bible with my sisters, having an intellectual conversation with my Dad, or personal prayer, this time has allowed me to grow in my faith.”
— Maggie Molitor, senior, ROCORI High School, Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Rockville
“The things I miss are being able to visit with other people and being able to get out to the dentist and other places. [What I’m grateful for] is having the opportunity to watch Mass and the rosary on TV and also EWTN. That is what fills my days. I am also able to stay connected to my family by phone. [I would tell future generations] to pray for an end to this disease and for a vaccine.”
— Mary Wehseler, Assumption Home, Cold Spring; member of St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas
“When society looks back at the Catholic response to COVID-19, I hope they noticed something different about our response. I hope they are attracted to what they saw in us, Christ’s light in the darkness. That even in this trial, we had an inner strength, a peace that will lead them to ask… Where does this come from? I hope they see that our ‘help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth’ (Psalm 22:2). I hope they see we carried our crosses in faith, that our trust is not in ourselves, the government, but in the Resurrection. I hope our response brings others to Christ.”
— Deacon Dan Dullinger, Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Rockville; St. Wendelin, Luxemburg; and Holy Cross, Pearl Lake
“I hope future generations can say that we as Catholics used this time to slow down, to spend more time in prayer, and to draw closer to the heart of Jesus. We had more family time, more family meals, took more time to call our loved ones, to catch up and look out for each other. We generously helped each other out, we attended daily Mass virtually at night when before we could not attend daily Mass, and most of all, we gained a greater appreciation of the Eucharist. We learned what a privilege it is to receive Jesus, and we had a huge celebration when we could all receive him again together!”
— Zach Silbernick, St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Cloud