coronavirus

In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis said he will give an extraordinary blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) at 6 p.m. Rome time (12 p.m. Central Time) Friday, March 27.

As more countries continue to lockdown and isolate to stem the spread of the coronavirus, both believers and nonbelievers “are all in the same boat” and must confront the challenge together.

In places particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic and with severe limits on people leaving their homes, conditions may exist to grant general absolution to the faithful without them personally confessing their sins first, the Vatican said.

To create a calm environment for online learning, Benedictine Brothers Lucian Lopez and Richard Crawford have teamed up to offer daily morning prayer and meditation. 

Advocacy groups are offering tips to stay connected while facing the coronavirus.

It’s important to note that we are not helpless in light of current news events.  We can always choose our response.

“This can be a time for blessings,” Sister Maria Elena Romero said. “But you have to take advantage of it, to see the good side of it, and then it can be a blessed time, a time to ask for mercy, to give thanks, to think about others, to reflect.”

I have made the difficult decision to suspend all public weekday and weekend Masses in the Diocese of Saint Cloud, effective immediately through Easter Monday, April 13. All Catholics in the diocese remain dispensed from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass during this time.