In a pandemic-wracked year, religious leaders and spiritual counselors across the U.S. ministered to the ill, fed the hungry, consoled the bereaved. Some did so while recovering from COVID-19 themselves or mourning the loss of their own family members and friends. At times, they despaired. ...
One thing that the Catholic Church is known for in our prayer life is devotionals. Simply put, a devotion is a way of praying that leads us closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One devotion that takes center stage during the season of Lent is the Stations of the Cross. As we prepare our ...
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than two dozen clergy members from the capital region rolled up their sleeves inside the Washington National Cathedral and got vaccinated against the coronavirus Tuesday in a camera-friendly event designed to encourage others to get their own COVID-19 shots. The interfaith “vaccine confidence” event targeted in particular Black, Latino and other communities of color, with the aim of overcoming reluctance among populations disproportionately hit by a pandemic that has killed more than a half-million people in the country. “Over 50% of all cases and ...
ROME (AP) — A cardinal close to Pope Francis defended a recent Holy See pronouncement that priests cannot bless same-sex unions as the Vatican faced outright dissent from some Catholic clergy and questions about the pontiff’s role in approving the document. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, head of the Vatican’s laity office, concurred with the pronouncement that a “blessing” is a sacramental action related to the sacrament of marriage, which the Catholic Church teaches can only be celebrated between a man and woman. Farrell said that even though civil unions are not “marriages” ...
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis said Monday he weighed the risks of a high-profile trip to Iraq during the coronavirus pandemic, but said he decided to go ahead with it after much prayer and belief that God would look out for the Iraqis who might get exposed. Francis described his ...
A poem I received at a women’s retreat almost a decade ago showered light on the activity of this past year. Selected below are four parts of Rev. Dr. Alla Bozarth-Campbell’s 16 verses of “Passover Remembered” with my thoughts interjected between the phrases. I hope other readers can relate as well to this subtitled “Mandate for Ministry” from one of the first female Episcopalian priests. “Pack Nothing.” I have not traveled in almost a year! “Bring only your determination to serve… Surrender to the need of the time — to love justice and walk humbly with your ...
