As the COVID-19 outbreak has confined many of us to our homes, we may need to find new ways to practice our faith on a smaller scale. Here are three stories of local Catholics from the Northwest Catholic archives to provide some inspiration.
BELLINGHAM – The social distancing and stay home orders brought by COVID-19 have been tough for a group of Catholic young adults, but they are finding strength by praying together online.
As Holy Week nears during the COVID-19 outbreak, more than 125 parishes and missions around the Archdiocese of Seattle are helping their parishioners stay connected to their faith by livestreaming and/or recording Masses on their digital platforms.
For the past seven years, I have walked the nighttime streets, alleys, parks and “jungles” of Seattle with the Operation Nightwatch ministry team. I’ve probably met well over 1,000 of our brothers and sisters experiencing homelessness, and I am privileged to call many of them friends.
It’s 8 a.m. on Monday, March 16, our first day of learning-at-a-distance-for-safety, and our third-grader is weeping. “No school at school. No grandparents visiting for Easter. You’re Mom, not my teacher. The coronavirus has ruined everything!”
Blaise Pascal said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” The great 17th-century philosopher thought that most of us, most of the time, distract ourselves from what truly matters through a series of divertissements (diversions). He was speaking from experience. Though one of the brightest men of his age and one of the pioneers…
The Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II instituted this feast in 2000 based on the private revelations received in the 1930s by a humble Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska. In her diary, Faustina recorded Jesus telling her, “I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy.” Jesus also gave her the chaplet of Divine...
Lent is a wonderful time to experience the healing, freedom and peace that God offers through the sacrament of reconciliation. But if it’s been a while since you’ve been to confession (or even if it hasn’t), you may be nervous about going back. Here are some points to help.
Pope Francis recently declared that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time — January 26 this year — should be celebrated as the Sunday of the Word of God. The pope highlighted the importance of lectio divina, or “divine reading,” an ancient practice of slowly and prayerfully reading the Bible. Here’s a step-by-step guide.
