On Easter Sunday, a day when churches are typically full and congregations are more dressed up than usual, bishops and priests around the country celebrated Masses in empty cathedrals and churches looking out to rows of vacant pews and a phone or
“As Catholics, we are used to Easter being a sudden relief from the season of Lent,” writes assistant editor Ava Lalor. “This year is different. This year, it doesn’t quite feel like Lent is fully over. This year, we are experiencing the
Standing in "the joyful light of Easter," we know "our world is still darkened by loss and despair," but Jesus rises "to tell us that his love is stronger than death," the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in
In an Easter celebration like no other, Pope Francis prayed that Christ, "who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation," would "dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his
Easter is the season for “missionary disciples.” The heart of the mission is Christ, the source of the mission is his Resurrection, and the power of the mission is the Holy Spirit he imparts to us. With this mission, we, his disciples,
Acknowledging the pain that the world is experiencing as the novel coronavirus claims thousands of lives and disrupts everyday routines, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said he wants nothing more than to open wide the doors to churches, but such a step
In the Opening the Word for Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord, Timothy P. O’Malley writes that after the drama of the Passion, we’d expect more from a Resurrection narrative than just the mention of the burial cloth. This dizzying, bewildering
Without the comfort and routine of Holy Week and Easter Sunday Mass, many people are feeling uncertain about how to live out their faith during this time of pandemic. But as an Easter people, we have hope. Assistant editor Ava Lalor writes:
With public gatherings, including Masses, banned in Italy to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Vatican published an updated version of Pope Francis' schedule for Holy Week and Easter. In a March 27 statement, the Vatican said that all Holy Week
The Vatican has asked Catholic bishops around the world, both in the Latin rite and the Eastern Catholic Churches, to provide their faithful with resources to support personal and family prayer during Holy Week and at Easter, especially where COVID-19 restrictions prevent