Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Catholic News ServiceMarch 26, 2020
This is a screen grab of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' website. The website now offers resources for Catholics during the coronavirus pandemic. (CNS)

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a special link on its website to a page offering various resources for the nation's Catholics as they weather the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Under the heading "Together in Christ: Responding to Coronavirus," the usccb.org/coronavirus page also has a link to for all Catholics and other Christians to participate in Pope Francis' special "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It takes place at 6 p.m. Rome time March 27.

The formal blessing -- usually given only immediately after a new pope's election and on Christmas and Easter -- carries with it a plenary indulgence for all who follow by television, internet or radio, are sorry for their sins, recite a few prescribed prayers, and promise to go to confession and to receive the Eucharist as soon as possible.

Among the many resources on the USCCB page are lists of websites for Mass being livestreamed by various outlets, such as Catholic TV and EWTN, on various internet platforms; links to prayers for an end to COVID-19, including from the pope and Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, USCCB president; and daily reflections "to help us all during this trying time."

There are Eastern Catholic Church resources, including links to the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton, Ohio, the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, New York, and Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Brooklyn.

Several Catholic publishers have made their resources available "to support prayer during these difficult days," the site says. "We thank them for their generosity and pastoral concern." The publishers include: Liturgical Press, Magnificat, Bayard, The Word Among Us, GIA Publications, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Renew International and Loyola Press.

Besides daily readings in English and Spanish and on audio, the USCCB section also includes inks to video reflections, tips on livestreaming the Mass, "Faith of Facebook Toolkit," resources from V Encuentro and the Catholic Charities USA COVID-19 Resource Center.

"With the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, we are confronted once more with the fragility of our lives, and again we are reminded of our common humanity; that the peoples of this world are our brothers and sisters, that we are all one family under God," Archbishop Gomez said.

"God does not abandon us, he goes with us even now in this time of trial and testing. In this moment, it is important for us to anchor our hearts in the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.," he continued. "Now is the time to intensify our prayers and sacrifices for the love of God and the love of our neighbor. Let us draw closer to one another in our love for him, and rediscover the things that truly matter in our lives."

He made the comments in a recent statement that included a prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe for her intercession. His statement and the prayer is posted on the page, with links to prayer cards in English and Spanish.

Lists on the page will be updated as more resources become available.

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

I use a motorized wheelchair and communication device because of my disability, cerebral palsy. Parishes were not prepared to accommodate my needs nor were they always willing to recognize my abilities.
Margaret Anne Mary MooreNovember 22, 2024
Nicole Scherzinger as ‘Norma Desmond’ and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as ‘Young Norma’ in “Sunset Blvd” on Broadway at the St. James Theatre (photo: Marc Brenner).
Age and its relationship to stardom is the animating subject of “Sunset Blvd,” “Tammy Faye” and “Death Becomes Her.”
Rob Weinert-KendtNovember 22, 2024
What separates “Bonhoeffer” from the myriad instructive Holocaust biographies and melodramas is its timing.
John AndersonNovember 22, 2024
“Wicked” arrives on a whirlwind of eager (and anxious) anticipation among fans of the musical.
John DoughertyNovember 22, 2024