Writing this marginally insane diary was a reminder to me that, no matter what disasters strike us, and no matter what destruction they wreak, we can at least find ways to diminish their soul-destroying power. We can at least laugh.

In a time when we felt isolated, afraid and increasingly divided, The Times gave us a means to better understand what was happening and to stay connected with one another.

“If Catholic schools were a state, they’d be the highest performing in the nation on all four N.A.E.P. tests,” Kathleen Porter-Magee, the superintendent of Partnership Schools, pointed out on Twitter.

While a new book of letters between Jack Miles and Mark C. Taylor uses the early months of the pandemic as the background and occasion for their letters, the friendship they display is vastly more interesting.

The precious blood is an important part of Communion, but many people are afraid of the risk of cross-contamination from a shared chalice. Why shouldn’t we simply use separate cups? There are a few reasons.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, famous for his work at the National Institutes of Health since 1984, and his wife received the Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Award for Exemplary Public Service from the Ignatian Volunteer Corps.