Sunday Mass attendance in person at Catholic churches in the U.S. is back to pre-pandemic levels, although just under one quarter of the nation’s Catholics are in the pews on a regular weekly basis.
Coronavirus
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
What I’m Putting in My Covid Time Capsule
What will we hold onto from the pandemic? Perhaps the videos we watched and experiences we had, mostly virtual, in connecting with other people.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
The powerful, prayerful experience of being a remote parishioner
Some people might wonder how I felt so connected to others from afar, but there are many ways that I connected with my parish, and I really felt like I belonged.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Parishes: Please keep livestreaming Mass after the pandemic
As pandemic restrictions have eased, most parishioners have returned to in-person Masses. But some would prefer the option for virtual services to remain.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Covid-19 lockdowns started two years ago. Why aren’t we commemorating the anniversary?
It is understandable not wanting to take the time to draw attention to the second anniversary of the recent surreal horror show of Covid-19. But there are also many moments of grace scattered across the landscape of lockdowns.
Posted inEditorials, Politics & Society
The key to a post-pandemic ‘new normal’? Solidarity.
As the world begins to emerge from the most recent surge of the Covid-19 pandemic, how do we return to normal? And what should normal mean?
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis’ top two advisors test positive for Covid-19
Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the two most senior advisors to Pope Francis, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are in quarantine.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Wine at Communion, the sign of peace, holy water fonts: Will these parts of the Mass ever come back?
The thin body of evidence on the true health risks of bringing the chalice back to Mass should lead to humility rather than overconfidence. We must be open to changing behaviors based on new knowledge.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Advent is a season meant for joyful hope. But this year, I’m struggling with anger and resentment.
I am generally a joyful person, a loving person, a forgiving person, but right now I am struggling to be any of those things.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Covid delayed my college graduation 517 days. It taught me the importance of rituals—even if we celebrate them late.
Can a ritual that comes a year and a half late possibly mean what it was originally supposed to? No. But it ended up having a deep meaning entirely its own.