To help you begin your Lenten retreat, we’ve collected messages of encouragement from the shepherds of the Catholic Church in the United States and beyond.

Leadership lapses and the spread of erroneous information and fear about possible treatments for the disease also threaten a successful Covid-19 response in Africa.

The Biden administration will find a willing partner in the fight against climate change in Rome—where the commitment to the environment predates Pope Francis.

None of the saints associated with the United States are of African descent. The Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University intends to change that, and here are six possibilities for sainthood.

‘I rediscovered crossword puzzles. A way to feel like I’m putting some pieces in place that stay there.’

‘I found that I was able to live more ‘monastically’ than I had ever thought possible.’

“Covid swept away a number of our distractions and so, at least in principle, allowed us to wrestle with the questions that really matter.”

‘You surrender to what is. Covid taught me this.’

‘Hope is an active verb. You don’t have hope if you just stand on the sidelines.’

A Reflection for the Fourth Monday of Advent