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March 18, 2020

Note from the Managing Editor:

Earlier this year, on a whim and with some prodding from the Holy Spirit, Madeleine and I rented our house out for six months.  Initially our plan was to spend three months overseas staying with friends and relatives for part of that time.  We left Canada on February 13th expecting to spend two weeks in Malta followed by three weeks in Jerusalem and then — wherever the Spirit led us.

Well, the Spirit led us back home three weeks after we left Canada. 

On Thursday March 5 we visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem minutes before concern about the coronavirus led officials to lock the doors of the Church.  Shortly after that Israel closed their border to Bethlehem entirely.  At that point it was strongly recommended that we return immediately to Canada so as not to be stuck in a foreign country just as things were clearly ramping up.

Now we're in Cobble Hill on Vancouver Island at my sister-in-law's for two-weeks of self-isolation. We have no symptoms, but are glad we decided to come straight home flying from Tel Aviv to Toronto, rather than going through London.  Better not to take unnecessary risks like going through an extra crowded airport.

God seems to be telling all of us: "You are not in control.  Life is not predictable.  But I am here for you just as I was a month ago.  Nothing has changed."

Let us all keep each other in prayer this week.  - J. Fraser Field



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New Resources


 
The Heart That Is Always Watching - Archbishop Luis Maria Martinez - from When God Is Silent: Finding Spiritual Peace amid the Storms of Life

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Plagues, Politics, Prayers - Robert Royal - The Catholic Thing

One thing at least is certain about an epidemic like the Coronavirus: we should not look at it, or any other natural evil, in merely materialistic or even medical terms.


 
Flannery O'Connor's Catholic Mind - Chilton Williamson, Jr. - Crisis

I have in my study a silver vase holding four peacock plumes and several parrot feathers.


 
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The decline of the family has roots in the demise of the household.


 
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Let me confess in advance:


 
Cardinal Mercier, hero to the world - Father George W. Rutler - From the Pastor

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Editorials of Interest:

M. Olier on Patience for Christ - The Amish Catholic
Plagues, Politics, Prayers - The Catholic Thing
Towards a Catholic Politics - Crisis Magazine

Editorials of Interest


A clear explanation of what the Coronovirus is and how to protect ourselves - YouTube

Dr Peter Lin explains what the coronavirus is, how it spreads, and what we must do to protect ourselves.


Facing the Coronavirus Pandemic Like a Catholic - NC Register

Now that there is time to make sober adjustments, pastors might find creative ways to publicly continue the prayer of the Church.


A Tour of Bishop Barron's Personal Chapel - YouTube

Friends, watch this short tour of my chapel in Santa Barbara, offered by Fr. Steve Grunow, where we'll continue to stream Mass each day during this coronavirus pandemic.


Bishop Barron's Daily Mass - Word on Fire

While many parishes have closed due to restrictions, we invite you to join us online for daily Mass from Bishop Barron's chapel, celebrated either by Bishop Barron himself or by Fr. Steve Grunow, CEO of Word on Fire.


Lenten Soup Recipe: Southern Fish Soup - NC Register

Ladies from the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia share their meatless soup recipes for your Lenten enjoyment.


M. Olier on Patience for Christ - The Amish Catholic

We are obliged to be patient. First, in our condition as creatures. Second, as sinners. Third, as Christians.


Why a new consecration to St. Joseph is spreading like wildfire - CWR

Fr. Donald Calloway, author of the consecration to St. Joseph, thinks part of the reason the consecration has been "flying off the shelves" is because the world is starving for good fathers. According to 2017 U.S. Census Bureau data, more than one in four children are growing up in a fatherless home.


Plagues, Politics, Prayers - The Catholic Thing

The false belief that we are in control is even more destructive than serious diseases.


How Serious is the Coronavirus? - YouTube

Infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm explains.


Priest offers drive-thru confessions amid church lockdown for coronavirus - ChurchPOP

"Since I cannot guarantee your physical safety by opening up the Church or the office to visitors, I have set up a 'drive through confessional' and will be hearing confessions in the Church parking lot to maintain a six-foot distance while penitents stay in their cars."


Diocese of Rome cancels all public Masses - CNA

The Diocese of Rome has canceled all public Masses until April 3 in response to the coronavirus outbreak.


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A regularly updated list of coronavirus closures and dispensations in US dioceses.


West Bank's holy sites under quarantine for 30 days - NC Register

The Palestinian Authority is also prohibiting all but essential travel between Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities to limit the virus' spread.


Will coronavirus cause a baby boom? - Fox Business

Will coronavirus cause a baby boom?


Bones found in church wall are 7th century saint - CWR

Carbon dating confirmed that human remains discovered hidden in a church wall in 1885 are from the seventh century, and are almost certainly the bones of St. Eanswythe, one of the first English saints.


Italian village residents find Lambrusco wine coming out of their taps - The Local

People living in a small village near Modena, in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, got a surprise on Wednesday when they turned on their kitchen taps and got wine instead of water.


Trump to launch 'Catholics for Trump' coalition in Wisconsin next week - The Hill

The coalition will be one of several the campaign has launched as it looks to court specific voting groups; the campaign has also introduced "Evangelicals for Trump," "Black Voices for Trump" and "Veterans for Trump."


Towards a Catholic Politics - Crisis Magazine

The Church offers a framework for discussing the human person and society that can serve as consensus-building language in politics.


California orders Christian groups to shut down cost-sharing health plans - Aleteia

The state contends that the popular plans, known as "health care sharing ministries" are misleading consumers.


Mexico City women's march erupts into violence outside cathedral - CNA

A Mexico City march organized for International Women's Day turned violent Sunday, when some demonstrators vandalized public structures and monuments, Church buildings, and businesses.


'Fur Babies' Are Not Babies. 'Dog Moms' Are Not Moms - Crisis Magazine

How many people would say that there is barely any qualitative difference between caring for an infant and caring for a dog? Yet there is a difference, and it is crucial: your child is a person.


Metropolitan Opera to Offer Up 'Nightly Met Opera Streams' - Opera Wire

These free streams will present encores of past performances from its famed Live in HD series.


Already failed at your Lenten penance? - ChurchPOP

Fr. Goyo Hidalgo of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles encourages you to not give up.


St. John Henry Cardinal Newman and
St. Justin Martyr, pray for us

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