lifesitenews--2020-03-20--BREAKING: Vatican declares Easter Masses cannot be moved due to coronavirus

VATICAN CITY , March 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― Cardinal Robert Sarah , the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship , has found it necessary to remind the world that the Catholic Church ’ s celebration of Easter can not be moved to a different date on account of the coronavirus lockdown .
In a letter released today , Sarah said that he had received a number of questions about Easter because of the coronavirus pandemic .
He reminded readers that Easter is “ the heart of the entire liturgical year and is not simply one feast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is celebrated over an arc of three days which is preceded by Lent and crowned by Pentecost and , therefore , can not be transferred to another time , ” he stated The annual Chrism Mass , usually celebrated on the Tuesday of Holy Week , may , however , be postponed by bishops to a later date .
Expressions of popular piety and processions common to Holy Week and the Easter Triduum may also take place later in the year , depending on the judgement of local ordinaries .
The cardinal suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that wherever civil and ecclesiastical authorities had placed restrictions on public assembly because of the coronavirus , the celebration of Holy Thursday , Good Friday , and Easter would go ahead in churches and Cathedrals without the physical presence of the lay faithful .
“ The faithful should be informed of the times of the celebration so that they can prayerfully unite themselves in their homes , ” he continued .
“ In this occasion , the means of live ( not recorded ) televisual or internet broadcasts are helpful.
” Some parts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For example , there will be no washing of feet , “ which is already optional ” , during the Holy Thursday liturgies .
The customary procession from the altar to the place of repose will also be omitted , and the Blessed Sacrament will be kept in the tabernacle .
Easter Vigil Mass will be celebrated only in cathedral and parish churches where it can be done .
The preparation and lighting of the paschal fire will be omitted , as will the usual subsequent procession .
The Baptismal Liturgy will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Promises , ” suggesting that there will be no baptisms or confirmations in the affected areas .
“ Decisions regarding monasteries , seminaries and religious communities shall be made by the Diocesan Bishop , ” Sarah directed .
The cardinal confirmed that this was by the mandate of Pope Francis , for 2020 only .
For the first time in the history of the Church , many bishops around the world have voluntarily suspended public Masses for an indefinite time period , as a way of slowing or stopping the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue saying Masses , and the lay people have been advised to join them in prayer , particularly by participating in live-streamed Masses from home .

PRAYER PLEDGE: Rally around the daily Rosary to stop the coronavirus Sign the petition here.
VATICAN CITY, March 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― Cardinal Robert Sarah, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, has found it necessary to remind the world that the Catholic Church’s celebration of Easter cannot be moved to a different date on account of the coronavirus lockdown.
In a letter released today, Sarah said that he had received a number of questions about Easter because of the coronavirus pandemic. He reminded readers that Easter is “the heart of the entire liturgical year and is not simply one feast among others.”
“The Easter Triduum is celebrated over an arc of three days which is preceded by Lent and crowned by Pentecost and, therefore, cannot be transferred to another time,” he stated
The annual Chrism Mass, usually celebrated on the Tuesday of Holy Week, may, however, be postponed by bishops to a later date. Expressions of popular piety and processions common to Holy Week and the Easter Triduum may also take place later in the year, depending on the judgement of local ordinaries. The cardinal suggested September 14 and 15.
Sarah stated that wherever civil and ecclesiastical authorities had placed restrictions on public assembly because of the coronavirus, the celebration of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter would go ahead in churches and Cathedrals without the physical presence of the lay faithful.
“The faithful should be informed of the times of the celebration so that they can prayerfully unite themselves in their homes,” he continued.
“In this occasion, the means of live (not recorded) televisual or internet broadcasts are helpful.”
Some parts of the usual ceremonies will be eliminated. For example, there will be no washing of feet, “which is already optional”, during the Holy Thursday liturgies. The customary procession from the altar to the place of repose will also be omitted, and the Blessed Sacrament will be kept in the tabernacle.
Easter Vigil Mass will be celebrated only in cathedral and parish churches where it can be done. The preparation and lighting of the paschal fire will be omitted, as will the usual subsequent procession. The Baptismal Liturgy will contain only the “Renewal of Baptismal Promises,” suggesting that there will be no baptisms or confirmations in the affected areas.
“Decisions regarding monasteries, seminaries and religious communities shall be made by the Diocesan Bishop,” Sarah directed.
The cardinal confirmed that this was by the mandate of Pope Francis, for 2020 only.
For the first time in the history of the Church, many bishops around the world have voluntarily suspended public Masses for an indefinite time period, as a way of slowing or stopping the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Priests have been encouraged to continue saying Masses, and the lay people have been advised to join them in prayer, particularly by participating in live-streamed Masses from home.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-20--Italian journalist warns about dangers of globalization amid coronavirus

March 19 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Alessandra Bocchi believes that at least one positive thing to come out of the coronavirus pandemic is that globalization is being exposed for the danger that it is .
“ I think globalization has gone too far , ” she told Canadian pro-life activist Jonathon van Maren this week .
“ We rely on , you know , things that we have no idea where they come from .
And we have no idea that we 're even dependent on someone else.
” Bocchi is a international journalist who has written for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wall Street Journal , First Things magazine , The American Conservative , and Spectator USA .
An Italian , she hails from Lombardy , the region hardest hit with the coronavirus .
She is currently stuck in Rome thanks to the government ’ s lockdown and is live-tweeting her experience there .
Bocchi told van Maren that while the pandemic is “ strengthening ” Italy ’ s sense of national solidarity it “ worries a lot of us because we do n't know what the consequences will be for our economy.
” She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives in the Italian countryside raises his own chickens and grows his own vegetables .
He “ feels secure , ” she said , but added , “ that ’ s not how I feel living in a major city where I have to go to the grocery store every day.
” She and van Maren made note of the fact that Italy and the United States are reliant on China for a host of goods and products .
Bocchi said that it would be better if that wasn ’ t the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ localism right now … the more self reliant we are , the more independent we are.
” The Van Maren Show is hosted on numerous platforms , including Spotify , SoundCloud , YouTube , iTunes , and Google Play .
For a full listing of episodes , and to subscribe to various channels , visit our Acast webpage here .
To receive weekly emails when a new episode is uploaded , subscribe below :

Alessandra Bocchi is an international journalist who thinks globalization has 'gone too far.'
PRAYER PLEDGE: Rally around the Cross to end the coronavirus pandemic Sign the petition here.
March 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Alessandra Bocchi believes that at least one positive thing to come out of the coronavirus pandemic is that globalization is being exposed for the danger that it is.
“I think globalization has gone too far,” she told Canadian pro-life activist Jonathon van Maren this week. “We rely on, you know, things that we have no idea where they come from. And we have no idea that we're even dependent on someone else.”
Bocchi is a international journalist who has written for a variety of outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, First Things magazine, The American Conservative, and Spectator USA.
An Italian, she hails from Lombardy, the region hardest hit with the coronavirus. She is currently stuck in Rome thanks to the government’s lockdown and is live-tweeting her experience there.
Bocchi told van Maren that while the pandemic is “strengthening” Italy’s sense of national solidarity it “worries a lot of us because we don't know what the consequences will be for our economy.”
She explained that a friend of hers who lives in the Italian countryside raises his own chickens and grows his own vegetables. He “feels secure,” she said, but added, “that’s not how I feel living in a major city where I have to go to the grocery store every day.”
She and van Maren made note of the fact that Italy and the United States are reliant on China for a host of goods and products. Bocchi said that it would be better if that wasn’t the case.
Italians “wish we had more localism right now … the more self reliant we are, the more independent we are.”
The Van Maren Show is hosted on numerous platforms, including Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes, and Google Play.
For a full listing of episodes, and to subscribe to various channels, visit our Acast webpage here.
To receive weekly emails when a new episode is uploaded, subscribe below:
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lifesitenews--2020-03-20--How pro-life activists are still working to end abortion during coronavirus lockdown

March 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the world and governments call on their citizens to stay home , many pro-life organizations have been impacted as well .
I serve as communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform , which has five offices across Canada , and in nearly every major city where we do daily activism and outreach , a state of emergency has been called .
While we are still doing whatever outreach we can—driving our Truth Trucks , for example—our street outreach to students and passersby is obviously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple of weeks .
Many of us are working from home on the internships and projects we have planned for the year .
My speaking engagements in Canada and the United States were cancelled within a few days , and I ’ ve been asked instead to do webinars on pro-life subjects for those stuck at home—last night , I spoke to campus leaders from across Michigan via Zoom on behalf of Protect Life Michigan .
CCBR is also now offering our pro-life study series , A Christian ’ s Guide to Defending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next five weeks so that pro-lifers can take advantage of this time stuck at home to get better prepared for activism or conversations about abortion with peers .
It has been surreal to see how fast the world can change all around us and how day-to-day activities can suddenly be so different , and so I thought I ’ d check in with some of my pro-life friends from around the world to see how they were coping with the coronavirus pandemic and the new guidelines surrounding social distancing and staying away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First , I checked in with my friends at Created Equal , a pro-life outreach group based in Columbus , Ohio that displays abortion victim photography on campuses and elsewhere and posts testimonies of changed minds online , as well as regular sidewalk counselling outside abortion clinics .
Yesterday , they posted a picture on Instagram of the “ Closed ” sign outside the Columbus Planned Parenthood , and I emailed Created Equal ’ s founder , my friend Mark Harrington , to ask how his team was coping with the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus press conference yesterday , government officials asked healthcare providers to cease performing all elective medical procedures , ” he told me .
“ Obviously , this should include abortion providers .
But will it ?
If abortion is health care , as the abortion industry claims , this is an opportunity for them to act like it and close .
Of course , we know that they will want to have it both ways .
We need to force the federal and state governments to be consistent and not treat abortion facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that abortion is health care .
They say abortion clinics are health centers .
However , when they are held to the basic health standards , they fight those regulations .
The medical community is being called on to treat Coronavirus patients .
Will abortion centers close for the greater good of dealing with this threat ?
Abortion is not health care .
Abortion is elective .
Abortion is not necessary .
Abortion is murder.
” Fortunately , Created Equal has developed many projects that can go on despite social distancing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be packed with outreach events on college and high school campuses , ” Mark noted .
“ However , because of the shutdown , we are focusing our efforts on sidewalk counseling and our mass media projects .
Irrespective of the Coronavirus , we have the means to reach the masses , continue to save babies , and change hearts and minds with our education projects like Operation Overpass , Mobile Billboards , and Clinic Outreach.
” As long as the abortion clinics stay open , many pro-life organizations feel it is their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Joseph Pardo , who operates Cree Women ’ s Care , the only pregnancy center in Puerto Rico ( as well as the Spanish-language pro-life outreach organization Toda la Vida ) , echoed Harrington ’ s sentiments on abortion clinics needing to shut down .
“ As you may know , Puerto Rico is under complete lockdown , ” he told me .
“ The executive order of the governor calls for all businesses to be closed except essentials like groceries , gas , doctors etc.…Everyone must stay in their homes unless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these places .
Our pregnancy center does not qualify as ‘ essential , ’ but for some reason the abortion clinics , which offer an elective procedure , remain open , making thousands of dollars killing children .
We have started a social media campaign through Toda la Vida calling out the fact that abortion is NOT ESSENTIAL.
” Pardo and his pro-life team have checked out the clinics on Puerto Rico and discovered that of the 7 clinics on the island , only three are verifiably closed .
Two said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but called back to schedule appointments within the hour when the pro-lifers called them ( Women ’ s Medical Pavilian and Clinica Lella ) and the final two are openly working ( Darlington Medical Associates and Family Planning of Ponce . )
“ Darlington Medical Associates offers abortion up to 9 months , medical marijuana , and hormone treatment for transitioning , ” Pardo told me .
“ Obviously not essential services .
The governor is being made aware of this issue tonight by a couple of pro-life senators .
Pray—we will see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who runs the continental campus organization ProLife Europe out of Vienna , Austria , told me that it is “ an extraordinary time…we are basically under lockdown as well : school , universities , shops are all closed ; all tourist locations are of course closed ; we are called to stay home .
The only exception is grocery shopping or doctor ’ s appointments .
The coronavirus crisis has affected ProLife Europe very intensely !
The main goal of our organization is to found pro-life groups at universities and schools—so now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it means that we can not continue this work .
We and all of our existing groups had to cancel public events all across Europe .
But we must not be discouraged by this change—this time of crisis can also be a big chance for ProLife Europe , because we can still reach people online.
” ProLife Europe has launched a Corona Action Plan to help people utilize this time to reach out to peers who might actually have time to engage on abortion now that other activities have been largely eliminated : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the house , there will be a lot of time spent on the Internet , and so we are putting all efforts into social media .
Group meetings will be held via Skype .
Most groups already have their own social media accounts , so now they are called to fill them with videos , pictures , posts .
Just like discussing abortion with people on the street , you can have these discussions online .
These are rather big changes for our group members , but we are prepared to lead them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people still do care for each other—and it is our responsibility to include pre-born persons in this situation.
” Eliza Clotea , the president of Students for Life Romania ( who I met at a gala after the Austrian March for Life last October ) has launched a similar plan called “ Month for Life.
” The Romanian March for Life has been cancelled for the time being , and “ we were preparing more than 15 events but the pandemic has made us cancel them all—it was a bitter reality , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything better .
We are still fighting for life , even if it is not outside on the streets .
The Internet is a great tool and we have made a list of 16 ideas for online and at home activities.
” Students for Life Bucharest is offering students pro-life films to watch ; pro-life podcasts have been recommended ; tips for sharing pro-life content on social media have been sent out ; pro-life webinars for high school students have been launched ; and pro-lifers are being urged to take time to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to my friend Andy Moore , who works at the Susan B. Anthony List .
He sent me an email blast from SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser , who laid out her organization ’ s response to the pandemic : We take seriously the health of our canvassing team and the voters we seek to reach .
Over the weekend our field team made a quick pivot from door-to-door canvassing to live calls to voters in our targeted battleground states .
We hope voters may be more receptive to our phone calls during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a beat , our staff has moved to remote work .
We are handling all of our ongoing activities and meetings online , continuing to monitor and impact activities on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the country .
We continue to engage with our supporters and call out abortion extremism wherever it raises its head – in the Democratic primary , in down-ballot elections , and in the abortion lobby ’ s response to coronavirus .
Our Government Affairs team has been on the front lines , working late into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hyde Amendment protections were included in the coronavirus response funding package- read our statement here .
Our watchfulness continues this week as the Senate votes on related legislation .
We are actively tracking the abortion lobby ’ s insidious misuse of the Covid-19 quarantine to promote the chemical abortion pill .
This dangerous drug ends the life of an unborn child and poses a severe threat to his or her mother .
We will fight back against cultural and legislative attempts to expand this “ chemical coat hanger.
” Around the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this surreal and challenging time with the creativity the pre-born children we seek to protect deserve from us .
As long as the abortion industry refuses to stop the work of killing babies , pro-lifers worldwide will continue to find ways to confront , expose , and fight this injustice—even if our nations have declared states of emergency and we are required to stay at home .

March 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the world and governments call on their citizens to stay home, many pro-life organizations have been impacted as well.
I serve as communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, which has five offices across Canada, and in nearly every major city where we do daily activism and outreach, a state of emergency has been called. While we are still doing whatever outreach we can—driving our Truth Trucks, for example—our street outreach to students and passersby is obviously out of the question for the next couple of weeks. Many of us are working from home on the internships and projects we have planned for the year.
My speaking engagements in Canada and the United States were cancelled within a few days, and I’ve been asked instead to do webinars on pro-life subjects for those stuck at home—last night, I spoke to campus leaders from across Michigan via Zoom on behalf of Protect Life Michigan. CCBR is also now offering our pro-life study series, A Christian’s Guide to Defending Life in the Womb, online over the next five weeks so that pro-lifers can take advantage of this time stuck at home to get better prepared for activism or conversations about abortion with peers.
It has been surreal to see how fast the world can change all around us and how day-to-day activities can suddenly be so different, and so I thought I’d check in with some of my pro-life friends from around the world to see how they were coping with the coronavirus pandemic and the new guidelines surrounding social distancing and staying away from other members of the public.
First, I checked in with my friends at Created Equal, a pro-life outreach group based in Columbus, Ohio that displays abortion victim photography on campuses and elsewhere and posts testimonies of changed minds online, as well as regular sidewalk counselling outside abortion clinics. Yesterday, they posted a picture on Instagram of the “Closed” sign outside the Columbus Planned Parenthood, and I emailed Created Equal’s founder, my friend Mark Harrington, to ask how his team was coping with the coronavirus pandemic thus far.
“During the Trump coronavirus press conference yesterday, government officials asked healthcare providers to cease performing all elective medical procedures,” he told me. “Obviously, this should include abortion providers. But will it? If abortion is health care, as the abortion industry claims, this is an opportunity for them to act like it and close. Of course, we know that they will want to have it both ways. We need to force the federal and state governments to be consistent and not treat abortion facilities differently than other health centers. They say that abortion is health care. They say abortion clinics are health centers. However, when they are held to the basic health standards, they fight those regulations. The medical community is being called on to treat Coronavirus patients. Will abortion centers close for the greater good of dealing with this threat? Abortion is not health care. Abortion is elective. Abortion is not necessary. Abortion is murder.”
Fortunately, Created Equal has developed many projects that can go on despite social distancing.
Follow Jonathon van Maren on Facebook
“Traditionally, the spring semester would be packed with outreach events on college and high school campuses,” Mark noted. “However, because of the shutdown, we are focusing our efforts on sidewalk counseling and our mass media projects. Irrespective of the Coronavirus, we have the means to reach the masses, continue to save babies, and change hearts and minds with our education projects like Operation Overpass, Mobile Billboards, and Clinic Outreach.” As long as the abortion clinics stay open, many pro-life organizations feel it is their duty to be there to offer alternatives.
Joseph Pardo, who operates Cree Women’s Care, the only pregnancy center in Puerto Rico (as well as the Spanish-language pro-life outreach organization Toda la Vida), echoed Harrington’s sentiments on abortion clinics needing to shut down. “As you may know, Puerto Rico is under complete lockdown,” he told me. “The executive order of the governor calls for all businesses to be closed except essentials like groceries, gas, doctors etc.…Everyone must stay in their homes unless they are going to and from one of these places. Our pregnancy center does not qualify as ‘essential,’ but for some reason the abortion clinics, which offer an elective procedure, remain open, making thousands of dollars killing children. We have started a social media campaign through Toda la Vida calling out the fact that abortion is NOT ESSENTIAL.”
Pardo and his pro-life team have checked out the clinics on Puerto Rico and discovered that of the 7 clinics on the island, only three are verifiably closed. Two said that they were closed on their voicemail, but called back to schedule appointments within the hour when the pro-lifers called them (Women’s Medical Pavilian and Clinica Lella) and the final two are openly working (Darlington Medical Associates and Family Planning of Ponce.) “Darlington Medical Associates offers abortion up to 9 months, medical marijuana, and hormone treatment for transitioning,” Pardo told me. “Obviously not essential services. The governor is being made aware of this issue tonight by a couple of pro-life senators. Pray—we will see what happens.”
My friend Manuela Steiner, who runs the continental campus organization ProLife Europe out of Vienna, Austria, told me that it is “an extraordinary time…we are basically under lockdown as well: school, universities, shops are all closed; all tourist locations are of course closed; we are called to stay home. The only exception is grocery shopping or doctor’s appointments. The coronavirus crisis has affected ProLife Europe very intensely! The main goal of our organization is to found pro-life groups at universities and schools—so now, with all the schools closed, it means that we cannot continue this work. We and all of our existing groups had to cancel public events all across Europe. But we must not be discouraged by this change—this time of crisis can also be a big chance for ProLife Europe, because we can still reach people online.”
ProLife Europe has launched a Corona Action Plan to help people utilize this time to reach out to peers who might actually have time to engage on abortion now that other activities have been largely eliminated: “With people not allowed to leave the house, there will be a lot of time spent on the Internet, and so we are putting all efforts into social media. Group meetings will be held via Skype. Most groups already have their own social media accounts, so now they are called to fill them with videos, pictures, posts. Just like discussing abortion with people on the street, you can have these discussions online. These are rather big changes for our group members, but we are prepared to lead them through this time! This crisis shows that people still do care for each other—and it is our responsibility to include pre-born persons in this situation.”
Eliza Clotea, the president of Students for Life Romania (who I met at a gala after the Austrian March for Life last October) has launched a similar plan called “Month for Life.” The Romanian March for Life has been cancelled for the time being, and “we were preparing more than 15 events but the pandemic has made us cancel them all—it was a bitter reality, but God has His plans and knows everything better. We are still fighting for life, even if it is not outside on the streets. The Internet is a great tool and we have made a list of 16 ideas for online and at home activities.” Students for Life Bucharest is offering students pro-life films to watch; pro-life podcasts have been recommended; tips for sharing pro-life content on social media have been sent out; pro-life webinars for high school students have been launched; and pro-lifers are being urged to take time to help the elderly.
I also reached out to my friend Andy Moore, who works at the Susan B. Anthony List. He sent me an email blast from SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser, who laid out her organization’s response to the pandemic:
We take seriously the health of our canvassing team and the voters we seek to reach. Over the weekend our field team made a quick pivot from door-to-door canvassing to live calls to voters in our targeted battleground states. We hope voters may be more receptive to our phone calls during this period of quarantine. Without missing a beat, our staff has moved to remote work. We are handling all of our ongoing activities and meetings online, continuing to monitor and impact activities on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the country. We continue to engage with our supporters and call out abortion extremism wherever it raises its head – in the Democratic primary, in down-ballot elections, and in the abortion lobby’s response to coronavirus. Our Government Affairs team has been on the front lines, working late into the night last Friday to ensure that pro-life Hyde Amendment protections were included in the coronavirus response funding package- read our statement here. Our watchfulness continues this week as the Senate votes on related legislation. We are actively tracking the abortion lobby’s insidious misuse of the Covid-19 quarantine to promote the chemical abortion pill. This dangerous drug ends the life of an unborn child and poses a severe threat to his or her mother. We will fight back against cultural and legislative attempts to expand this “chemical coat hanger.”
Around the world, the global pro-life movement has been facing this surreal and challenging time with the creativity the pre-born children we seek to protect deserve from us. As long as the abortion industry refuses to stop the work of killing babies, pro-lifers worldwide will continue to find ways to confront, expose, and fight this injustice—even if our nations have declared states of emergency and we are required to stay at home.
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he speaks with Alessandra Bocchi, who is currently in Rome, about what is actually happening on the ground in Rome and across Italy. Bocchi is from Lombardy, the hardest hit region of Italy, but is “stuck” in Rome due to the government’s requests that people not leave their current locations in order to stop the spread of the virus. The scene she shares is quite surreal. You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-20--How to keep holy the Sabbath day without a public Mass

EDINBURGH , Scotland , March 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― Both the Catholic Church in England and Wales and the Catholic Church in Scotland have announced that public Masses will be suspended in these countries indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic .
In England and Wales , the last public Masses will take place on Friday .
In Scotland , they will take place on Thursday .
The inability to attend Mass is a hard cross for Catholics to bear anywhere , but it is particularly crushing in Great Britain , where Mass was essentially illegal from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Relief Act of 1791 .
That the latest suspension has been ordered by the Catholic bishops themselves is both a new kind of suffering and a total loss of public worship .
During civil persecution , Catholics could at least assemble for Mass in secret , ministered to in Scotland by the “ heather priests.
” As a substitute for personal attendance at holy worship , the bishops of England and Wales have encouraged Catholics to make a “ spiritual communion ” and to watch a livestreamed Mass .
The bishops of Scotland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available to meet with individual Catholics to give them the sacraments “ as and when they are needed , ” especially for the sick and housebound .
Barring an invitation to a private Mass , it seems , then , that the best way to keep the Sabbath Day holy in every place where public Mass is suspended is indeed to watch Mass from afar .
I have a Master of Divinity degree , but I must confess that since the end of the Cold War I have never imagined a situation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be forbidden to attend Sunday Mass .
However , here are my suggestions for making the best of Mass from home .
We could turn a room or area of our own dwellings into a temporary chapel where the entire household can watch Mass ― and individuals can slip away to pray whenever they like .
Many dioceses around the world did not have public Masses last Sunday , and on social media , I saw a wonderful photograph of a large family assembling for Mass in a room set aside for worship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairs in front of the wall on which someone was projecting a live-streamed Mass .
If a household lacks the technical knowhow or equipment to project a broadcast , then the largest computer or television screen in the house , set up on a decorated table or home altar , will have to do .
Saint John Paul II told families that we are the “ domestic church ” ; well , let ’ s see how well we can make this a Sunday reality .
To keep everything as normal as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show respect for the Lord , let ’ s dress ourselves and our children in our Sunday best before we watch the Mass .
Let ’ s also continue our rituals around Sunday Mass , keeping the fast , and celebrating Sunday brunch or Sunday supper , with all the usual Sunday treats , even if we have to cook or bake them ourselves instead of buying them or ordering them at our favorite diner .
Any other Sunday family prayers , such as the Evening Office or the Holy Rosary , should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is probably not the time to introduce lengthy new devotions .
That said , even small children , awed by the novelty of watching Mass from home , will probably tolerate the introduction of new prayers for the sick and an end to the coronavirus pandemic .
Families who are unable to access a livestreamed Mass on the internet or find a Mass broadcast on television could also create a temporary chapel or prayer space in the home .
The continuing importance of Mass would be impressed upon the children if a traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) were read aloud by the eldest man in the family or , if there isn ’ t an adult man in the household , the mother of the family .
A Missa Sicca at home doesn ’ t usually have a homily , but reading some catechetical material to children after the Gospel sounds both natural and good .
Please find below a traditional Missa Sicca or “ Dry Mass ” that can be said at home , and do have as happy a Sunday as you can .
In the name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Son and of the Holy Spirit .
Introit : read the Introit verse of today ’ s Mass [ or sing an Entrance Hymn ] I confess to Almighty God , to blessed Mary ever virgin , to blessed Michael the Archangel , to blessed John the Baptist , to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul , to all the saints , that I have sinned exceedingly in thought , word and deed ( strike breast three times ) : through my fault , through my fault , through my most grievous fault @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever virgin , blessed Michael the Archangel , blessed John the Baptist , the holy Apostles Peter and Paul , all the saints , to pray to the Lord Our God for me .
+ May Almighty God have mercy on us , forgive us our sins and bring us to life everlasting .
Amen .
Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace to people of good will .
We praise You , we bless You , we adore You , we glorify You , we give You thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Heavenly King , O God , Almighty Father .
Lord Jesus Christ , only begotten Son , Lord God , Lamb of God , Son of the Father , You take away the sins of the world , have mercy on us ; You take away the sins of the world , receive our prayer .
You are seated at the right hand of the Father , have mercy on us .
For You alone are the Holy One , You alone are the Lord , You alone are the Most High @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spirit , in the glory of God the Father .
Amen .
Collect : read the collect of the day Gradual , Alleluia/Tract ( and Sequence ) : read them as given in the propers of the day Gospel : read the gospel of the day Let us pray .
It is truly right and just , our duty and our salvation , always and everywhere to give You thanks , Lord , Holy Father , Almighty and Eternal God , through Jesus Christ our Lord .
For out of compassion for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Himself and was born of the Virgin ; by the passion of the Cross He freed us from unending death , and by rising from the dead He gave us life eternal .
And so , with angels and archangels , with thrones and dominions and with all the host and powers of Heaven , we sing the hymn of Your glory , as without end we acclaim : Holy , Holy , Holy Lord God of hosts .
Heaven and Earth are full of Your glory .
Hosanna in the highest .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Name of the Lord .
Hosanna in the highest .
Almighty God , may our prayers be joined to the intercession of the glorious every virgin Mary Mother of God ; also of the blessed Joseph , her spouse , and likewise of your blessed Apostles and martyrs , Peter and Paul , Andrew , James , John , Thomas , James , Philip , Bartholomew , Matthew , Simon and Thaddeus , Linus , Cletus , Clement , Sixtus , Cornelius , Cyprian , Lawrence , Chrysogonus , John and Paul , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saints .
Grant for the sake of their merits and prayers in all things we may be guarded and helped by Your protection .
+ Through the same Christ Our Lord .
Amen .
Be mindful , O Lord , of N… our Pope , N… our Bishop , N… our Priest , Your servants and handmaids N… and N… , and of those entrusted to my care , for whom this sacrifice of praise is offered , in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered by Your ordained priests throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the redemption of their souls and the hope of their safety and salvation .
Be mindful , also , O Lord , of Your servants and handmaids N ... and N ... who are gone before us with the sign of faith and who sleep the sleep of peace .
To these , O Lord , and to all who rest in Christ , grant , we beseech You , a place of refreshment , light and peace .
+ Through the same Christ our Lord .
Amen .
To us also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trust in the multitude of Your mercies , vouchsafe to grant some part and fellowship with Your holy Apostles and martyrs : with John , Stephen , Matthias , Barnabas , Ignatius , Alexander , Marcellinus , Peter , Felicitas , Perpetua , Agatha , Lucy , Agnes , Cecilia , Anastasia , and all your saints .
Into their company we beseech You admit us , not considering our merits , but freely pardoning our offenses .
+ Through Christ Our Lord .
Amen .
Spiritual Communion [ to be said by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament .
I love You above all things , and I long for You in my soul .
Since I can not now receive You sacramentally , come at least spiritually into my heart .
As though You have already come , I embrace You and unite myself entirely to You ; never permit me to be separated from You .
Amen .

John Paul II told families that we are the 'domestic church.' Well, let’s see how well we can make this a Sunday reality.
EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― Both the Catholic Church in England and Wales and the Catholic Church in Scotland have announced that public Masses will be suspended in these countries indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In England and Wales, the last public Masses will take place on Friday. In Scotland, they will take place on Thursday.
The inability to attend Mass is a hard cross for Catholics to bear anywhere, but it is particularly crushing in Great Britain, where Mass was essentially illegal from the late 16th century until the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1791. That the latest suspension has been ordered by the Catholic bishops themselves is both a new kind of suffering and a total loss of public worship. During civil persecution, Catholics could at least assemble for Mass in secret, ministered to in Scotland by the “heather priests.”
As a substitute for personal attendance at holy worship, the bishops of England and Wales have encouraged Catholics to make a “spiritual communion” and to watch a livestreamed Mass. The bishops of Scotland have added that parish priests should be available to meet with individual Catholics to give them the sacraments “as and when they are needed,” especially for the sick and housebound.
Barring an invitation to a private Mass, it seems, then, that the best way to keep the Sabbath Day holy in every place where public Mass is suspended is indeed to watch Mass from afar. I have a Master of Divinity degree, but I must confess that since the end of the Cold War I have never imagined a situation in which European or North American Catholics would be forbidden to attend Sunday Mass. However, here are my suggestions for making the best of Mass from home.
We could turn a room or area of our own dwellings into a temporary chapel where the entire household can watch Mass ― and individuals can slip away to pray whenever they like. Many dioceses around the world did not have public Masses last Sunday, and on social media, I saw a wonderful photograph of a large family assembling for Mass in a room set aside for worship. They had set up rows of chairs in front of the wall on which someone was projecting a live-streamed Mass. If a household lacks the technical knowhow or equipment to project a broadcast, then the largest computer or television screen in the house, set up on a decorated table or home altar, will have to do.
Saint John Paul II told families that we are the “domestic church”; well, let’s see how well we can make this a Sunday reality. To keep everything as normal as possible, as well as to continue to show respect for the Lord, let’s dress ourselves and our children in our Sunday best before we watch the Mass. Let’s also continue our rituals around Sunday Mass, keeping the fast, and celebrating Sunday brunch or Sunday supper, with all the usual Sunday treats, even if we have to cook or bake them ourselves instead of buying them or ordering them at our favorite diner.
Any other Sunday family prayers, such as the Evening Office or the Holy Rosary, should be prayed as usual, although this is probably not the time to introduce lengthy new devotions. That said, even small children, awed by the novelty of watching Mass from home, will probably tolerate the introduction of new prayers for the sick and an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
Families who are unable to access a livestreamed Mass on the internet or find a Mass broadcast on television could also create a temporary chapel or prayer space in the home. The continuing importance of Mass would be impressed upon the children if a traditional Missa Sicca (“Dry Mass”) were read aloud by the eldest man in the family or, if there isn’t an adult man in the household, the mother of the family. A Missa Sicca at home doesn’t usually have a homily, but reading some catechetical material to children after the Gospel sounds both natural and good.
Please find below a traditional Missa Sicca or “Dry Mass” that can be said at home, and do have as happy a Sunday as you can.
***
Sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Introit: read the Introit verse of today’s Mass [or sing an Entrance Hymn]
Confiteor
I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed (strike breast three times): through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary ever virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the saints, to pray to the Lord Our God for me. + May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to life everlasting. Amen.
Kyrie
Lord, have mercy./x3
Christ, have mercy./x3
Lord, have mercy./x3
Gloria
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give You thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, Heavenly King, O God, Almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Collect: read the collect of the day
Reading[s]: read today’s epistle [or readings]
Gradual, Alleluia/Tract (and Sequence): read them as given in the propers of the day
Gospel: read the gospel of the day
The Nicene Creed
Preface:
Let us pray. It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks, Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. For out of compassion for the waywardness that is ours, He humbled Himself and was born of the Virgin; by the passion of the Cross He freed us from unending death, and by rising from the dead He gave us life eternal. And so, with angels and archangels, with thrones and dominions and with all the host and powers of Heaven, we sing the hymn of Your glory, as without end we acclaim:
Sanctus:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and Earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Invocation of the Saints:
Almighty God, may our prayers be joined to the intercession of the glorious every virgin Mary Mother of God; also of the blessed Joseph, her spouse, and likewise of your blessed Apostles and martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Thaddeus, Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian, of all thy saints. Grant for the sake of their merits and prayers in all things we may be guarded and helped by Your protection. + Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for the Living:
Be mindful, O Lord, of N… our Pope, N… our Bishop, N… our Priest, Your servants and handmaids N… and N…, and of those entrusted to my care, for whom this sacrifice of praise is offered, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered by Your ordained priests throughout the world. Grant, O Lord, the redemption of their souls and the hope of their safety and salvation.
Prayer for the Dead:
Be mindful, also, O Lord, of Your servants and handmaids N… and N… who are gone before us with the sign of faith and who sleep the sleep of peace. To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech You, a place of refreshment, light and peace. + Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Eternal Happiness:
To us also Your sinful servants, who put our trust in the multitude of Your mercies, vouchsafe to grant some part and fellowship with Your holy Apostles and martyrs: with John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia, and all your saints. Into their company we beseech You admit us, not considering our merits, but freely pardoning our offenses. + Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Our Father
Spiritual Communion [to be said by all]:
My Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I long for You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though You have already come, I embrace You and unite myself entirely to You; never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
The Last Gospel (John 1:1–14)
Follow Dorothy Dorothy Cummings McLean is a Canadian journalist, essayist, and novelist. She earned an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Toronto and an M.Div./S.T.B. from Toronto’s Regis College. She was a columnist for the Toronto Catholic Register for nine years and has contributed to Catholic World Report. Her first book, Seraphic Singles, was published by Novalis (2010) in Canada, Liguori in the USA, and Homo Dei in Poland. Her second, Ceremony of Innocence, was published by Ignatius Press (2013). Dorothy lives near Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-20--Christians must figure out how to deal with a new, religiously indifferent America

March 20 , 2020 ( The Catholic Thing ) — We ’ re living in the midst of a second Reformation .
That may seem implausible .
Life today is very different from 500 years ago .
Theology , to take just one example , profoundly shaped human thought , culture , and social organization in 1520 .
Today it ’ s a marginal discipline .
Religion has declining public influence .
As technology advances and reshapes society with new modes of thought , the process of secularization speeds up .
Inherited religious certainties weaken , become irrelevant to many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fewer than half of U.S. Catholics now believe in Christ ’ s “ Real Presence ” in the Eucharist .
This shouldn ’ t surprise us .
The atheist ideologies of the last century still had a kind of “ religious ” dimension — e.g.
, Marx ’ s belief in the eventual withering away of the state .
Today ’ s advanced consumer economies are different .
They neither dispute nor attempt to disprove things supernatural , but rather , as the philosopher Augusto Del Noce noted , render them uninteresting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ re more thoroughly atheist .
It ’ s in this sense — a revolution in how we think about and organize the world ; a world where the idea of God is ridiculous because it has no “ utility ” — that we ’ re living a new “ Re-formation.
” We ’ re also living a huge paradox because Man is an instinctively believing animal .
We ’ re all believers in something .
We all take certain things on faith , and then build our reasoning on those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its center , society always reverts to some form of idolatry .
As the late Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger wrote , “ there is no worse idol than that which imitates the true God.
” In his own French laicist environment , he saw how a society that removes God from public life and discourse invariably puts itself and its concerns in his place — no matter how much religious “ neutrality ” it claims .
Luckily , people still suffer and die .
This is a source of hope .
Mortality anchors us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of meaning , seriously engaged , open a path to clear thinking and a search for answers , answers that only Jesus Christ can fully satisfy .
As Catholics in the years ahead , we might profitably focus our concerns on four main areas : First , the uniqueness and fragility of the American Experiment .
The religious roots of the United States were , in part , a rejection of the expansive and idolatrous state .
A strong version of religious freedom is essential to American public life .
Ordered liberty with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a deep reservoir of self-mastery and guiding beliefs , reinforced by communities of shared moral convictions .
Personal excess and indifference to community eat away a res publica .
Second , sex .
Sex is hardly a neglected topic .
But one central crisis of our age is anthropological — in other words , who and what is a human being ?
Is being “ human ” something fixed , a part of God-created nature , or moldable according to the will ?
Wilhelm Reich ’ s The Sexual Revolution was , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genius .
He foresaw in the 1930s that lasting revolutions take place not politically or economically , but in personal sexual relations .
For Reich , marriage and the family were prime targets , and America , with its deep streak of individualism and conflicted Puritan roots , was the ideal seedbed for the revolution he sought .
Human sexuality — how , when , why , and under what conditions we discipline sexual desire and behavior — defines what a culture means by being “ human.
” Sexual anarchy inevitably diminishes claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and increases the need for a coercive state .
Third , Church reform .
American civic life needs religion to thrive ; and not just any religion , but specifically Jewish/Christian belief .
“ Spirituality ” is too easily reduced to private therapy , and it lacks communal strength .
Only the Catholic Church has the experience and organizational depth to succeed at resisting dehumanizing trends in our national life .
But the Church has been crippled by decades of internal post-conciliar divisions and cultural assimilation , and weakened further by sex abuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consistently strong clergy leadership ; to realistically face her problems ; and to quickly and creatively address them .
Her current structures are classically bureaucratic and sclerotic , starting at the very top .
Fourth , the role of laypeople .
“ Clericalism ” is as much a lay illness as it is a clergy problem .
It enables laziness and provides a convenient alibi for many laypeople to avoid the missionary obligations of their baptism .
It invites people not to repudiate the Church on well-reasoned grounds , but to drift away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ironically , at the same time , lay Catholic leaders , movements , organizations , and communities shoulder a heavily disproportionate share of the evangelizing energy today in the United States .
This is not without precedent .
Church reform has rarely started with bishops and senior clergy ; historically , it forces its way up from below .
On a practical level , it becomes important to understand which lay leaders , movements , and organizations are most effective , and why .
The point is this : The “ next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a decade ago is here , now .
Over the next generation , the Church in the United States will face a very painful contraction , loss of influence , and right-sizing .
This is not necessarily a bad thing ; seeing and understanding reality accurately are the first steps in changing our reality for the better .
Renewing the soul of a culture ( and through it , the political and economic structures it sustains ) is the expertise of the Christian Church .
And renewing the Church in our age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technical skill or organizational structure or material resources — as important as those things are — but the persuasive power of faithful lay witness .
Awakening lay people to their vocation and the meaning of “ holiness ” ; steeping them in fidelity to the Church and her teaching ; and empowering them to take leadership in the Church .
Such is the way God begins to “ make all things new ” ( Rev 21:5 ) in the Church , in the nation , and in the world .
Published with permission @ @ @ @ @

We’re living in the midst of a second Reformation. Over the next generation, the Church in the United States will face a very painful contraction.
March 20, 2020 (The Catholic Thing) — We’re living in the midst of a second Reformation. That may seem implausible. Life today is very different from 500 years ago. Theology, to take just one example, profoundly shaped human thought, culture, and social organization in 1520. Today it’s a marginal discipline. Religion has declining public influence.
As technology advances and reshapes society with new modes of thought, the process of secularization speeds up. Inherited religious certainties weaken, become irrelevant to many adults and incomprehensible to the young. Fewer than half of U.S. Catholics now believe in Christ’s “Real Presence” in the Eucharist.
This shouldn’t surprise us. The atheist ideologies of the last century still had a kind of “religious” dimension — e.g., Marx’s belief in the eventual withering away of the state. Today’s advanced consumer economies are different. They neither dispute nor attempt to disprove things supernatural, but rather, as the philosopher Augusto Del Noce noted, render them uninteresting, unintelligible, and ultimately absent. Thus, they’re more thoroughly atheist.
It’s in this sense — a revolution in how we think about and organize the world; a world where the idea of God is ridiculous because it has no “utility” — that we’re living a new “Re-formation.” We’re also living a huge paradox because Man is an instinctively believing animal. We’re all believers in something. We all take certain things on faith, and then build our reasoning on those articles of faith.
Without God at its center, society always reverts to some form of idolatry. As the late Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger wrote, “there is no worse idol than that which imitates the true God.” In his own French laicist environment, he saw how a society that removes God from public life and discourse invariably puts itself and its concerns in his place — no matter how much religious “neutrality” it claims.
Luckily, people still suffer and die. This is a source of hope. Mortality anchors us to questions of meaning. And questions of meaning, seriously engaged, open a path to clear thinking and a search for answers, answers that only Jesus Christ can fully satisfy.
As Catholics in the years ahead, we might profitably focus our concerns on four main areas:
First, the uniqueness and fragility of the American Experiment. The religious roots of the United States were, in part, a rejection of the expansive and idolatrous state. A strong version of religious freedom is essential to American public life. Ordered liberty with limited government can only succeed if citizens have a deep reservoir of self-mastery and guiding beliefs, reinforced by communities of shared moral convictions. Personal excess and indifference to community eat away a res publica.
Second, sex. Sex is hardly a neglected topic. But one central crisis of our age is anthropological — in other words, who and what is a human being? Is being “human” something fixed, a part of God-created nature, or moldable according to the will?
Wilhelm Reich’s The Sexual Revolution was, in retrospect, a work of perverse genius. He foresaw in the 1930s that lasting revolutions take place not politically or economically, but in personal sexual relations. For Reich, marriage and the family were prime targets, and America, with its deep streak of individualism and conflicted Puritan roots, was the ideal seedbed for the revolution he sought. Human sexuality — how, when, why, and under what conditions we discipline sexual desire and behavior — defines what a culture means by being “human.” Sexual anarchy inevitably diminishes claims of any “sacred” human dignity and increases the need for a coercive state.
Third, Church reform. American civic life needs religion to thrive; and not just any religion, but specifically Jewish/Christian belief. “Spirituality” is too easily reduced to private therapy, and it lacks communal strength. Only the Catholic Church has the experience and organizational depth to succeed at resisting dehumanizing trends in our national life.
But the Church has been crippled by decades of internal post-conciliar divisions and cultural assimilation, and weakened further by sex abuse. She lacks the ability to produce consistently strong clergy leadership; to realistically face her problems; and to quickly and creatively address them. Her current structures are classically bureaucratic and sclerotic, starting at the very top.
Fourth, the role of laypeople. “Clericalism” is as much a lay illness as it is a clergy problem. It enables laziness and provides a convenient alibi for many laypeople to avoid the missionary obligations of their baptism. It invites people not to repudiate the Church on well-reasoned grounds, but to drift away from her out of irritation and indifference. Ironically, at the same time, lay Catholic leaders, movements, organizations, and communities shoulder a heavily disproportionate share of the evangelizing energy today in the United States.
This is not without precedent. Church reform has rarely started with bishops and senior clergy; historically, it forces its way up from below. On a practical level, it becomes important to understand which lay leaders, movements, and organizations are most effective, and why.
The point is this: The “next America” that Archbishop Charles Chaput wrote about a decade ago is here, now. Over the next generation, the Church in the United States will face a very painful contraction, loss of influence, and right-sizing. This is not necessarily a bad thing; seeing and understanding reality accurately are the first steps in changing our reality for the better.
Renewing the soul of a culture (and through it, the political and economic structures it sustains) is the expertise of the Christian Church. And renewing the Church in our age will not primarily be a matter of technical skill or organizational structure or material resources — as important as those things are — but the persuasive power of faithful lay witness.
Awakening lay people to their vocation and the meaning of “holiness”; steeping them in fidelity to the Church and her teaching; and empowering them to take leadership in the Church. Such is the way God begins to “make all things new” (Rev 21:5) in the Church, in the nation, and in the world.
Published with permission from The Catholic Thing.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-20--Bishop Athanasius Schneider on how to go on living when Masses are suspended

Millions of Catholics in the so-called free Western world will , in the coming weeks or even months , and especially during Holy Week and Easter , the culmination of the entire liturgical year , be deprived of any public acts of worship due to both civic and ecclesiastical reaction to the outbreak of Coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) .
The most painful and distressing of these is the deprivation of Holy Mass and sacramental Holy Communion .
The current atmosphere of an almost planetary panic is continuously fueled by the universally proclaimed “ dogma ” of the new coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the denial of fundamental human rights of freedom of movement , freedom of assembly , and freedom of opinion appear almost globally orchestrated along a precise plan .
Thus , the entire human race becomes a kind of prisoner of a world “ sanitary dictatorship , ” which for its part also reveals itself as a political dictatorship .
An important side-effect of this new “ sanitary dictatorship ” that is spreading throughout the world is the growing and uncompromising ban on all forms of public worship .
Beginning on March 16 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ban on all forms of public religious gatherings for all religions .
Such a drastic measure of strict prohibition of all forms of public worship was unimaginable even during the Third Reich .
Before these measures were taken in Germany , a governmentally ordered prohibition of any public worship was implemented in Italy and Rome , the heart of Catholicism and of Christianity .
The current situation of the prohibition of public worship in Rome brings the Church back to the time of an analogous prohibition issued by the pagan Roman emperors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dare to celebrate Holy Mass in the presence of the faithful in such circumstances could be punished or put in prison .
The world “ sanitary dictatorship ” has created a situation which breathes the air of the catacombs , of a persecuted Church , of an underground Church , especially in Rome .
Pope Francis , who on March 15 , with lonely and halting steps , walked through the deserted streets of Rome on his pilgrimage from the image of the “ Salus populi Romani ” in the church of Santa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the church of San Marcello , conveyed an apocalyptic image .
It was reminiscent of the following description of the third part of the secret of Fatima ( revealed on 13 July 1917 ) : “ The Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step , afflicted with pain and sorrow.
” How should Catholics react and behave in such a situation ?
We have to accept this situation from the hands of Divine Providence as a trial , which will bring us a greater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experienced such a situation .
One can understand this situation as a divine intervention in the current unprecedented crisis of the Church .
God uses now the merciless world “ sanitary dictatorship ” to purify the Church , to awaken the responsible in the Church , and in first place the pope and the episcopate , from the illusion of a nice modern world , from the temptation to flirt with the world , from the immersion in temporal and earthly things .
The powers of this world have now forcibly separated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is ordered by governments to celebrate liturgy without the people .
This current purifying divine intervention has the power to show all of us what is truly essential in the Church : the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ with His Body and Blood and the eternal salvation of immortal souls .
May those in the Church who are unexpectedly and suddenly deprived of what is central start to see and appreciate its value more deeply .
In spite of the painful situation of being deprived of Holy Mass and Holy Communion , Catholics should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They should accept this trial as an occasion of abundant graces , which Divine Providence has prepared for them .
Many Catholics have now in some way the chance to experience the situation of the catacombs , of the underground Church .
One can hope that such a situation will produce the new spiritual fruits of confessors of faith and of holiness .
This situation forces Catholic families to experience literally the meaning of a domestic church .
In the absence of the possibility to assist at Holy Mass even on Sundays , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their homes .
They could assist in their homes at a Holy Mass broadcast on television or the internet , or if this is not possible , they should dedicate a holy hour of prayers to sanctify the Day of the Lord and to unite themselves spiritually with the Holy Masses celebrated by priests behind closed doors even in their towns or in their vicinity .
Such a Sunday holy hour of a domestic church could be done for instance in a following way : Prayer of the rosary , reading of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act of Spiritual Communion , Litany , prayer for all who suffer and die , for all who are persecuted , prayer for the pope and the priests , prayer for the end of the current physical and spiritual epidemic .
The Catholic family should also pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays of Lent .
Furthermore , on Sundays , parents could gather their children in the afternoon or in the evening to read to them from the Lives of the Saints , especially those stories drawn from times of persecution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privilege to have lived such an experience in my childhood , and that gave me the foundation of the Catholic faith for my entire life .
Catholics who are now deprived of assisting at Holy Mass and receiving sacramentally Holy Communion , perhaps only for a short time of some weeks or months , may think about these times of persecution , where faithful for years couldn ’ t assist at Holy Mass and receive other sacraments , as was the case , for instance , during the communist persecution in many places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following words of God strengthen all Catholics who are currently suffering from being deprived of the Holy Mass and Holy Communion : “ Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you , as though something strange were happening to you .
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ ’ s sufferings , that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
” ( 1 Peter 4 : 12–13 ) “ The Father of mercies and God of all comfort , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction , with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
” ( 2 Cor .
1:3–4 ) “ That the trial of your faith , being much more precious than of gold that perishes , though it be tried with fire , might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ ” ( 1 Peter 1:6–7 ) .
In the time of a cruel persecution of the Church , St. Cyprian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following edifying teaching on the value of patience : “ It is patience which firmly fortifies the foundations of our faith .
It is this which lifts up on high the increase of our hope .
It is this which directs our doing , that we may hold fast the way of Christ while we walk by His patience .
How great is the Lord Jesus , and how great is His patience , that He who is adored in heaven is not yet avenged on earth !
Let us , beloved brethren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sufferings ; let us give an obedience full of expectation to His advent ” ( De patientia , 20 ; 24 ) We want to pray with all our trust to the Mother of the Church , invoking the intercessory power of Her Immaculate Heart , that the current situation of being deprived of Holy Mass may bring abundant spiritual fruits for the true renewal of the Church after decades of the night of the persecution of true Catholics , clergy , and faithful that has happened inside the Church .
Let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. Cyprian : “ If the cause of disaster is recognized , there is at once found a remedy for the wound .
The Lord has desired His family to be proved ; and because a long peace had corrupted the discipline that had been divinely delivered to us , the heavenly rebuke has aroused our faith , which was giving way , and I had almost said slumbering ; and although we deserved more for our sins , yet the most merciful Lord has so moderated all things , that all which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a persecution.
” ( De lapsis , 5 ) God grant that this short trial of the deprivation of public worship and Holy Mass instill in the heart of the pope and the bishops a new apostolic zeal for the perennial spiritual treasures , which were divinely entrusted to them — i.e.
, the zeal for the glory and honor of God , for the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and His redeeming sacrifice , for the centrality of the Eucharist and its sacred and sublime manner of celebration , for the greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the zeal for the salvation of the immortal souls , for a chaste and apostolic-minded clergy .
May we listen to the following encouraging words of St. Cyprian : “ Praises must be given to God , and His benefits and gifts must be celebrated with giving of thanks , although even in the time of persecution our voice has not ceased to give thanks .
For not even an enemy has so much power as to prevent us , who love the Lord with our whole heart , and life , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and praises always and everywhere with glory .
The day earnestly desired , by the prayers of all has come ; and after the dreadful and loathsome darkness of a long night , the world has shone forth irradiated by the light of the Lord.
” ( De lapsis , 1 ) + Athanasius Schneider , auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana A sample of prayers for the Sunday domestic holy hour “ Oh my God !
I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Heaven and the pains of Hell ; But most of all because I have offended Thee , My God , Who art all-good and deserving of all my love .
I firmly resolve , with the help of Thy grace , To confess my sins , to do penance , And to amend my life .
Amen.
” “ At Thy feet , O my Jesus , I prostrate myself , and I offer Thee the repentance of my contrite heart , which is humbled in its nothingness and in Thy holy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sacrament of Thy love , the ineffable Eucharist .
I desire to receive Thee into the poor dwelling that my heart offers Thee .
While waiting for the happiness of sacramental Communion , I wish to possess Thee in spirit .
Come to me , O my Jesus , since I , for my part , am coming to Thee !
The love embrace my whole being in life and in death .
I believe in Thee , I hope in Thee , I love Thee .
Amen ” Prayers of the Angel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe , I adore , I trust , and I love Thee !
I ask pardon for those who do not believe , do not adore , do not trust and do not love Thee .
Most Holy Trinity , Father , Son , and Holy Spirit , I adore Thee profoundly .
I offer Thee the Most Precious Body , Blood , Soul , and Divinity of Jesus Christ , present in all the tabernacles of the world , in reparation for the outrages , sacrileges , and indifference by which He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merit of His Most Sacred Heart , and the Immaculate Heart of Mary , I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners .
Amen.
” Lord , I believe in you : increase my faith .
I trust in you : strengthen my trust .
I love you : let me love you more and more .
I am sorry for my sins : deepen my sorrow .
I worship you as my first beginning , I long for you as my last end , I praise you as my constant helper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loving protector .
Guide me by your wisdom , correct me with your justice , comfort me with your mercy , protect me with your power .
I offer you , Lord , my thoughts : to be fixed on you ; my words : to have you for their theme ; my actions : to reflect my love for you ; my sufferings : to be endured for your greater glory .
I want to do what you ask of me : In the way you ask , for as long as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Lord , enlighten my understanding , strengthen my will , purify my heart , and make me holy .
Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future .
Help me to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian .
Let me love you , my Lord and my God , and see myself as I really am : a pilgrim in this world , a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch , those under my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Help me to conquer anger with gentleness , greed by generosity , apathy by fervor .
Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others .
Make me prudent in planning , courageous in taking risks .
Make me patient in suffering , unassuming in prosperity .
Keep me , Lord , attentive at prayer , temperate in food and drink , diligent in my work , firm in my good intentions .
Let my conscience be clear , my conduct without fault , my speech blameless , my life well-ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human weaknesses .
Let me cherish your love for me , Keep your law , and come at last to your salvation .
Teach me to realize that this world is passing , that my true future is the happiness of heaven , that life on earth is short , and the life to come eternal .
Help me to prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment , but a greater trust in your goodness .
Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven .
Grant this through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prayer to Our Lady , the star of heaven Oremus : Deus misericordiae , Deus pietatis , Deus indulgentiae , qui misertus es super afflictione Populi tui , et dixisti Angelo percutienti Populum tuum : contine manum tuam ob amorem illius Stellae gloriosae , cujus ubera pretiosa contra venenum nostrorum delictorum quam dulciter suxisti : praesta auxilium gratiae tuae , ab omni peste , et improvisa morte secure liberemur , et a totius perditionis incursu misericorditer liberemur .
Per te Jesu Christi Rex Gloria , Salvator Mundi : Qui vivis , et @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Star of heaven , who breastfed the Lord , extirpated the plague planted by the first parent of men .
This star may now deign to restrain the stars who with their wars kill the people with the mortal cruel ulcer .
O most pious star of the sea , deliver us from the plague .
Hear us , o Lady , for your Son , who denies nothing to you , honors you .
O Jesus , save us , for whom your Virgin Mother prays !
• In all our tribulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God of mercy , God of love , God of forgiveness , you have compassion over the affliction of your people and you said to the Angel who was striking your people : Stay your hand out of love of that glorious Star , at whose precious breasts you sweetly sucked to remedy the poison of our trespasses .
Grant the help of your grace and we shall be surely and mercifully delivered from any plague , of unprepared death and of any perditious attack .
Through you , Jesus Christ , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world , who lives and reigns forever .
Amen .

Bp. Schneider declared that 'the entire human race' has become 'a kind of prisoner of a world 'sanitary dictatorship.'' Here is how he recommends the faithful proceed.
PRAYER PLEDGE: Rally around the daily Rosary to stop the coronavirus Sign the petition here.
March 20, 2020 (OnePeterFive) — “We glory in tribulations” (Rom. 5:3)
Millions of Catholics in the so-called free Western world will, in the coming weeks or even months, and especially during Holy Week and Easter, the culmination of the entire liturgical year, be deprived of any public acts of worship due to both civic and ecclesiastical reaction to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The most painful and distressing of these is the deprivation of Holy Mass and sacramental Holy Communion.
The current atmosphere of an almost planetary panic is continuously fueled by the universally proclaimed “dogma” of the new coronavirus pandemic. The drastic and disproportionate security measures with the denial of fundamental human rights of freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, and freedom of opinion appear almost globally orchestrated along a precise plan. Thus, the entire human race becomes a kind of prisoner of a world “sanitary dictatorship,” which for its part also reveals itself as a political dictatorship.
An important side-effect of this new “sanitary dictatorship” that is spreading throughout the world is the growing and uncompromising ban on all forms of public worship. Beginning on March 16, 2020, the German government issued a ban on all forms of public religious gatherings for all religions. Such a drastic measure of strict prohibition of all forms of public worship was unimaginable even during the Third Reich.
Before these measures were taken in Germany, a governmentally ordered prohibition of any public worship was implemented in Italy and Rome, the heart of Catholicism and of Christianity. The current situation of the prohibition of public worship in Rome brings the Church back to the time of an analogous prohibition issued by the pagan Roman emperors in the first centuries.
Clerics who dare to celebrate Holy Mass in the presence of the faithful in such circumstances could be punished or put in prison. The world “sanitary dictatorship” has created a situation which breathes the air of the catacombs, of a persecuted Church, of an underground Church, especially in Rome. Pope Francis, who on March 15, with lonely and halting steps, walked through the deserted streets of Rome on his pilgrimage from the image of the “Salus populi Romani” in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore to the Miraculous Cross in the church of San Marcello, conveyed an apocalyptic image. It was reminiscent of the following description of the third part of the secret of Fatima (revealed on 13 July 1917): “The Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow.”
How should Catholics react and behave in such a situation? We have to accept this situation from the hands of Divine Providence as a trial, which will bring us a greater spiritual benefit than if we had not experienced such a situation. One can understand this situation as a divine intervention in the current unprecedented crisis of the Church. God uses now the merciless world “sanitary dictatorship” to purify the Church, to awaken the responsible in the Church, and in first place the pope and the episcopate, from the illusion of a nice modern world, from the temptation to flirt with the world, from the immersion in temporal and earthly things. The powers of this world have now forcibly separated the faithful from their shepherds. The clergy is ordered by governments to celebrate liturgy without the people.
This current purifying divine intervention has the power to show all of us what is truly essential in the Church: the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ with His Body and Blood and the eternal salvation of immortal souls. May those in the Church who are unexpectedly and suddenly deprived of what is central start to see and appreciate its value more deeply.
In spite of the painful situation of being deprived of Holy Mass and Holy Communion, Catholics should not yield to frustration or melancholy. They should accept this trial as an occasion of abundant graces, which Divine Providence has prepared for them. Many Catholics have now in some way the chance to experience the situation of the catacombs, of the underground Church. One can hope that such a situation will produce the new spiritual fruits of confessors of faith and of holiness.
This situation forces Catholic families to experience literally the meaning of a domestic church. In the absence of the possibility to assist at Holy Mass even on Sundays, Catholic parents should gather their families in their homes. They could assist in their homes at a Holy Mass broadcast on television or the internet, or if this is not possible, they should dedicate a holy hour of prayers to sanctify the Day of the Lord and to unite themselves spiritually with the Holy Masses celebrated by priests behind closed doors even in their towns or in their vicinity. Such a Sunday holy hour of a domestic church could be done for instance in a following way:
Prayer of the rosary, reading of the Sunday Gospel, Act of Contrition, act of Spiritual Communion, Litany, prayer for all who suffer and die, for all who are persecuted, prayer for the pope and the priests, prayer for the end of the current physical and spiritual epidemic. The Catholic family should also pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays of Lent. Furthermore, on Sundays, parents could gather their children in the afternoon or in the evening to read to them from the Lives of the Saints, especially those stories drawn from times of persecution of the Church. I had the privilege to have lived such an experience in my childhood, and that gave me the foundation of the Catholic faith for my entire life.
Catholics who are now deprived of assisting at Holy Mass and receiving sacramentally Holy Communion, perhaps only for a short time of some weeks or months, may think about these times of persecution, where faithful for years couldn’t assist at Holy Mass and receive other sacraments, as was the case, for instance, during the communist persecution in many places of the Soviet Empire.
Let the following words of God strengthen all Catholics who are currently suffering from being deprived of the Holy Mass and Holy Communion:
“Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4: 12–13)
“The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3–4)
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7).
In the time of a cruel persecution of the Church, St. Cyprian of Carthage (+258) gave the following edifying teaching on the value of patience:
“It is patience which firmly fortifies the foundations of our faith. It is this which lifts up on high the increase of our hope. It is this which directs our doing, that we may hold fast the way of Christ while we walk by His patience. How great is the Lord Jesus, and how great is His patience, that He who is adored in heaven is not yet avenged on earth! Let us, beloved brethren, consider His patience in our persecutions and sufferings; let us give an obedience full of expectation to His advent” (De patientia, 20; 24)
We want to pray with all our trust to the Mother of the Church, invoking the intercessory power of Her Immaculate Heart, that the current situation of being deprived of Holy Mass may bring abundant spiritual fruits for the true renewal of the Church after decades of the night of the persecution of true Catholics, clergy, and faithful that has happened inside the Church. Let us hear the following inspiring words of St. Cyprian:
“If the cause of disaster is recognized, there is at once found a remedy for the wound. The Lord has desired His family to be proved; and because a long peace had corrupted the discipline that had been divinely delivered to us, the heavenly rebuke has aroused our faith, which was giving way, and I had almost said slumbering; and although we deserved more for our sins, yet the most merciful Lord has so moderated all things, that all which has happened has rather seemed a trial than a persecution.” (De lapsis, 5)
God grant that this short trial of the deprivation of public worship and Holy Mass instill in the heart of the pope and the bishops a new apostolic zeal for the perennial spiritual treasures, which were divinely entrusted to them — i.e., the zeal for the glory and honor of God, for the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and His redeeming sacrifice, for the centrality of the Eucharist and its sacred and sublime manner of celebration, for the greatest glory of the Eucharistic Body of Christ, the zeal for the salvation of the immortal souls, for a chaste and apostolic-minded clergy. May we listen to the following encouraging words of St. Cyprian:
“Praises must be given to God, and His benefits and gifts must be celebrated with giving of thanks, although even in the time of persecution our voice has not ceased to give thanks. For not even an enemy has so much power as to prevent us, who love the Lord with our whole heart, and life, and strength, from declaring His blessings and praises always and everywhere with glory. The day earnestly desired, by the prayers of all has come; and after the dreadful and loathsome darkness of a long night, the world has shone forth irradiated by the light of the Lord.” (De lapsis, 1)
March 19, 2020
+ Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana
A sample of prayers for the Sunday domestic holy hour
The Perfect Act of Contrition
“Oh my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell; But most of all because I have offended Thee, My God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, To confess my sins, to do penance, And to amend my life. Amen.”
(Baltimore Catechism)
Prayer for making a Spiritual Communion
“At Thy feet, O my Jesus, I prostrate myself, and I offer Thee the repentance of my contrite heart, which is humbled in its nothingness and in Thy holy presence. I adore Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love, the ineffable Eucharist. I desire to receive Thee into the poor dwelling that my heart offers Thee. While waiting for the happiness of sacramental Communion, I wish to possess Thee in spirit. Come to me, O my Jesus, since I, for my part, am coming to Thee! The love embrace my whole being in life and in death. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee. Amen”
Prayers of the Angel of Fatima
“My God, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe,
do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. And through the infinite merit of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.”
The Universal Prayer (attributed to Pope Clement XI)
Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith. I trust in you: strengthen my trust. I love you: let me love you more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow. I worship you as my first beginning, I long for you as my last end, I praise you as my constant helper, and call on you as my loving protector.
Guide me by your wisdom, correct me with your justice, comfort me with your mercy, protect me with your power. I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you; my words: to have you for their theme; my actions: to reflect my love for you; my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory. I want to do what you ask of me: In the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it. Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and make me holy. Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian.
Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those under my authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others. Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.
Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions. Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered. Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish your love for me,
Keep your law, and come at last to your salvation. Teach me to realize that this world is passing, that my true future is the happiness of heaven, that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal. Help me to prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in your goodness. Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn and prayer to Our Lady, the star of heaven
Stella caeli exstirpávit,
quae lactávit Dóminum
Mortis pestem quam plántavit
Primus parens hóminum.
Ipsa Stella nunc dignétur
sídera compéscere,
Quorum bella plebem caedunt
Dirae mortis úlcere.
O piíssima stella maris,
A peste succúrre nobis.
Audi nos, Dómina,
nam Fílius tuus nihil negans te honórat.
Salva nos Jesu, pro quibus Virgo Mater te orat!
℣ In omni tribulatióne et angústia nostra.
℞ Succúrre nobis, piíssima Virgo Maria.
Oremus: Deus misericordiae, Deus pietatis, Deus indulgentiae, qui misertus es super afflictione Populi tui, et dixisti Angelo percutienti Populum tuum: contine manum tuam ob amorem illius Stellae gloriosae, cujus ubera pretiosa contra venenum nostrorum delictorum quam dulciter suxisti: praesta auxilium gratiae tuae, ab omni peste, et improvisa morte secure liberemur, et a totius perditionis incursu misericorditer liberemur.
Per te Jesu Christi Rex Gloria, Salvator Mundi: Qui vivis, et regnas in secula seculorum. Amen
The Star of heaven, who breastfed the Lord, extirpated the plague planted by the first parent of men.
This star may now deign to restrain the stars who with their wars kill the people with the mortal cruel ulcer.
O most pious star of the sea, deliver us from the plague. Hear us, o Lady, for your Son, who denies nothing to you, honors you. O Jesus, save us, for whom your Virgin Mother prays!
In all our tribulations and anguishes, Succour us, o most pious Virgin Mary.
Let us pray. God of mercy, God of love, God of forgiveness, you have compassion over the affliction of your people and you said to the Angel who was striking your people: Stay your hand out of love of that glorious Star, at whose precious breasts you sweetly sucked to remedy the poison of our trespasses. Grant the help of your grace and we shall be surely and mercifully delivered from any plague, of unprepared death and of any perditious attack. Through you, Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, the Savior of the world, who lives and reigns forever. Amen.
Published with permission from OnePeterFive.
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