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Longing for communion

By Colette Lienhard

Like many others, I find social distancing to be a challenge. First, “distancing” is a strong word when you have young children. One of the benefits of social distancing is more time with my children —  and lots of it. We’ve had fun playing games, watching movies, sitting around bonfires, and sharing important events, including Easter, a birthday, and three visits from the tooth fairy (in four days). Sometimes I’m amazed at how little time it takes for someone to end up in tears. I am often reminded that togetherness and unity are not the same thing. I’m so grateful when my husband comes home from work; the world seems brighter when our family is together.

4/29/20
Reading Time 3 min

SAC — shepherd, abundance, cross

By Jack Peterson

It is Easter, and I would like to offer you a “sac” of faith. (“Sac” is French for sack.) In this sac is a Shepherd, an Abundance of life and a Cross.

4/29/20
Reading Time 3 min

Grief and loss in the pandemic

By Michael Horne

The social distancing and uncertainty we all face daily due to COVID-19 is an ongoing struggle, but for many there are additional wounds and heartaches to be navigated. Prior to the pandemic, when a loved one was nearing the end of their life, we had the ability to be present in their final moments. We were able to gather as friends and family to mourn their passing. We were able to support one another as we began the long process of healing. Sadly, these opportunities may no longer be options as the elderly are quarantined, hospitals restrict visitors and family are not able to attend funerals. But we must grieve in order to begin to heal. What are some ways in which we can grieve during these troubling times? 

4/29/20
Reading Time 3 min

Keeping hope, increasing gratitude

By Michael Horne

It’s certainly strange to hear those joyful words proclaimed on a livestreamed Mass viewed from a smartphone in my living room. But it is Easter, and it is a time of celebration, even when the pandemic limits our ability to celebrate in typical ways. So, what are we doing to keep hope alive during these times?  

4/29/20
Reading Time 2 min

Tips from modern psychology for coping with corona’s isolation and anxiety

By Frank J. Moncher

No one anticipated last Easter that we would be home, a year later, involuntarily missing the Holy Week services; nor were countless parents prepared to be ‘homeschooling’ their children, albeit with some heroic efforts by educators to support the task via ‘e-learning’; nor were record numbers of employed adults expecting to be facing temporary unemployment, lower hours, or modified work environments (aka my kitchen table).  What each of these unexpected events has in common is their cause — COVID 19 — and their impact: stress — from some combination of isolation, strain on interpersonal relationships, insecurity about some area of life, and fear about the future and the health of loved ones or even oneself.

4/24/20
Reading Time 5 min

Things that make us happy this week Vol. I

By Zoey Maraist

 Once a week throughout this pandemic, we’ll be bringing you fun and uplifting videos, photos and posts from people throughout the diocese.

4/23/20
Reading Time 1 min

Painting to cope during a pandemic

By Stacy Rausch

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep people at home, how people cope and what they are doing during this time is a question that keeps popping up — at virtual work meetings, during teleconferencing happy hours and on social media. Creating art is often suggested to facilitate healing, practice self-care, or as one local artist is doing, combine with prayer.

4/23/20
Reading Time 2 min

‘The very best of me’

By Elizabeth Foss

There is so much we don’t know, so much we can’t assume. These days call for humility and patience. They call for genuine spiritual transformation that cannot be measured in terms of creative productivity. We have been called to slow our movements, to limit our reach, to focus almost exclusively on what is close and near. In that slowness, our senses sharpen. What matters most can come into focus.

4/20/20
Reading Time 3 min

Road to glory

By Joseph M. Rampino

This Sunday presents us with another account of the risen Christ, this time on the road to the town of Emmaus. This passage is one of the most important texts for understanding the structure, purpose and spirit of Christian liturgy; so many commentaries trace the progression from the opening of the Scriptures to the breaking of the bread.  

4/20/20
Reading Time 3 min

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