Which Catholic church will Biden attend in D.C.? (NCR) As the nation’s second Catholic president, as part of a faith that teaches there is a Sunday obligation to attend Mass, and as a candidate and now president-elect that has shown he’s taken it seriously, Biden will have a range of options. In the immediate vicinity of the White House are St. Patrick Catholic Church (0.7 miles away), the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle (1 mile), St. Mary Mother of God Catholic Church (1 mile), and St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church (1.3 miles), to name just a few of his options for Sunday Mass…
Carrying out prison ministry during the pandemic (CNA) As the pandemic has severely restricted gatherings and volunteer opportunities, Catholic dioceses throughout the United States and Canada have had to rethink prison ministries. Catholic Church officials said the pandemic restrictions have barred volunteers from accessing prisons or introduced heavy limitations that have altered religious and non-profit services…
Pope: those who pray, pray for all (Vatican News) Continuing his catechesis on prayer, Pope Francis on Wednesday focused on “intercessory prayer”; that is, prayer which asks on behalf of another.” The Pope noted a resemblance between those who pray for others, and Christ in the Eucharist. “In prayer,” he said, “God ‘takes us, blesses us, breaks us, and gives us,’ to satisfy everyone’s hunger.” Every Christian, he added, “is called to become bread, broken and shared, in God’s hands…”
Christmas will sound different this year (CNS) During the Christmas season, we expect to hear and sing carols at Mass as an expression of joy in the birth of Christ. With the COVID-19 pandemic, however, one of the church’s complex liturgical challenges has been with its music. Due to the pandemic, some common safety accommodations have included removing hymnals from pews, forgoing choirs and wind instruments, and discouraging congregational singing. This will likely alter what people will experience musically in the liturgy at Christmas…
Become a patron this season — and get cool stuff, too!
