Socially Isolated While Catholic

Written on: May 1, 2020

This past month has been unusual in many ways. Unless you had chicken pox as a kid, or an emergency operation, you probably can’t recall a time when you didn’t go to Mass on Easter Sunday! For many Catholics, the hardest part of the pandemic might be the absence of the Eucharist and celebrating Mass together, not as we are doing now through a TV or computer screen. Philadelphia parishes and schools are livestreaming Sunday and weekday masses and other prayer options. Click here to view a list. While it is wonderful that we have this technology to ease our sense of isolation, we all know it isn’t the same. We long for the days of returning to the Churches and celebrating around the Altar.

Pope Francis, in a recent letter, is encouraging us to pray the rosary during May. Although many people already say the rosary during the month dedicated to her, we have a special need for Mary’s motherly intercession during this time of trial. Pope Francis has provided us with two prayers to choose from as we end each rosary. This link will take you to his letter, and to the prayers. We hope Pope Francis’ words of comfort and his prayers help to ease any sense of loneliness and isolation you may be feeling. We truly are all in this together.

We continue to share the prayer reflections from  the Leadership Conference of Women Religious each Monday.  Follow this link  which is updated each week.

Social Justice Actions are ways we can feel useful to those around us while we are isolated. We encourage you to view some of the options that can be found on our website which are updated regularly. Click here for Advocacy During a Pandemic.

This entry was posted in Matters of Faith and tagged: actions, Altar, Church, churches, comfort, Easter, Eucharist, isolation, loneliness, Mary, Mass, May, motherly intercession, Pandemic, Pope Francis, Prayer, Rosary, social justice, technology, useful