“Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible
to reach the height of grace. The gift of grace increases as the struggle increases.”
~St. Rose of Lima
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The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is disrupting our lives in many ways. Even in these challenging times, God provides opportunities to grow in our faith. Below are resources we hope will help you to grow closer to God.
(All blue fonts, should link to additional resources.)
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Livestream Mass
Since Mass is currently unavailable to the public, may priests, parishes and organizations are using technology to bring Mass to you. Here are a few, but there are many, many more on Facebook Live and YouTube.
Live stream - translated into English
Just want the daily readings?
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Stations of the Cross
During Lent we traditionally pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays, but they can be prayed anytime and anywhere.
The Stations of the Cross give us a small glimpse of what Jesus went through as he carried his cross through the streets of Jerusalem to Calvary. Meditating on these event can help us to unite our sufferings in the world with Christ's sufferings in a prayerful manner.
Options to pray online:
has captioning included, so no additional handouts needed.
features images from Churches in our Archdiocese and offers a special prayer for each station.
gives brief history of Stations before praying them...uses images from Jerusalem
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Holy Week is the final week of Lent. It's a time when we celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in a special way.
Pope Benedict XVI once described Holy Week as “the most important week of the year, offering us the chance to immerse ourselves in the central events of Redemption, to relive the Easter Mystery, the great Mystery of the faith." This pandemic has canceled a lot of things, but it will not cancel Easter...the pentacle of our liturgical year!! While we may be unable to gather in our parish churches this year, we are still able to gather our "
domestic churches" and enter into these important events.
Knowing that this year Holy Week will be unlike anything we have ever experienced before, The
Pastoral Center has put together a wealth of
FREE resources for families for this important time. We hope that these resources will help you and your family truly enter into Holy Week and help you to have a joyful Easter celebration in your domestic church.
Copy write: You are welcome and highly encouraged to share the Pastoral Center Resources, through email and social media, but you may not post their individual activities on your own website. Be sure to give credit where credit is due:
Pastoral Center
An additional Holy Week Resources:
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Resources for the Domestic Church
Palm Sunday
(April 5th) is the sixth Sunday of Lent, the last Sunday before Easter and the first day of Holy Week. It commemorates Jesus’ entry on a donkey into Jerusalem when his followers shouted “Hosanna” and laid palm branches on the path before him.
Holy Thursday
, (April 9
th
) also called “Maundy Thursday,” commemorates the Last Supper Jesus had with his Twelve Apostles. Christians recall four significant events on this day: the washing of the Disciples’ feet by Jesus, the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot.
Good Friday
(April 10
th
) recalls Jesus’ death on a cross at Golgotha. The Church mourns for Christ’s death, reverences the Cross, and marvels at his life for his obedience until death. The only sacraments celebrated on this day are
Penance
and Anointing of the Sick. Stations of the Cross are typically prayed at 3 p.m., which is the time it is believed Jesus died. Catholics fast (1 main meal, 2 lesser meals & no meat) on this day.
Holy Saturday
(April 11
th
) commemorates the day that Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. It is the day after Good Friday and before Easter and is the last day of Holy Week.
Easter Sunday
(April 8
th
) is the most important day in the Christian liturgical year! It is the day Jesus rose from the dead , fulfilling Old Testament prophesies and His own promises about His divinity. Easter also begins the Easter Season, which lasts 40 days and ends on Ascension Thursday (moved to Sun.), the day Jesus ascended into heaven.
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Journaling
We are living through an historical event this year. One way to make it a teachable moment while at the same time help your kids process this situation is through journaling.
This activity can be as diverse as - every child creates a personal journal or the family creates a journal together. Journals can include diary entries, artwork, song lyrics or playlists, scrapbooked artifacts, poetry. Journals can even be digital: video or audio or both. Need ideas?
Click here!
Parents can provide
daily prompts to guide topics, such as how this quarantine has disrupted their school year or their daily life, how they see it affecting their family or friends, what social distancing means to them, how their understanding of sacrifice has changed, a daily 6 word memoir (my room: never been so clean!), a tweet (#inthistogether), a prayer composed for this situation.
The point isn't to make it an obligation but an invitation. Journaling can provide your children with choice and voice. And 20 years later they'll have a powerful primary source to share with the next generation of what life was like during a global pandemic.
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Six questions to ask yourself:
- What am I GRATEFUL for today?
- Who am I CHECKING IN ON or CONNECTING WITH today?
- What expectations of normal am I LETTING GO OF today?
- How am I GETTING OUTSIDE today?
- How am I MOVING MY BODY today?
- What BEAUTY am I either creating or cultivating, or inviting in today?
How might your kids or spouse answer these questions?
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Beauty & Culture
Creation, music and the arts can
be opportunities to lead us
closer to God. When was the last time you listened to a symphony
or visited an art gallery?
Camp Tekakwitha at the Prairie Star Ranch is hosting it's first DPN @ 7pm
TONIGHT
!! Praise, Prayer, Testimonies!
Formed
- tired of NetFlix & Hulu...try Formed. Audio books, movies, Bible studies and more! Don't already have an account, check with your parish for their code.
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Be not afraid, stay informed.
Enflame Our Hearts --
Facebook group of Catholic disciples committed to Enflaming Our Hearts, Homes and Communities with Christ's love.
Zoom
-
great tool to video chat with friends and family so you can stay connected while social distancing. The free version gives you 40 minutes. allows you to chat for up to 40 minutes.
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Pope Francis’ Prayer to Mary during the Coronavirus Pandemic
O Mary,
you always shine on our path
as a sign of salvation and of hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm.
You, Salvation of the Roman People,
know what we need,
and we are sure you will provide
so that, as in Cana of Galilee,
we may return to joy and to feasting
after this time of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father
and to do as we are told by Jesus,
who has taken upon himself our sufferings
and carried our sorrows
to lead us, through the cross,
to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.
Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are in trial, but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
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