Church

Many people wonder why they have to go to Church every Sunday when so many Catholics and non-Catholics have decided not to. Let’s set aside the question of whether we are currently able to attend and instead look to the future, for when we are again able to freely worship with no restrictions. Why should Catholics go back to Mass?

Every new priest is a sign of God’s love and his care for his people, and our new priests will be sent out to serve in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that continues to disrupt our families, economy, schools, and parishes.On Aug. 8, I will ordain eight new priests for the family of God here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

An article by Bishop Javier Echevarria written in 2016 when Pope Francis made the liturgical memorial of Mary Magdalene a feast, like that of the other apostles. Her feast day is today, July 22.

In the following letter, Archbishop José H. Gomez addresses recent controversies surrounding public monuments to St. Junípero Serra and asks the faithful of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to invoke the saint’s “intercession for this nation that he helped to found.” Ahead of the saint’s July 1 feast day, he urges prayers especially for “an end to racial prejudice and a new awareness of what it means that all men and women are created equal as children of God.”

Since Christ is truly present in the Eucharist in His sacred humanity hypostatically united with the divine nature, the Eucharist should receive the adoration of latria that is given exclusively to God. Adoration of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is a natural consequence of the Church’s faith in the real substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

With the approval of Pope Francis, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints publishes decrees advancing the causes of various holy men and women, including Venerable Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus; Blessed Charles de Foucauld, a French hermit who was martyred in North Africa; and Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot, a French laywoman who founded the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and the Living Rosary Association.

Pope Francis renews his invitation for people of all faiths to unite in prayer, fasting, and works of charity on Thursday for an end to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Andrew Jones holds a PhD in Medieval History from Saint Louis University and is an expert on the Church of the High Middle Ages. He is the author of Before Church and State: A Study of Social Order in the Sacramental Kingdom of St. Louis IX and the pioneer of the Formed In Christ series of faith formation texts, as well as the author of several books in this series.

It may be physically impossible for some of us to go to a church over the next few weeks. But you can still follow the Mass through digital means. Here are a few suggestions to keep in min

Mike Aquilina is the award-winning author of more than fifty books on Catholic history, doctrine, and devotion. He is executive vice-president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and a contributing editor to Angelus News.