Mass

• Accessible online at 10:30 am on Sundays or on TV on Channel 50 for people with no cable, Dish or DIRECTV; on Channel 23 for Comcast subscribers; on Channel 15 for RCN subscribers; and on Channel 3 for Verizon subscribers.
• Sunday Mass and Votive Mass in Time of Pandemic on Wednesdays at St. Francis on our Youtube channel.

Spiritual Communion and Prayer

• How to make a spiritual communion.
• Liturgy of the Hours from Liturgy Training Publications.
• Give Us This Day – resources for individuals and for families to pray together. 
• Daily readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Home prayer service

Food

• Free meals from 10:00 am-12:00 pm Monday, Tuesdays and Fridays to anyone under the age of 18, provided by Montgomery County Public Schools. On Wednesdays, two days' worth of meals will be provided. 
• Brown bag lunches to be distributed from 3:30-4:30 pm from the rear entrance of the Epworth United Methodist in Gaithersburg through May 31. This is part of the Soup Kitchen Ministry, which primarily serves the underprivileged.
• Area stores open with senior-only hours.
• Frozen meal packs (seven meals) available to seniors 55 and over, provided by the Montgomery County Recreation's Senior Center Program. 

Health Insurance

• Special enrollment period through the Maryland Health Connection, for Maryland residents who are uninsured.

Mental Health Services

• Montgomery County hotline providing mental health services to anyone in need. See the link or call (301) 738-2255.
• Senior Calls, which enable a volunteer to check on Maryland seniors once a day to see if he or she has any needs. Register on the Maryland Department of Aging web site.
• Resources on stress, anxiety and mental health from Ave Maria Press.

Resources for Families

• Helping Children Cope with Changes from Covid-19 from the National Association of School Psychologists.
• Helping Children Cope with the Coronavirus Outbreak from Teaching Catholic Kids.
• Tips for Caregivers on Media Coverage of Upsetting Events from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

• Managing Cooped-up Teens from the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministers
• Podcasts from Roy Petitfils, a nationally-recognized expert in raising teens.

• Importance of trusted adults reaching out to young adults from the Springtide Research Institute.

Additional Resources on the Coronavirus

• Archdiocesan resources
• Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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.


Pope Francis recites the rosary at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love in Rome in this 2018 file photo. On March 11, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he entrusted the world to Mary. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)