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When Pope Francis came to Washington to canonize St. Junipero Serra on September 23, 2015, he was also invited to address a joint meeting of Congress the very next day. I want to present some of his words delivered to the House and Senate on that historic occasion. His remarks seem very pertinent for the situation in which we find ourselves today. Here is what Pope Francis said to the Members of Congress:

As we enter this holiday weekend, let us be thankful for the many blessings that we have. We certainly have our challenges. In many parts of the country, particularly in the western and the southern parts of the United States. In a recent letter to her constituents Delegate Bonnie Cullison of District 19 remarked that the scientists seem to agree that our risk of becoming ill through the COVID-19 virus will not really be minimal until 70% of the population is immune, primarily through a vaccine. While there is progress on a vaccine, with the needed clinical trials, it is still likely nine to twelve months away. In the meantime we need to take the necessary precautions to keep ourselves and our families safe—notably through washing our hands for at least twenty seconds, wearing masks, and maintaining social distance of at least six feet when we venture out in public.

Today I want to continue our reflection based on the 2018 Pastoral Letter issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love. To help us with this, I am going to use one of the handouts prepared by the USCCB as an aid to our discussion: “The Call to Address Racism in Our Hearts and Communities, which was copyrighted by the USCCB in 2018.

One of the spiritual practices that we have adopted since we have had to shelter in place during the coronavirus pandemic is to pray the Rosary on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through Zoom conferencing. We have anticipated the recommendation of the Holy Father to pray the Rosary. His words are a great encouragement for us to continue our practice--which we intend to do until we are able to open the church again.

Christ is risen, alleluia! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Even though the Coronavirus pandemic continues, I have decided not to write about it today or in the next several columns. I have chanced upon a presentation of the history of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which celebrated its one hundredth anniversary in 1917. There are some little known facts about American Catholic history in its founding. It is worth telling some of those stories of that history in this column. It will be a good diversion for all of us.

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter and also Divine Mercy Sunday. The feast of Divine Mercy is based on the devotion to the Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina Kowalska reported as part of her encounter with Jesus. I should mention here that these apparitions would fall under the category of private revelations. The Church does not give any definitive teaching on the authenticity or nature of such apparitions. But the Church does study them carefully and, if the fruits of an event breathe of the providential designs, it approves the consequent devotions. The Bishops of the United States said in regard to certain approved Marian apparitions that these providential happenings serve as a reminder to us of basic Christian themes: prayer, penance, and the necessity of the sacraments. This same would be true in case of these apparitions to Saint Faustina. It would also apply to the case of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who had a series of apparitions in the seventeenth century that were instrumental in promoting the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Christ is risen, alleluia! He has risen indeed, alleluia! Happy Easter everyone. I am actually writing this column at the beginning of Holy Week. At this time, the coronavirus pandemic has now infected 1.2 million people globally with 330,000 in the U.S., and 69,000 deaths worldwide. I suspect that when you read this, the numbers will be much higher. The Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, said that this pandemic rivals some of the darkest moments in U.S. history, including the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the September 11th terrorist hijackings. Surgeon General Adams went on to say that it was not going to be localized. It will be happening all over the country. He wanted America to understand that.

On Friday, March 27, 2020, I was able to participate through communications media in the Urbi et Orbi message of Pope Francis. Urbi et Orbi is Latin for the following phrase: “For the city (of Rome) and the world. Usually this blessing would be given by the Holy Father at Christmas or at Easter. But as a result of the unprecedented manner in which the coronavirus pandemic has brought profound devastation on nations all over the world, the Holy Father prayerfully discerned that these extraordinary times need extraordinary measures. I hope that you have the opportunity to read it. If you don’t have access to his meditation prior to that very special blessing, please let me know and I’ll be happy to send a copy of it to you.

I am writing this column as the Coronavirus outbreak is in our midst. As a precaution the parish offices will be closed this week. The office staff will work remotely. I will be here to answer phone calls, but am trying to practice social distancing. I need to be prudent about such things as I am in the at risk category. I am now 70 (and as someone recently told me I am officially an old person) and have a somewhat compromised immune system owing to a necessary treatment of powerful chemotherapy for an aggressive cancer several years ago.

In his Message for Lent 2020, Pope Francis points to the pascal mystery - the mystery of the Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection - as the basis of conversion. Last week I presented the first half of that message. In today’s column I am going to present the second half of the Holy Father’s message for Lent.

I have been reading the Message of Pope Francis for Lent 2020. I think that it is quite good. For that reason, I want to share it with you. Because of its length I will share it with you in the next two columns. Here is the first part for your reflection and study.

On Friday, February 28, 2020, I went to Annapolis to testify against the “End of Life Options Act” (Senate Bill 701/House of Delegates Bill 643). Two weeks before that date I had sent out a Flocknote to those who have signed up to receive Flocknotes from St. Francis of Assisi Parish. When a couple of people encouraged me to use what I had written as a basis for testifying in opposition to the legislation, I prayed about it. After praying and coming to the conclusion that I should offer to do this, I contacted the appropriate officials at the Archdiocese of Washington to gain their permission for me do this

I want to continue listing some pointers on parish etiquette. These reflections were first presented by Barbara Budde in a pamphlet (which is no longer in print) for the National Pastoral Life Center. Today I want to make some suggestions about our children at Mass.

In my column today I want to continue listing some pointers on parish etiquette. These reflections were first presented by Barbara Budde in a pamphlet (which is no longer in print) for the National Pastoral Life Center. Today I want to make some suggestions about what to do if Mass has already begun or if you need to leave early.

I am continuing my series on Parish Etiquette in this week’s column. These reflections were first presented by Barbara Budde in a pamphlet (which is no longer in print) for the National Pastoral Life Center. Let me mention some things that we could do to prepare well for the Sunday liturgy.

On February 1, 2020, we had our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. I want to thank Sylvia Jones and her team for putting together a great night for all who were able to attend. The Volunteer Appreciation Dinner provides me with an opportunity to say thank you to so many who work to make our parish the great place that it is!

I have been both disturbed and saddened by the rise of anti-Semitic incidents in our country. I was appalled to read about a machete attack at a rabbi’s house during Hanukkah celebrations. While I was visiting family in Las Vegas, I read the statement issued by Archbishop Gregory on December 30, 2019, on the “barbaric resurgence” of anti-Semitism.

Catholic Schools Weeks (CSW) is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Now entering its forty-sixth anniversary years, CSW has been traditionally held during the last week of January. This year it will be observed from January 26 to February 1, 2020. I have met families in our parish over the nearly seven years that I have been pastor at St. Francis of Assisi whose children attend a number of Catholic Schools: First of all, l want to mention some of the elementary schools used by parish families: St. Jude Regional School, St. Patrick’s School, St. Peter’s School, St. Raphael’s School, Mary of Nazareth School, and Mother of God School.

I have been reading a series of emails from the Office for Justice, Peace, and Human Development of the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops (USCCB) concerning Poverty Awareness month, which we are currently observing. I was particularly moved by several of their reflections on several events that will occur this week. I thought that I would share these reflections with you in this week’s column.

From January 5-11, 2020 (last week) the Church in the United States celebrated National Migration Week. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Promoting a Church and a World for All.” This reflects the need for Catholics to be inclusive and welcoming to all our brothers and sisters. It is a call for unity to stand in solidarity with and care for those who are excluded and marginalized.