Light of Christ triumphs over darkness at Easter Vigil
“Brothers and sisters, accept this Easter candle,” Bishop Lucia said. “For us, through us, may it always dispel the darkness of this night.”
Somber services mark Good Friday
“Brothers and sisters, as you and I find ourselves on Calvary again today, and in ways we never expected, let us not forget God’s sentence of love on the cross,” Bishop Douglas J. Lucia said in his Good Friday homily.
Tonight: Stations of the Cross with Bishop Lucia
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia will lead Stations of the Cross tonight at 6 p.m., live from Christ the King Retreat House in Syracuse.
On Holy Thursday, faithful called to serve one another, be ‘bearers of light in our world’
“Through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the institution which we commemorate this very night, God shares his very life with us so that we can live like him in service to one another and be bearers of light in our world today,” Bishop Lucia said.
‘Staycation 2020’ is parish’s online antidote to stay-at-home restrictions
By Sam Lucero Catholic News Service SHAWANO, Wis. (CNS) — There’s only one place Catholics can listen to a priest sing Disney tunes in falsetto, enjoy daily commentary on the taste and squeakiness of cheese curds and learn a lesson or two about faith or...
Catholic leaders urge Congress to address shortcomings in CARES Act
By Dennis Sadowski | Catholic News Service CLEVELAND (CNS) — Testing and treatment for the novel coronavirus for all people regardless of their immigration status and assistance to church organizations with more than 500 workers are among crucial concerns...
Couples find creative ways to scale back weddings during pandemic
By Dave Hrbacek | Catholic News Service ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — Because of her devotion to St. Joseph, Anne Spinharney wanted her wedding to be on the saint’s feast day, March 19. But when she and her now-husband, Jordan Spinharney, were planning their...
Disappointed, but hopeful, thousands unable to join church this Easter
By Carol Zimmermann | Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — The disappointment of not being able to celebrate Easter Mass in churches across the country this year might be most strongly felt by the thousands who planned to join the Catholic Church at the...
Tobin: Suggestions for ‘spiritual closeness in time of social distancing’
By Catholic News Service This is one of a series of pastoral and personal reflections on living in this time of pandemic. It was written by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, and posted April 1 on the archdiocesan website, https://www.rcan.org, and titled...
Tanzanian Catholic churches remain open despite worldwide closures
By Fredrick Nzwili | Catholic News Service NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) — Catholic Churches in Tanzania are remaining open alongside other churches, even as the rest of world shuts places of worship to stem the spread of COVID-19. Church sources said thousands of people...
COVID-19 denies Eucharist to Catholics Holy Thursday, the day of its origin
By Chaz Muth | Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — For most Catholics, Holy Thursday 2020 will be a Eucharist-free one. It’s one of the holiest days on the liturgical calendar, a day associated with the Last Supper, where Jesus instituted the holy...
Where to watch Holy Week and Easter Masses in the Diocese of Syracuse
Holy Week Holy Week liturgies celebrated by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia will be livestreamed from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at youtube.com/syrdio. Recordings will be available to watch any time following the livestreams. • Palm Sunday: 9:45 a.m. • Holy...
Dolan: ‘We are confident the Resurrection of Easter is unstoppable’
By Catholic News Service This is one of a series of pastoral and personal reflections on living in this time of pandemic. It was written by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York as his weekly column published April 2 in Catholic New York, the archdiocesan newspaper,...
Additional directives issued for Holy Week and beyond
Churches will not be open for private prayer during the Triduum and some sacramental celebrations will be postponed indefinitely following new directives issued by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia in response to the coronavirus. “As you and I enter more deeply...
Pope prays for ‘change of heart’ of people profiting off pandemic
By Carol Glatz | Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis put the spotlight on people profiteering during the pandemic and taking advantage of people in need. Some people are making a business off of people in need, “profiting from the needs...
Catholic schools must face pandemic challenges, Vatican office says
By Junno Arocho Esteves | Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While the coronavirus pandemic has proven challenging for schools and parents in educating children, it is also a chance for Catholic schools to confront those challenges with courage, said the...
Bishops offer prayer for healing from coronavirus and an end to pandemic
By Catholic News Service PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Here is the text of “A Holy Week Prayer for Healing From the Coronavirus” released by the bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in America: Almighty God, our Father in Heaven, this week, we your...
Make a virtual Holy Thursday visitation pilgrimage tonight
This year, due to restrictions necessitated by the spread of the coronavirus, Altars of Repose cannot be set up in the diocese. But the faithful can still visit church tabernacles tonight, via a virtual pilgrimage organized by the diocese.
Interfaith prayers for courage and compassion
By Renée K. Gadoua | Contributing writer Bishop Douglas J. Lucia shared favorite Scripture passages April 6 during an online, interfaith prayer service. He recited Psalm 123 — one he said he often uses when praying with the sick: “To you I lift up my eyes, to you...
Carrying the light of Christ, April 9: An Easter message from Bishop Douglas J. Lucia
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, “Do not be afraid” and “Peace be with you.” These are greetings that Jesus used with his disciples on the first Easter Day. Today, in a chorus echoing through time and space, we are invited to pick up the new song that Jesus Christ...
Surgical masks, social distancing: Palm Sunday in Jerusalem’s Old City
By Judith Sudilovsky | Catholic News Service JERUSALEM (CNS) — Nadine Bitar wore a surgical mask and waited 109 yards from her home in the Old City — as permitted by the Israeli Ministry of Health — to receive a blessed olive branch from Franciscan...
St. Joseph’s plans furloughs, senior staff pay cuts as revenues decline during coronavirus response
St. Joseph’s Health is furloughing some employees and reducing some full-time positions to part time as the coronavirus pandemic strains the health system and its income declines.
Lenten Mission: It’s always safe to be close to God
By Tom Maguire | Associate editor Bishop Douglas J. Lucia’s three-day Lenten Mission last week offered “fervent petitions” for God’s mercy and compassion amid the “storm.” “Walking with Christ, from Our House to Yours” drew more than 1,500 views; the hourlong programs...
Celebrating Holy Week at home
Ministries in the Diocese of Syracuse have teamed up to provide the faithful and their families with special ways to celebrate and focus on Holy Week during this unusual time. Dubbed “Holy Week @ Home,” the initiative features a variety of resources and suggestions...
The gift of the rut
By Kathleen M. Gallagher | Guest voice While obeying the stay-at-home orders during this unprecedented pandemic, I came to a startling conclusion: I miss the rut. You know the rut — the ordinary everyday routine. The one we grumble and complain about: commuting...
Bright Spots: First Mass
Henry Thomas Hage attended his very first Mass April 5. The Mass, livestreamed from St. Mary’s Church in Hamilton, was celebrated by Henry’s uncle, Father Jason Hage. Congratulations to the Hage family and welcome to the faith family, Henry! (Photo courtesy the...
Bright Spots: Wise words
Katie DeFio, a seventh grader and a parishioner at St. Augustine Parish in Baldwinsville, wrote this prayer for the parish’s social media pages. (Graphic courtesy Kathryne...Mother Cabrini Health Foundation announces $50 million to support New York communities impacted by COVID-19
Submitted by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation NEW YORK — The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation announced today it is dedicating $50 million in funding to support nonprofit organizations addressing the health-related needs of New Yorkers as a direct result of...
Vatican calls for creative ways to protect elderly from loneliness
By Carol Glatz | Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Local churches and individuals must do more to help and to protect the elderly from loneliness and infection during the coronavirus pandemic, a Vatican office said. “We must devote new energies to...
Gomez: Churches may be closed, but ‘Lord’s heart remains’ open to all
By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — Disease and death have darkened the world this Lent and Holy Week, with our societies shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, but “we know that our Redeemer lives,” said the president of the U.S. Conference...
