Peter Feuerherd

St. Bernard's staff members say that the parish lost about two dozen parishioners to COVID-19, and now that restrictions are easing, like in 17,000 other U.S. parishes, they wonder whether people will return to Mass and sacraments in person.

As he's sought out to discuss Camden's policing turnaround, former Chief Scott Thomson cautions that the city's story is not a miracle, but the result of a conscious strategy to make the police more visible while enlisting the embattled citizenry's support.

Fr. Aidan McAleenan, a priest of the Oakland, California, Diocese, has called Bishop Michael Barber a liar and a racist, making his remarks via a Facebook video that has since been removed.

Stories about recent Catholic school closings caused some to wonder if the flurry of such actions over the past two months signaled an unexpected impact of the pandemic.

Whether or not Catholics return to their parishes after the pandemic will depend on what those parishes were like before. But according to authors of a new study, it's clear that change will be needed.

Amid the pandemic, Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Battersby notified Christ the King Church that Fortunate Families could no longer be welcomed at Christ the King or any archdiocesan facility.

If you ask parishioners of Holy Communion Church, "they will say they are Roman Catholic," says their pastor, James Radloff, whose 2014 suspension from priestly ministry sparked the split from the local Catholic parish.

NCR talks to three Catholics who have gone through the coronavirus journey and who had some advice for the hundreds of thousands more who will be taking the same trip. 

As in-person Masses were eliminated and parishioners lose their income, there has been a renewed effort among church fundraisers directed at supporting the parish, the bulwark of Catholic life.

With its cathedral parking lot Masses, the Las Cruces Diocese is one of the outliers. Even in states where governors have loosened restrictions, many Catholic dioceses are holding back on large-scale gatherings.

Msgr. Raymond Roden knows the sorrows in Queens' Corona neighborhood. The pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church counts some 10,000 parishioners; right now, he can't count everyone who has died from the coronavirus.

Easter Mass took place at St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country Church in Boone, North Carolina. A parishioner told NCR that the Mass included 22 people, more than the 10 worshipers allowed during the current pandemic.

During this pandemic, "millions of Americans are forced to be hermits and live a monastic life," says the spirituality author. And, in their isolation, many will face what fourth-century desert monks described as acedia.

It's the end of a long shift as a hospital chaplain in Queens, New York, and Fr. Radu Titonea's voice while talking on the phone March 30 is a little raspy. He lets out a mild cough.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has emerged for many as the voice of reason and integrity as the nation confronts the coronavirus. He's also an alumnus of Regis High School in New York City.

Frank D'Amore, director of the local group for LGBT Catholics, said that despite the archdiocesan mandate, Dignity Detroit will continue. "We're not having liturgy because of the virus. But we are alive and well."

In Mexico, Brazil, Honduras and El Salvador, as well as many other Latino countries, much of church life has focused around small groups who gather for Bible study, reflection and prayer.

Lay Catholic Voices for Change sent a letter to the bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, saying that the church's own recommendations in its report on Bransfield's financial and sexual misconduct have been ignored.

The influx of Puerto Ricans, largely Catholics and Democrats, to Central Florida, is part of a state with complicated politics. The Miami area of South Florida reflects a more Democratic tilt, too, with its mix of transplanted New Yorkers and Latinos, but these voters are offset by Republican growth in other areas.

In today's Manhattan, the original Catholic Worker facilities are surrounded by towers that rent one-bedroom apartments for $4,000 a month, and Catholic Worker centers in South Bend, Indiana, and Philadelphia are also learning to adapt to changes.