May 17, 2020

Graduation ceremonies, the hallowed traditions of colleges and universities around the country, are as upended — but also marked with creativity — as school lectures and seminars have been since mid-March.

Catholic bishops in Australia will entrust the country to the care of Mary, Help of Christians, on her feast day, May 24. The bishops approved the plan during their early May plenary meeting, conducted using videoconference technology.

On March 20, as Minnesota residents prepared to follow Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19, men studying for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul embarked on an opportunity: Instead of returning home, they began a “cloister” at the seminary.

Rebecca Maslow’s work day begins long before she walks through the doors of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis where she is a nurse in the intensive care unit.

Saints are people who recognized their need for God’s help, who took risks to discover God’s will and to help others and who nurtured a habit of thanksgiving, Pope Francis said.