OSV News

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.

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.

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.

Prayer is an inner desire to encounter God, Pope Francis said. Continuing his new series of talks on prayer during his weekly general audience May 13, the pope said that the longing expressed through prayer “is more than a need, more than a necessity.”

With schools closed and classes being taught online, families are having a tough enough time adapting to new routines and technologies during the ongoing pandemic. But for families of students with special needs, distance learning can be an even bigger hurdle.

Philip Rivers said he fulfilled one childhood dream by playing quarterback in the NFL. He’ll soon fulfill another by coaching high school football. The 38-year-old Rivers was named head coach-in-waiting at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope.

On May 16, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington — the largest Catholic church in North America and one of the 10 largest churches in the world — marks the 100th anniversary of the blessing of the land on which it was built.