COVID-19 brings changes to Ash Wednesday services across PA
In four dioceses in northeastern and central Pennsylvania, ashes will be sprinkled on parishioners heads to maintain social distancing. Author: Peggy Lee Updated: 5:28 AM EST February 12, 2021
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Pa. COVID-19 will now have an impact on Christians who mark the holy season of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is going to look a little different this year in the way ashes will be received.
At Our Lady of Mercy Church just outside Catawissa, parish volunteers were working into the evening, preparing food that will be sold during their Frostbite Festival on Saturday.
They will sell some hearty dishes to-go as a fundraiser for the church that the pandemic has financially impacted.
President Biden may attend Mass, but policies on abortion alienate him from conservative Catholics
Updated Jan 29, 2021;
Posted Jan 29, 2021
President Joe Biden has long been a devout Catholic, but now his progressive views on issues such as abortion have alienated him from more progressive factions in the church. Biden is seen here with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, attending Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) APAP
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One of the first things President Joe Biden did before taking his presidential oath last week was to attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, site of the funeral of the nation’s first Roman Catholic president, John F. Kennedy.
Elected officials and community leaders in Lancaster County saluted President Joe Biden for using his inaugural address to call for unity and cooperation across ideological lines. But embracing Bidenâs message came with caveats, as both Republicans and Democrats outlined what they want to see from the new president.Â
For U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, heâs willing to work with the Biden administration and the Democratic congressional majorities âwhen we can agree on policies that will help my constituents and the American people,â according to a message posted to his official website on Wednesday.
In a separate email to his campaign supporters, Smucker made clear that he âwill not abandon our communityâs conservative values.â While he thanked former President Donald Trump for all his work, Smucker didnât lay out any details for what sort of issues heâs looking to partner on with Biden and other Democrats beside a commitment to âpro-gro