Each week I bring news and other offerings from Rome to EWTN’s “At Home with Jim and Joy” that airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (check your local listings for time). I should have done this long before now but here’s a link to my contribution this week (in the last 5 or so minutes of this half hour), the first time in months that we could film this segment outdoors. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-museums-pontifical-gardens-covid-19-gratitude-
Every week during the pandemic months when we had to stay indoors, I prepared a video in my home on my iPad and sent that to EWTN and it aired as usual on their show. Here are two examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8FT1xqDio0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Hw_NARkTY
Thank the Lord for today’s technology that allows us to keep up with our family, our friends and our work – to not miss a beat, as the saying goes!
VATICAN NEWS IN BRIEF: HONORING MEDICAL WORKERS, A PEDIATRIC RE-OPENING, MIGRANT NEWS BULLETIN, A SUMMER CAMP FOR KIDS
VATICAN OFFERS TOKEN OF GRATITUDE TO MEDICAL STAFF FOR ITS WORK DURING PANDEMIC
As Holy See authorities ease restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vatican Museums and the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo reopen their doors to welcome back the public after more than two long months of closure. Both the Museums and the papal villas will open their doors free of charge to all doctors, nurses and other medical staff in a sign of gratitude for their work on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. They will have access to the Vatican Museums for one week and to Castel Gandolfo for two weekends. The initiative will be valid at the Museums from Monday June 8 to Saturday June 13 June, while the Pontifical Villas will welcome health workers on the weekend of June 6-7 and June 13-14. The Museums were opened to the general public on June 1; the Pontifical Villas and Gardens are due to open on 6 June. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-museums-pontifical-gardens-covid-19-gratitude-
VATICAN’S SANTA MARTA PEDIATRIC DISPENSARY REOPENS
With the coronavirus emergency still not over altogether, the Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary in the heart of Vatican City began taking all the necessary precautions on June 3, to re-start its services for needy children and pregnant women. New mothers from all over the world come to the Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary, which is part of the activities of the Office of Papal Charities, the Holy See’s department charged with exercising charity to the poor in the name of the Pope. In the past few months under lockdown, the Dispensary was providing assistance by phone. From now on, access to the services will be regulated in keeping with health protocols, especially physical distancing. Booking an appointment via telephone is needed to avoid many arriving together at the same time. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-santa-marta-dispensary-reopening.html
DICASTERY’S MIGRANTS & REFUGEES SECTION ISSUES WEEKLY BULLETIN ON COVID-19
Because migrants, refugees and displaced persons are among the most vulnerable of peoples due to wars, violence, forced displacement, famines, hunger, and more so in a time such as the coronavirus era, the Migrants and Refugees section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has been producing weekly bulletins with information and guidelines on how to help these vulnerable groups and communities. The theme of this week’s bulletin, # 7, is Pope Francis’s belief that “We can only get out of this situation together, as a whole humanity.” When Pope Francis merged several offices to create this Dicastery, he said he wished to personally head the Migrants and Refugee section of the office. The formation of this dicastery was announced on August 31, 2016 and it became effective January 1, 2017. https://migrants-refugees.va/2020/06/02/covid-19-no-one-must-be-forgotten-7/
VATICAN TO OPEN SUMMER CAMP FOR EMPLOYEE CHILDREN
Pope Francis is to open a summer camp in the Vatican for the children of the mothers who work for the city State. A swimming pool, tennis court, five-a-side pitch and basketball court will be set up along with a bouncy castle in the Vatican grounds. Kids will also be able to play table tennis in the Paul VI Room, and enjoy guided tours of the Vatican gardens. The camp will be run by the Salesian Brothers and will be open from July 6 to 31. Up to 100 children will be able to attend, divided into age brackets (from five to seven, from eight to 10 and from 11 to 14). “The Kids Summer project was born as an initiative of the Governorate of the Vatican City to meet the needs of the fathers and mothers who work here,” Salesian Father Franco Fontana told Vatican News. Fontana is the chaplain of the Vatican Gendarmerie and the Vatican Museums. (ANSA: May 29)
Joan's Rome 