POPE FRANCIS’ PALM SUNDAY MASS IN 1 MINUTE
Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in an empty St. Peter’s Basilica due to the coronavirus pandemic, and dedicates his homily to the theme of service and love. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-04/pope-palm-sunday-mass-video-one-minute.html
INSPIRATION IN PRAYER AND ART FOR THE COVID-19 ERA
ROSARY, ANGELUS LIVE STREAMED DAILY FROM LORETO
Starting Monday, April 6, every day at noon, Archbishop Fabio Dal Cin will preside over the recitation of the Rosary and the Angelus prayer from the Marian Shrine of Loreto. Archbishop Dal Cin, the Pontifical Delegate for the Shrine, said: “The Holy House of Loreto invites us to invoke Mary, so as not to lose hope in the God of life.” He invited the faithful to join every day at 12 noon throughout Holy Week. Vatican News is providing live streaming of the prayer (www.vaticannews.va). “You can also join us at 9 pm every evening for the recitation of the Rosary and the Supplication to Our Lady of Loreto to free us from evil and from the pandemic.” (vaticannews)
PRAYING WITH THE RELICS OF PADRE PIO
At a moment of worldwide anxiety and uncertainty, nothing matters more than prayer. “Prayer is the best weapon we have,” Padre Pio once said. “It is the key to God’s heart.” With this in mind, the Saint Pio Foundation is privileged to offer an extraordinary opportunity for all of us to join our hearts in prayer during this time of pandemic. From Monday, April 6 to May 1, 2020, the Saint Pio Foundation is launching a dedicated web page that will offer the opportunity to pray the rosary virtually, in the presence of the relics of Padre Pio. The page features the relics and four different video clips, each representing a mystery of the rosary, along with narration announcing the mysteries. This is an unparalleled initiative that the Saint Pio Foundation hopes will encourage devotion and hope during this time of turmoil and draw the world together at a time when so many feel pulled apart. To access: https://www.saintpiofoundation.org/online-veneration (source: Saint Pio Foundation)
A VIRTUAL VISIT TO ART OF RAPHAEL ON 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH
At the Scuderie del Quirinale (Quirinale Stables), an exhibition had been set up to open on March 5, 2020 on the 500th anniversary of the death of Raffaello Sanzio. In the impossibility of visiting the exhibition, the stables presented a “virtual visit” that will accompany the participants on a walk through the halls, custodians of over 200 masterpieces from all over the world. This is a way to allow the public to admire, even from a distance, the splendor of Raphael’s art and the grandeur of the exhibition project, in order to share culture and beauty with as many people as possible. https://agcult.it/a/16525/2020-03-26/scuderie-del-quirinale-la-visita-virtuale-della-mostra-raffaello-e-da-oggi-online
(JFL: To visit the Quirinale Place, once the summer residence of Popes and now home to Italy’s president, click here: https://palazzo.quirinale.it/palazzo_en.html)
Joan's Rome 