Prayer, Activities, Resources & Tips During Coronavirus

Daily Readings

USCCB Daily Readings 

USCCB Daily Readings Audio

Prayers

COVID-19: A Prayer of Solidarity

Maternal Intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe from Archbishop Gomez

Additional Publications

The following publishers have generously made their resources available to support prayer during these difficult days. We thank them for their generosity and pastoral concern.

Dominican Friars on Sunday Readings

Liturgical Press: Give Us This Day

Magnificat:

Bayard: Living with Christ

The Word Among Us

Spiritual Tips & Ideas

  • Family rosary at home for Coronavirus victims
  • Praying the divine mercy chaplet for an end to the pandemic
  • Read the daily readings
  • Live-stream the Mass (many places are offering this)
  • Pray the Divine Office as a family
  • Use social media to share your how your family or community is praying
  • Host a video live-stream for members of your parish to pray the rosary
  • Take time on Fridays to pray the stations of the cross on your own, connecting your struggles with isolation with Jesus’ solitude in carrying his cross to Calvary
  • Watch a movie about the life of Christ and spend time reflecting on this image of Jesus and what it can teach you about your faith and your life

Practical Tips for Families with Children Living at Home

  • Establish your new family schedule– allow kids to have a real impact on what their days are going to look like. be intentional about things like screen time, getting outside, and physical activity
  • You’re going to have a lot MORE time than usual, so one idea is to slowly expand things that your kids do– if they usually have to practice piano for 30 minutes, for example, maybe make it 35 for the first week, 40 for the next, etc.
  • It’s a great time to teach everyone in the family to cook! There are great things like homemade pasta that you probably never have time to make.
  • Have a family dance party!
  • Have a kid that hasn’t learned to ride a bike yet? This is the perfect time.
  • Set aside time after lunch to do family cleaning/sanitizing (wiping down high touch surfaces)
  • Review the kids spring/summer clothing/ switch the closets around from winter to spring
  • With the library closed, take advantage of their free services like Hoopla and Overdrive to have access to eBooks and audiobooks
  • Do a gratitude exercise with the family– but make up some rule, like “everything has to start with the letter R and include adjectives”
  • Nature hiking- maybe the same walk at different times of day, observing how it changes at different times.
  • Start indoor seeds (Now is a great time!  Get some native wildflower seeds or vegetable seeds and start them inside and they will be ready to plant in May!)
  • Get an area ready outside for gardening.  You can plant radishes and greens now, maybe even some hardy lettuce
  • Spring cleaning! Work on fixing up or organizing an area of the house
  • Perform music or have a family jam session
  • Painting (outside if it’s nice)
  • Have the kids prepare a play to perform in the evening
  • Using a platform like Nextdoor, organize people to place something in their windows so that families can go walking around the neighborhood and count how many they can find.
  • Pillow fight!
  • Build a fort
  • Have a formal tea party one afternoon. Prepare for it by makes scones or little sandwiches.
  • Do an elaborate baking project and share it on social media
  • Use up all of those art and craft kits that have collected from your kids’ birthdays!
  • Play 1 board game as a family each week
  • Look up 1 new card game each week and play it –  for example, Cardgo (super easy and quick and everyone can play!  It’s like bingo, but with a pack of cards)
  • If you are asked to telework, find a routine and pace that allows for the most productivity, yet does not overwhelm you. Be sure to distance your personal and professional lives at your new “home office.”
  • Be conscious of your mental health during this time of great anxiety. Be kind to yourself, be calm, and be patient with yourself and others.
  • Consider this online mental health support resource

Reach out!

  • Call or email (or socially network with) your parents and grandparents, relatives, and any friends who may feel isolated, living alone, or who may be susceptible to the Coronavirus to provide a kind word, to see what help they need, or to provide your love and support in these challenging days.
  • Offer to get groceries or other necessities for those who cannot go out.
  • Check on friends who live alone to see if they need anything
  • Have compassion for those most at risk and advocate for vulnerable populations in society (the elderly, those in poverty, homeless persons, persons with disabilities, those already sick or hospitalized, those with compromised immune systems, among others)

USCCB Statements

Online Masses and Adoration