Closed churches have provided a blunt reminder of how much we rely on our parish priests — and perhaps sometimes take them for granted.

It was sad news to see the once dominant Toronto Star sold for a mere pittance of $52 million. Only 16 years ago, Torstar Corp., the parent company of the newspaper, was trading above $30 a share and worth about $2.4 billion.

Is the closure of churches and the suspension of the public celebration of Holy Mass a religious liberty issue?

We’re entering uncharted territory on our COVID-19 journey. As jurisdictions across the country roll out plans to ease pandemic restrictions, never will our faith be more needed, or tested, than in the months to come.

The Sunday New York Times full front-page listing of 1,000 names from among the nearly 100,000 who’ve died of COVID-19 was a bold, imaginative, powerful journalistic gesture.

COVID-19 threw an interesting twist into a recent visit with the memory specialist. I was advised by e-mail my appointment would be conducted via video e-consult. I looked at the Bride and wondered, “What is e-consult?” The next morning we were staring into our laptop where the specialist appeared. 

Smear campaign

Re: Don’t Judge Pius XII yet, expert warns (May 10):

If ever there was a smear campaign, the one against Pope Pius XII is one for the history books. Having studied his pontificate, I am convinced that the campaign against him has done considerable damage against a man who was acclaimed in the late 1940s-early ’50s by so many Jews, including the Jewish State of Israel, as a hero for all he did during the Second World War.

As the world begins to stir from its pandemic hibernation, governments face the important question of how to accommodate houses of worship. At least, we hope they realize the question is important.

I am aware I write a lot about my pain. There is a good reason. Pain, specifically spinal pain, has been the dominant force in my life for nine years. It is what I wake up to every morning, it is what I carry around during the day and it is the last thing I feel before falling asleep … and it is what wakes me up through the night when pain is more acute.

April, according to T.S. Eliot, is the cruellest month.