Stocks fell and bond prices rose sharply on Wall Street Friday amid signs that economic fallout from the viral outbreak that originated in China is hurting U.S. companies. MORE

IATA: Virus may slash $29 billion from airlines’ revenue

Thousands of bees swarming near Pasadena City College sent five people to the hospital with stings and shut down Colorado Boulevard on Thursday afternoon. MORE

Vol 13 Issue 8 ~ Editor: Rev. Fr. Courtney Edward Krier
February 22, 2020 ~ Saint Peter’s Chair at Antioch

1.      What is the Holy Eucharist
2.      Quinquagesima Sunday
3.      Saint Peter Damian
4.      Family and Marriage
5.      Articles and notices
Dear Reader:Here is a continuation of last week’s reflection on the Works of Mercy.

An awakening is happening in a country where Christianity is illegal. One of the world’s darkest places is home to the fastest-growing underground church. MORE

China — which is the second-largest economy in the world — has all but halted its production of consumer goods like phones, clothing, and automobiles for the past several weeks. MORE

The Spokane Regional Health District confidently said in a press conference on Thursday that the risk to the public is “zero.” VIDEO

Coronavirus Update: 346 Americans Emerge From Quarantine At California Military Bases MORE

A U.S. archbishop says Pope Francis told a group of American bishops in Rome that civil unions for homosexual couples that give them access to public benefits are “acceptable,” as long as it’s clear such arrangements can never be considered marriage. MORE

The Diocese of Harrisburg on Wednesday became the first Catholic diocese to seek bankruptcy protection in Pennsylvania, a state that led the nation in investigating sexual abuse by priests when it published a landmark report almost two years ago. MORE

I wish them luck.

Of course attempting to redraw state lines is a very complicated process, but at this point conservatives in Oregon are so fed up with the state legislature that they have decided to push ahead with this effort.

In a country where there has always been more space than people, where the land and wildlife are cherished like a Picasso, nature is closing in. Fueled by climate change and the world’s refusal to address it, the fires that have burned across Australia are not just destroying lives or turning forests as large as nations into ashen moonscapes. MORE

Storm Dennis roared across Britain with high winds and heavy rains Sunday, prompting authorities to issue a record number of flood warnings and alerts for England and a rare “red warning” for extremely life-threatening flooding in Wales. MORE