Blessings on a German Breeze

07/20/20 • 6 min

The world remains gripped by a pandemic; an unseen, but very present coronavirus has caused us to rethink a lot of things: how we work, how we spend time, how we show respect and communicate. I’ve been sitting on a fun anecdote for a while, and thought these dark days are as good a time as any to share. So coming up: the story of a giant Jesus Christ (in hot air balloon form) and the two German monks, in this short episode of Faith Full.

Find a full transcript on the episode page!

Find a full transcript on the episode page!

Previous Episode

Penance, Prayers, and an Incorrupt Heart

In times of struggle for the institution of the Catholic Church, some look for inspiration and intercession from the Saints. St. Jean Vianney is said to have faced regular attacks by Satan, yet his ministry in the face of those attacks positioned him as the Patron Saint of Parish Priests, having walked the Earth during a time of great difficulty for the Catholic church in France. The incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney is touring the U.S. during another time of trial in the Church. More on that, and the young man traveling with the relic in this episode of Faith Full.

We meet Evan Holguin, custodian of the relic and a manager-in-training with the Knights of Columbus.

And Fr. Stephen Dominic Hayes, O.P. of St. Patrick Priory in Columbus, Ohio talks about the life of St. Jean Vianney, and faith.

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Next Episode

Blind Catholics Keeping the Faith in a Pandemic

For some Catholics who are blind, the experience of the Mass can be very different than for sighted people. In normal times, it can be a tactile experience.

But not during the pandemic.

In Scripture, Jesus is recorded as saying where two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is in the midst of them. And that goes for times when the two or three need to be two or three meters apart for social distancing. As with many Catholics, those who are blind have found technology as a way to continue to express their faith even when so much of life is disrupted. Many are also helped by an organization in New York, the Xavier Society for the Blind, which for 120 years has kept coming Catholic and inspirational materials in Braille and audio formats. We learn about that, and hear from a number of Catholics who are blind about their experience of the pandemic.

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