FAITH IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS - A Road Trip through Swing States p18 What We Lost When Notre-Dame Burned p42 - America Magazine
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APRIL 13, 2020 THE JESUIT REVIEW OF FAITH AND CULTURE
FAITH IN
THE TIME OF
CORONAVIRUS
Tomáš Halík Simcha Fischer Sam Sawyer
p 26 36
p 58
p
A Road Trip
through Swing States
18
p
What We Lost When
Notre-Dame Burned
42
p
1 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORG
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In Memoriam
Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J.
February 12, 1931—March 29, 2020
10th Editor in Chief, 1975 to 1984
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA |3
THE ISSUE
GIVE AND TAKE
6
DISPATCHES
12
FEATURES
18
YOUR TAKE WITH MASSES SUSPENDED, A ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE
How are you practicing your faith PARISHES FACE COLLECTION SWING STATES
in the time of coronavirus? SHORTFALLS AND PERILOUS Trump voters are holding firm, but
FINANCES Covid-19 may bring a sea change
8 John W. Miller
OUR TAKE At the U.S.-Mexico border, a scramble
The coronavirus dilemma; begins to curb coronavirus 26
remembering Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J. CHRISTIANITY IN A TIME
Covid-19 threat adds to refugee OF SICKNESS
10 suffering in Greece, Turkey, Syria Our physical health is not the only
SHORT TAKE thing at risk
Catholics and the declining faith GoodNews: Washington’s Cyrus Tomáš Halík
in medicine Habib will not seek re-election, plans
Ryan Burge to join the Jesuits
POEM
47
IN ADORATION: APRIL 2019
Andrew Calis
4 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORG
CNS photo/Danish Siddiqui, Reuters
Migrant workers return to their villages during
a nationwide lockdown in India to limit the
spreading of Covid-19, March 26, New Delhi.
Cover: Father Reginaldo Manzotti prays with
photos of his parishioners taped to the pews
in the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in
Curitiba, Brazil, March 21.
(CNS photo/Rodolfo Buhrer, Reuters)
FAITH IN FOCUS IDEAS IN REVIEW THE WORD
32 42 54
A CHRISTIAN SEDER? WHAT WE LOST AT NOTRE- Luke describes service as one of the
There is a fine line between DAME DE PARIS first acts the apostles do with new
appreciation and appropriation of What did the great cathedral mean converts
this Jewish ritual to those who built it?
Jon M. Sweeney Jason M. Baxter It was the breaking of bread that
revealed Jesus’ identity
36 BOOKS Jaime L. Waters
A BELL TO RING The Testaments; Catholic Social
The good and beautiful things I’ve Activism; From the Cast-Iron Shore;
seen amid the coronavirus pandemic Children of the Land LAST TAKE
Simcha Fisher
CULTURE 58
“Dana H.” SAM SAWYER
VANTAGE POINT The power of a YouTube Mass
40
ARMY CHAPLAINS AND
THE EPIDEMIC
1918
APRIL 13, 2020 VOL. 222 NO. 8 WHOLE NO. 5243
YOUR TAKE
How do you keep the faith in a time of coronavirus?
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, many dioceses have suspended in-person Masses or dispensed Catholics from
their Sunday Mass obligation. We want to know: How are you practicing your faith in this time of the coronavirus?
I’ve been watching live-streamed or pre-recorded Mass Trying to attend Jim Martin’s 3 p.m. Facebook Live
every day with my boyfriend. I used to go to daily Mass reflections, online Mass, continuing prayer and reflection
frequently and have fallen away from the practice, but now routines. Some friends are doing holy happy hours by Zoom.
I find myself eager to connect and pray with others who Tom Plante
are sitting in their living rooms just like I am. Missing the Menlo Park, Calif.
sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, has deepened my
faith in the Real Presence and made me all the more in awe I am continuing my practice of daily devotion and prayer.
of God’s loving presence. I read the daily Mass readings. I pray the Rosary every day.
Katie Rich I watch Mass online. I read books related to the Catholic
New Haven, Conn. faith that I may grow and understand the faith better.
Dale Gentry
Daily prayer, attending/celebrating Mass with our parish Dallas, Tex.
through YouTube recording, driving people to medical
appointments, delivering meals to homebound people, More than anything, my spiritual focus has been on
donating to food banks and driving in the Arizona desert to gratitude. I live east of New York City, which is now the U.S.
leave water for migrants or anyone in need. center of the virus, and many in my family live in Queens.
Eric Noyes My daily prayer is how grateful I am that most of us have
Green Valley, Ariz. health insurance, the economic means to get through the
impending economic depression and the strong family
I am keeping in touch with other homebound persons by ties that guarantee that we’ll be there for each other. I pray
cards and phone calls. Sometimes I get carried away and about gratitude daily.
my cards become letters, just like St. Paul’s did! Bette Ingoglia
Cheryl Keehner Northport, N.Y.
Cleveland, Ohio
Walking in the woods at a nearby park, praising God for his
I have immersed myself in painting Our Lady the beautiful creation has been uplifting. Reading the psalms
Victorious. I [took] a photo of the statue when I visited and journaling through my thoughts, hopes and fears
the Kalwaria salt mine in Wieliczka, Poland, a few years continues to be an authentic way to pray. Trying to sit in
ago. It has become my prayer as I paint—a prayer for the silence for 10 minutes a day helps me to be open to God’s
entire world. My prayer also is that I do justice to its 17th- healing grace.
century maker. Kathleen McCrillis
Barbara Brozovic Tipp City, Ohio
Binghamton, N.Y.
Reaching out to the sick and homebound in our parish.
Daily prayer. Quiet and social distancing. Encouraging
others. Doing lectio divina. Reading.
Dorothy Jean Beyer, O.S.B.
Mount Angel, Ore.
6 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORG
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OUR TAKE
To Address Pandemic, the Nation Must Choose Prudence Over Ignorance
Last New Year’s Day—a mere As for the first unknown, the num- enough to make that comparison.
three months ago—few could have ber of avoidable deaths, we do know These process failures have left
imagined that by this date the United something—namely, that there will Americans to debate ethical tradeoffs
States would be in the deathgrip of be many such deaths and that each for which we lack the information to
a pandemic and on the brink of a involves a profound human tragedy. make good prudential decisions. It is
prolonged economic recession. The We also know that the epidemiologi- impossible to make good prudential
nation’s sudden envelopment by this cal models have large confidence in- decisions about completely unknown
two-fold crisis has left politicians tervals, meaning that the number of risks, and it is a catastrophic failure of
and policymakers scrambling just avoidable deaths is projected to fall imagination and moral responsibility to
to make sense of events, let alone to within a very large range. We do not act as if we are unable to learn what we
make the life-and-death decisions know, for example, whether the official need to know to make a better decision.
that fall to them. Given the sheer scale number of deaths in the United States Making decisions such as these
and complexity of the crisis, it is not will be 10,000 or 80,000 or more. necessarily involves risk assessments
surprising that public officials struggle The reason the confidence inter- and weighing different possible out-
to find answers. At a minimum, vals are so large is because we have comes. But such decision-making must
however, they need to ask the right insufficient data, largely because of not descend into a strict arithmetical
questions, especially about what they the unavailability of testing. The fed- calculation that values human life as
do not know, which is a great deal eral government has badly bungled merely one material good among many.
more than most would care to admit. its response. The effects of ongoing, The inherent worth and dignity of hu-
At one point, a few public officials, systematic underinvestment in the na- man life are immeasurable.
including President Trump, suggested tion’s public health infrastructure were We know there are many people
that the current efforts to mitigate the made worse by a president who spent who know more than the rest of us
impact of the coronavirus outbreak— the first weeks of this impending crisis about these matters. We should lis-
social distancing and public closures— behaving as though the number of cas- ten to them. Experts can be overrated
should be curtailed earlier than public es would remain low. President Trump and can surely make mistakes, but in
health experts, including the presi- downplayed the threat, and a federal a public health emergency, prudence
dent’s own advisors, think is prudent. bureaucracy unaccustomed to using its dictates both following their advice
It is clear that the virtual lockdown of own power (including marshaling and and doing what is possible to improve
the country is causing vast economic coordinating private-sector forces) the data on which that advice is based.
damage. It is also true that recessions failed to efficiently address problems And their nearly unanimous ad-
and economic hardship have life-and- that affect the common good. vice is clear: As Dr. Anthony Fauci told
death consequences, often resulting in If U.S. officials had prepared for CNN on March 26: “When the num-
higher rates of suicide, domestic vio- the coronavirus landfall by building bers are going up, that’s no time to pull
lence and substance abuse. up effective testing capacity, the na- back. That’s when you have to hunker
It is understandable, then, that peo- tion would have been better able to down and mitigate, mitigate, mitigate—
ple are asking whether the measures to enter into the required calculus. Per- get the people taken care of; that’s what
mitigate the effects of the pandemic are haps the United States would have you have to concentrate on.”
doing more harm than good. These dis- been able to mount a response similar
cussions usually take the form of com- to that of South Korea—isolating and
paring an unknown data point (like the tracing contacts among known infect-
number of avoidable deaths Covid-19 ed individuals instead of quarantin-
will cause) against another unknown ing the whole population. This would
data point that is assumed to be worse have permitted public officials to com-
(like a second Great Depression), or pare accurately a more narrowly mod-
against a known, unarguable good (like eled epidemiological risk against the
national economic growth). economic risk. As it is, we do not know
8 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORG
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A Bittersweet Farewell Founded in 1909
Like many other New Yorkers and President and Editor in Chief Matt Malone, S.J.
America readers, we suffered a great Deputy Editor in Chief
Executive Editors
Maurice Timothy Reidy
Sebastian Gomes
loss on Sunday, March 29, with the Sam Sawyer, S.J.
Kerry Weber
death of Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., editor Editor at Large James Martin, S.J.
in chief of America from 1975 to 1984. Production Editor Robert C. Collins, S.J.
Senior Editors Kevin Clarke
The editors mourn his death but also James T. Keane
share many fond memories of the J.D. Long-García
Robert David Sullivan
clever, erudite and joyful man who Creative Director Shawn Tripoli
graced us with his myriad talents for Graphic Designer Alison Hamilton
Poetry Editor Joe Hoover, S.J.
so long. He was a famed raconteur Vatican Correspondent Gerard O’Connell
with an impish streak and a powerful National Correspondent Michael J. O’Loughlin
Associate Editors Zachary Davis
intellect; seldom was he vanquished in Ashley McKinless
a battle of wits. Assistant Producers Colleen Dulle, Tucker Redding, S.J.
Studio and Production Manager JR Cronheim
In 1984 America lost Joe to Ford- Assistant Editors Vivian Cabrera
ham University, where he would serve
Contributing Writers
Joseph McAuley
Nichole M. Flores
as president for 19 years. But he re- Cecilia González-Andrieu
turned to the magazine in 2003, serv-
Rachel Lu
Eileen Markey
ing America as an associate editor un- Jim McDermott, S.J.
Kaya Oakes
til his retirement in 2009 (with a brief Nathan Schneider
sabbatical as president of his beloved Eve Tushnet
Contributing Editors Ellen Boegel
alma mater, Regis High School). Patrick Gilger, S.J.
Joe loved being a Jesuit and a Adam Hincks, S.J.
Maryann Cusimano Love
priest, and he loved his city. He was a William McCormick, S.J.
born-and-bred New Yorker, a son of Paul McNelis, S.J.
Regional Correspondents Dean Dettloff (Toronto)
the Bronx (his father was a patrolman Anthony Egan, S.J. (Johannesburg)
in the N.Y.P.D. Mounted Unit), and his Jan-Albert Hootsen (Mexico City)
Jim McDermott, S.J. (Los Angeles)
writing always evidenced his great af- Melissa Vida (Brussels)
fection for the Big Apple. He was also Special Contributors Jake Martin, S.J., Sean Salai, S.J.
Editor, The Jesuit Post Brian Strassburger, S.J.
a citizen of the world. After earning Moderator, Catholic Book Club Kevin Spinale, S.J.
a doctorate in philosophy, he taught O’Hare Fellows Ryan Di Corpo
Kevin Jackson
from 1955 to 1958 and then from 1967 Isabelle Senechal
to 1972 in the Philippines. He counted Executive V.P. and
among his friends many famous and Chief Operating Officer Traug Keller
Senior V.P. for Finance and Operations
influential people—and indeed, one of Director of Advertising Services
Rosa M. Del Saz
Kenneth Arko
his favorite quips was “every Jesuit has Director of Advancement James Cappabianca
Advancement Strategist Heather Trotta
a celebrity all his own.” Special Assistant to the President
We bid a bittersweet farewell. To and Editor in Chief Nicholas D. Sawicki
Business Operations Staff Glenda Castro, Karina Clark, Geena Di Camillo,
quote one of Joe’s signature phrases, Ana Nuñez, Jonathan Tavarez, Elena Te,
“See ya on the other side.” Well done, Bianca C. Tucker
Editors Emeriti Raymond A. Schroth, S.J.
God’s good and faithful servant. Francis W. Turnbull, S.J.
Chair, Board of Directors Susan S. Braddock
americamagazine.org 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 11th Fl.
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twitter.com/americamag America Press Inc. d/b/a America Media ©2020
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA |9
SHORT TAKE
The coronavirus virus meets another threat: declining faith in medicine
Every disease outbreak is a concern, expressing confidence started at 52 to the left) have also seen a 14-point
but Covid-19, more popularly known as a percent in 1973 and dipped to 43 per- drop in confidence during the last 45
coronavirus, might be especially deadly. cent in the most recent survey—per- years.
This is not because of the genetic makeup haps a more modest decline because so Another theory is that Americans
or the incubation period of the virus. It many health-care facilities in the Unit- have not lost confidence in medicine
is because the general public has lost ed States are Catholic-run. That nearly specifically but have adopted more
confidence in the medical community. 10-point decline is similar for mainline skeptical views toward all types of so-
This trend has been especially acute Protestants. cietal institutions.
among several religious groups, with There has also been a great decline The General Social Survey also
Catholics experiencing one of the larger of confidence in medicine among black asks, “Generally speaking, would you
declines in trust. Protestants, from just over half express- say that most people can be trusted or
The General Social Survey has ing “a great deal” of confidence in 1973 that you can’t be too careful in deal-
been asking about the public’s trust in to only 27 percent saying the same in ing with people?” It is clear from this
a number of institutions since 1973, 2018. While there are many potential broader question that the American
and the trend line for medicine should reasons for this, one could be the reve- public is somewhat less likely to trust
frighten people in the field of public lations of unethical medical testing on their fellow man today than they were
health. In the 1970s, about 53 percent African-Americans in the past. in the 1970s. But the patterns here are
of U.S. citizens indicated that they had The only religious group to see not the same as for the question about
“a great deal” of confidence in medi- an increase are Jews, who saw a six- trusting medicine. For instance, evan-
cine. By 2018, the last year for which point rise in confidence in the last 45 gelical Protestants have long been
we have data, that number had de- years. This may be because Jews in the wary of others in society, with just 41
clined to 38 percent. United States are concentrated in the percent of them saying that people
There are significant differences urban Northeast, where health care is can be trusted in 1973 and 30 percent
among religious traditions. For in- more accessible. in 2018. The decline among Catholics
stance, in 1973 three in five evangelical It is not easy to pin down reasons was similar, dropping from 50 percent
Protestants (of all races) expressed “a for the broad-based decline in trust. to 34 percent over the same period. But
great deal” of confidence in medicine, One theory, that suspicion of science even the religiously unaffiliated saw a
the highest of any Christian group. is linked to the conservative political drop of over 14 percentage points, with
That support dropped in half, with just ideology of many Christians, is contra- only 32 percent saying they could trust
32 percent expressing the same senti- dicted by the fact that the religiously people in 2018.
ment in 2018. For Catholics, the share unaffiliated (whose politics often lean One outlier is mainline Protes-
How much Evangelical Protestant
60%
Mainline Protestant
60%
Black Protestant
60%
confidence do you 54.9%
have in medicine?
40%
60.1% 40%
44.6%
40%
52.9%
20% 31.5% 20% 20%
27.2%
Percentage saying 0 0 0
"a great deal" 1973 2018 1973 2018 1973 2018
(1973 vs. 2018): Catholic
60%
Jewish
60%
No Religion
60%
40%
52.2% 42.5% 40%
42.2% 48.7%
40%
49.3%
20% 20% 20% 35%
0 0 0
1973 2018 1973 2018 1973 2018
10 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORGtants; about 40 percent of this group in medicine in both 1973 and 2018 for after noticing coronavirus symptoms—
still say that most people can be trust- the four largest religious groups. whether because they do not trust the
ed. A possible explanation lies in the- Looking at these two factors brings medical profession itself, do not trust
ology. Most evangelical Protestants a sharper focus: Distrust of other peo- they will be treated equitably or with dig-
believe that the end of the world will ple and a lack of confidence in medi- nity, or fear financial hardship.
begin as societies devolve into violence cine seem to be related. For both main- But another possible accelerant is
and sin, so they may be on the look- line Protestants and Catholics, there misinformation from medical author-
out for evidence that things are going was no decline in confidence in med- ities and political leaders, including a
downhill. Tellingly, a survey conducted icine over the last four decades when president who first described the Dem-
last year by the advocacy group Prison the sample is restricted to just those ocrats’ treatment of the virus as a seri-
Fellowship found that 81 percent of who have a trusting view of society; ous threat as a “hoax.” At least one study
practicing evangelicals believed that the entirety of the decline was among has indicated people who distrust gov-
the crime rate has risen in the prior 25 those who say that people cannot be ernment are more likely to refuse med-
years, which is empirically false. (Six- trusted. (Among Catholics in the lat- ical vaccinations for themselves or their
ty percent of all adults, 62 percent of ter group, those expressing confidence children. With trust in government at a
practicing Catholics and 66 percent in medicine fell from 54 percent to 39 70-year low, the politicization of medi-
of mainline Protestants also held this percent.) cine is a growing danger.
erroneous belief.) Mainline theology, But that pattern did not hold for Medical professionals and epide-
however, places very little emphasis on evangelical Protestants. The share of miologists must not only stay out of po-
the book of Revelation and the end of this group expressing confidence in litical debate but also work to make sure
time. In fact, the social gospel, which medicine fell sharply even among those they do not become political pawns. The
argues that Christianity can (and has) who say that people can be trusted (from Covid-19 pandemic requires the medical
made the world a better place, is much 72 percent to 37 percent). Evangelicals community to effectively communicate
more prominent in mainline churches. are outliers here, but there is no appar- messages about public health and treat-
To get a sense of how general dis- ent theory that explains this. It merits ment of the sick. If handled correctly, the
trust feeds into a lack of confidence in further investigation. current coronavirus outbreak may also
the medical community, I divided the This lack of confidence in the med- improve trust in medicine among the
survey respondents by whether they be- ical community sets the stage for a na- general public.
lieved that people can be trusted or not. tional disease outbreak that may be-
Ryan Burge is an assistant professor
I calculated the shares of those who said come more widespread and deadlier if of political science at Eastern Illinois
that they had “a great deal” of confidence people wait too long to go to the hospital University, in Charleston, Ill.
Would you say Evangelical Protestant
60%
Mainline Protestant
60%
Black Protestant
60%
that most people 40% 40% 59.1% 40%
can be trusted? 41.3% 29.6% 38.8% 11.9% 11.7%
Percentage
20% 20% 20%
saying yes:
0 0 0
1973 2018 1973 2018 1973 2018
Catholic Jewish No Religion
60% 60% 60%
40% 40% 40%
49.7% 33.8% 53.1% 45.8%
20% 20% 31.7% 20%
31.5%
0 0 0
1973 2018 1973 2018 1973 2018
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA | 11DISPATCHES
With Masses
suspended,
parishes face
collection
shortfalls and
perilous finances
By Michael J. O’Loughlin
It started off as a trickle, with only the Archdiocese of Julia Strukely is a religion teacher at a Catholic middle
Seattle—located in one of the hardest-hit regions in school in Virginia. On the weekends, Ms. Strukely is a fill-in
the nation in terms of the coronavirus—announcing on accompanist in a few parishes around Richmond. She said
March 11 that it would suspend public Masses to help slow she usually plays up to three Masses and brings in about
the spread of Covid-19. Then the announcements from $300 per week. But with no Masses being held in her diocese
other dioceses followed in a deluge: The Archdioceses of until further notice, Ms. Strukely will not receive that pay.
Washington, Newark, Chicago and Boston announced “It’s extra money to put in savings or to pay bills that
similar suspensions less than two days later. In less than come at the end of the month,” Ms. Strukely said. Not hav-
a week, with more than 10,000 cases of Covid-19 already ing that money “will impact me soon,” she added.
reported in the United States, nearly all of the nation’s Since there are more than 17,000 parishes in the United
Catholic dioceses had suspended public Masses, and States, Ms. Strukely is likely far from alone when it comes
several confirmed that the suspension would run through to a temporary loss of income. Steve Petrunak, the president
Holy Week and Easter. of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, said that
When it comes to church finances, parishes and those he has heard anecdotally from members who work full-time
who work in them are facing an uncertain future the lon- in parish music ministry that they will continue to be paid
ger the crisis drags on. Part-time church workers have through the shutdown, at least for now. Beyond those posi-
seen their income halted; major charities are worried tions, however, there is more uncertainty.
about missed collections; and at least one diocese has “The cantors, the instrumentalists, those are the ones
temporarily laid off employees. who are really taking the biggest hit at the moment because
12 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORGThe Rev. Mark Sappenfield broadcasts Mass by Facebook
on March 20 at St. Matthew Parish in Franklin, Tenn.
it’s those people who Mr. Melia said in his statement that this fundraiser
are paid through sti- could be “adversely impacted” by the suspension of Mass-
pends,” he said. es, and he acknowledged the “uncertainty” and “unpredict-
If the crisis con- ably” about the collection. But, he added, “we know for sure
tinues too long, Mr. that Catholics, including our donors, are deeply committed
Petrunak said, he to caring for the most vulnerable around the world and
worries the econom- seek to do good even in the most challenging of times.”
ic impact at parishes The loss of collection dollars to parishes is already
could move beyond more than a hypothetical.
freelancers. “If you The Diocese of Providence confirmed in an email, for
think of the strug- example, that the “pandemic crisis has required a tempo-
gling communities, rary reduction to our staffing, and limited personnel will be
how long can they go working from home to support our schools, parishes and
before they’re going other agencies.” At parishes that rely on weekly collections
to have to make de- to cover payroll and other bills, the implications of sus-
CNS photo/Rick Musacchio, Tennessee Register
cisions about church pended Sunday Masses could be dire.
personnel and par- Take the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan.
ish personnel?” he On March 8, nearly every pew was filled with worshipers.
asked. The severity of the coronavirus pandemic was just emerg-
The economic ing, and the presiding priest announced that those gathered
impact could also should refrain from shaking hands during the exchange of
affect the church’s peace; he also said that at Communion, the consecrated
charity work. wine would not be offered. Beyond that, Mass proceeded
In mid-March as normal. But by the following Sunday, the Archdiocese of
parishes through- New York had suspended public Masses and the parish had
out the United gone dark. On March 17, the pastor emailed parishioners to
States prepared to host a special collection for Catholic Re- bring them up to speed on the financial challenges that just
lief Services, the international development arm of the U.S. a single week without Masses presented—and to ask them
Conference of Catholic Bishops. The collection brought to sign up for automated online giving.
in more than $16 million in 2018, according to data from “We all still have bills to pay, and the church is no differ-
the U.S.C.C.B. With Masses canceled in most of the United ent from each one of us personally,” Rick Walsh, C.S.P., wrote.
States, much of that funding could be in jeopardy. “This hardship has led us to take the difficult steps of tighten-
“With the situation in flux and so much uncertainty, ing our belt by reducing our staff and limiting the parish cen-
we don’t know what the impacts on giving could be,” Mark ter office hours.” A normal weekend’s collections would raise
Melia, the executive vice president of charitable giving for about $10,000, but with no Masses and only online donations,
C.R.S., said in a written statement. “However, around the contributions were down by more than 50 percent.
world C.R.S. is helping our church partners to respond to According to the email, the parish already laid off a
this crisis in creative ways. Given the adverse economic im- full-time maintenance worker and its part-time bookstore
plications, donors likely too will be facing economic chal- employees, and it is now paying the equivalent of two sal-
lenges themselves.” aries to the three Paulists who work at the parish. Though
In addition to the collection, many Catholics partici- the hope is that the employees can be hired back after the
pate in the Lenten Rice Bowl program to benefit C.R.S., col- crisis subsides, Father Walsh wrote, “There may well be
lecting spare change during the 40 days of Lent and donat- more measures to come.”
ing it around Easter. Since the program’s inception more As for how long Masses will be suspended, no one real-
than 40 years ago, it has raised more than $250 million. ly knows. Some parishes are reaching out to parishioners,
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA | 13A woman reads a prayer book in the sanctuary of
St. Mary Church in Appleton, Wis., on March 18.
asking them to increase their offering if they are able and
encouraging them to sign up for online giving. Some par-
ishes that are streaming Masses, like St. Francis Xavier in
CNS photo/Brad Birkholz
New York, are asking viewers to contribute through Ven-
mo, the cash-transferring phone app.
Some dioceses have launched online giving campaigns
meant to help parishes weather the crisis. The Archdio-
cese of Newark is using the crowdsourcing site GoFund-
Me, available at www.rcan.org/parishsupport, to raise
money for parishes, with more than $100,000 donated as CAN PARISH COLLECTION BASKETS GO ONLINE?
of March 26. In Chicago, the archdiocese created a website
that donors can use to make a one-time or recurring gift to Google searches for “Mass times” have declined by
any parish they choose. The site, along with a donation site 83% in the United States since an Ash Wednesday
for the archdiocese's Coronavirus Emergency Fund, can be peak, with millions of Catholics sheltering at home.
accessed at www.archchicago.org/support. The Archdiocese of Chicago reports that 70% of its
“About 70 percent of our parishes have an online giv- parishes have some form of online giving, but only
ing program,” Brendan Keating, chief development officer 10% of total collections is donated electronically.
in the Chicago Archdiocese’s Office of Stewardship and
Development, told Catholic News Service. “Of course, that $10: average weekly parish donation per family.
means 30 percent don’t.” The percentage of Americans who report belonging
All parishes still have bills to pay even if they are not to a church, synagogue or mosque is at an all-time
holding public Masses, Mr. Keating said. “With the suspen- low—50% in 2018, down from 70% in 1999. The
sion of Masses, it’s critically important that parishioners decline has been greater among Catholics. 76% of
support their parishes with online giving. The parishes ab- Catholics belonged to a church in 2000; now, 63% do.
solutely need this income more than they ever have.”
Patrick Markey, the executive director of the Diocesan The well-connected on the internet are not
Fiscal Management Conference, told Catholic News Ser- connected to churches: Just 42% of millennials are
vice that the toll on parishes and dioceses as a result of the church members.
suspended Masses will be painful.
Top priorities among Catholics for giving: 82% said
“It’s a big hit, and it’s gonna hurt,” he said, noting that
their parish; 71% cited helping the poor and needy
many dioceses rely on income from parish collections and
in their local community; 46% said local Catholic
may not be able to support parishes for too long as their re-
schools; 34% said diocesan needs.
serves dwindle.
“They’ll want to pay everybody, but they have to be re- A 2013 CARA survey found that 68% of
alistic about that,” Mr. Markey said. “In the short term, they working-age U.S. Catholics had never made a
can continue making payroll to all of the employees, but at donation online.
some point, they’ll have to start looking at other options.”
In 2019, a Pew Research Center survey found that
Father Walsh, the pastor at the Church of St. Paul the
26% of Catholic had reduced their contributions
Apostle, acknowledged that “the ramifications of [the pan-
to their parish or diocese in response to reports of
demic] are tremendous.” But, he added, it has also shown
clergy sexual abuse.
people how interconnected we are as human beings, and
that, he said, reminds him that “the big picture is hope.” The Giving USA Foundation’s annual report on
philanthropy found that donations to religious
Michael J. O’Loughlin, national correspondent. institutions fell by 1.5% in 2018 (or down by 3.9%
Twitter: @MikeOLoughlin. if adjusted for inflation), continuing a long trend
of decline.
Sources: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University (CARA); Chicago Tribune; Gallup Research; Pew Research Center; Giving USA Foundation.
14 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORGAP Photo/Gregory Bull
A border patrol agent
At the U.S.-Mexico border, walks along a wall
separating Tijuana,
A scramble begins to curb coronavirus Mexico, from San
Diego on March 18.
In February more than 400 people gathered for the blessing In Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, migrants fleeing vio-
of the Kino Border Initiative’s new 18,000-square-foot lence in their home countries have been waiting for months
building in Nogales, in the Mexican state of Sonara, just for their cases to be heard, Marisa Limón of the Hope Bor-
south of Arizona. By the middle of March just a few weeks der Institute said. They see Covid-19 as just the latest ob-
later, with the outbreak of Covid-19, everything had changed. stacle to finding safety for their families.
The Kino Border Initiative is a binational effort to serve Others have been waiting for court dates in detention.
migrants, educate the public and advocate for justice. Kino “We knew these folks are immunocompromised because of
staff are still serving food at its comedor, part of their daily malnutrition,” Ms. Limón said.
efforts, but the coronavirus has changed how they do it. “We are concerned that the care and well-being of im-
“What we’re trying to do is maintain a distance between migrants in detention is not being considered [by immigra-
migrants while they wait in line,” Sean Carroll, S.J., the di- tion officials],” she said. “The pandemic is exposing gaps in
rector of the Kino Border Initiative, said. Families enter to- what we provide to those most in need.”
gether, receive their food and then find a place to eat outside. In Tijuana, Baja California, the Casa del Migrante has
“It really modified our services—clothing, legal coun- cut the number of migrants it accepts to half its normal
sel, meals,” Father Carroll said. “We’re still serving, but it’s capacity. Staff have closed the shelter’s TV room, where
been an adjustment for everyone.” guests would gather in the past, and migrants spread out in
Father Carroll has sent long-term volunteers home, the patio area during meals rather than congregate in the
and other volunteers, who come down for the day from dining area.
southern Arizona, have been told to stay home for their “We really want to keep people healthy,” Pat Murphy,
own safety—many of them are retired—and for the safety C.S., a Scalabrini priest who runs the Casa del Migrante,
of the migrants. said. “We don’t want to kick any people out, but we can’t let
Norma Pimentel, M.J., the executive director of Catholic people in when they’re sick…. Everything we do has been
Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville, Tex., said amplified and made more difficult because of the virus.”
humanitarian groups are “taking all the precautions possible.” He argues that U.S. officials are “deporting the virus,”
The Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” suggesting that the Mexican government should stop ac-
policy allows immigration officials to return thousands of cepting deported immigrants from the United States.
asylum seekers to Mexico while their appeals are being In Tijuana, three cases of Covid-19 have been con-
decided. Many now live in tents in makeshift camps after firmed. “But they’ve only tested 60 people,” Father Murphy
shelters in Mexico ran out of space in Matamoros, Tamau- said. “If you work that out to the population, we could have
lipas, just south of Brownsville. 1,000 cases…. People need to start dying in Mexico before
“We have set up hand-washing stations throughout the [the U.S. and Mexican governments] take it seriously.”
camp,” Sister Pimentel said in an email. “We will be testing
everyone that shows flu-like symptoms. We will isolate any J.D. Long-Garcia, senior editor.
family until we confirm it is not the virus.” Twitter: @jdlonggarcia.
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA | 15Covid-19 threat adds to refugee
suffering in Greece, Turkey, Syria
With world attention fixed on the coronavirus pandemic, where thousands of people are packed [together] and se-
other significant humanitarian challenges have fallen out vere health issues are already their daily challenge,” she
of focus. Among them is the ongoing refugee dilemma on said, describing conditions by email.
the Aegean islands of Greece and at the borders of Turkey. Of course, refugees in Greece are not the only groups
Conditions at overcrowded refugee camps in Greece facing heightened vulnerability to the coronavirus. Joan
have become desperate; and in an attempt to highlight its own Rosenhauer, executive director of Jesuit Refugee Service/
problems maintaining 3.6 million refugees, Turkey has re- USA, expressed “great concern that the spread of Covid-19
vived threats to open its border to Europe. At the same time, will impact the more than 70 million forcibly displaced
thousands of Syrian families have been pressing against the people around the world.”
closed border with Turkey, desperate to escape the violence “Refugees often live in unstable or overcrowded condi-
being visited on Idlib Province by Russian and Syrian forces tions and lack access to health care,” Ms. Rosenhauer said.
as the Syrian civil war drags on into its 10th year. “Some, like the millions displaced in Iraq and Syria, have
According to Jesuit Refugee Service, more than 950,000 potentially already been exposed, while others, like those
people have fled the fighting in Idlib. Added to this volatile trying to flee from Venezuela, will be denied the right to
mix is rising anxiety over the coronavirus in refugee camps. seek asylum with border closures.”
Maria Alverti is the director of Caritas-Greece. The On March 3, Jesuit Refugee Service-Greece joined
Greek government, like many others around the world, more than 90 other humanitarian and refugee advoca-
recently ordered extreme measures to contain the coro- cy organizations in a letter to European Union leaders,
navirus, closing schools, restaurants, cinemas and sporting calling for immediate action “to decongest the Aegean
events—“anything that can prevent a big number of people Islands...through fair relocation of asylum seekers for the
getting together,” Ms. Alverti reported. “The virus is quite sake of universal human rights and in accordance with
high on the agenda now, [but] so far, we have not heard offi- E.U. obligations.” According to the groups, 42,000 asy-
cial measures for the camps. lum seekers now reside on the Greek islands, about seven
“We are deeply concerned what might happen if the times their capacity.
coronavirus spreads in camps like the ones on the islands, While Western media portray Turkey as something of
16 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORGPhoto by Joe Mabel via Wikimedia Commons
CNS photo/Khalil Ashawi, Reuters
Cyrus Habib rallies
for Dreamers in
September 2017.
GOODNEWS: Washington’s Cyrus
Habib will not seek re-election,
plans to join the Jesuits
Cyrus Habib, the lieutenant governor of Washington
State, will not seek re-election and is planning to enter
the Society of Jesus this fall, the lieutenant governor
announced on March 19.
Internally displaced Syrian “I’ve felt a calling to dedicate my life in a more direct
children at a camp near the and personal way to serving the marginalized, empower-
Turkish border in Atmeh,
Syria, on March 4. ing the vulnerable, healing those suffering from spiritual
wounds, and accompanying those discerning their own fu-
tures,” Mr. Habib wrote in an essay published in America.
the heavy in this ongoing refugee brinkmanship, a state- Mr. Habib, 38, interrupts what had been a rapid polit-
ment issued by the European Council on Refugees and ical assent. Born to Iranian immigrants in Maryland, he
Exiles points out that Turkey is hosting more refugees is the first and only Iranian-American to hold statewide
than any other country in the world just now—“and more elected office in Washington. Mr. Habib is also a three-
than twice as many as the rest of Europe combined.” time cancer survivor and has been blind since the age of 8.
“It is time for the rest of Europe to do its fair share,” He converted to Catholicism at the age of 25 while study-
the E.C.R.E. said, adding, “The current situation shows ing at the University of Oxford.
the risk of outsourcing protection and relying on Tur- Mr. Habib’s movement toward discerning the priest-
key instead of finding collective European responses hood began when he learned his father, Mo, was diagnosed
and fixing European asylum systems.” with cancer; but he did not seriously consider a vocation
Greece, too, these refugee advocates say, has been until his father passed away in 2016, just a few weeks be-
forced to carry too heavy a burden. A situation report fore he was elected lieutenant governor. “In that year or
shared by an official from Caritas Internationalis notes so after my father died, [I said to myself ], I feel like I’m ac-
“a big change in the atmosphere and public opinion complishing things, I know what we’re doing is so import-
[about] refugees on the islands.” ant in this political moment...but am I personally deriving
“Refugees are considered as a threat for the com- a sense of joy from this life?” Mr. Habib said.
munities that have had enough of carrying such a huge Mr. Habib is eager to bring his experience as an attor-
burden,” according to the report. In their letter, human- ney, professor and legislator to his new vocation. “It’s not
itarian leaders said, “This ongoing political stalemate that what I want to do is abandon the causes and issues
between the E.U., Greece and Turkey must be resolved. that I care about, whether it’s education and health care
This game, played by the powerful, is putting innocent or voting rights or whatever it might be, but that I may be
human lives at risk. It must stop now.” in somewhat of a unique position to play a different role.”
Kevin Clarke, chief correspondent. Zac Davis, associate editor.
Twitter: @ClarkeAtAmerica. Twitter: @zacdayvis.
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA | 17A ROAD TRIP
THROUGH THE
SWING STATES
(BEFORE THE
VIRUS HIT)
Trump voters are holding firm,
but Covid-19 may bring a sea change
By John W. Miller
In the first week of March, reporting on U.S. politics plummeted. In a particularly American touch, gun
for America, I set off in a rental car from my home in sales increased.
Pittsburgh. The pandemic crisis left me with the feeling I had
My plan: Spend a day each in Pennsylvania, Ohio, dreamed the entire road trip. Yes, I had seen some of
Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. All five states backed the pearls of a sprawling, diverse land: a poetry read-
Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the 2012 presidential ing at Oberlin college, a spectacular Serb restaurant
election and Donald J. Trump, a Republican, in 2016. in Milwaukee, quirky bookstores in Iowa City. But for
Winning over the voters in those swing states, and a while, travel like that will, in fact, be just a dream.
addressing their concerns about deindustrialization, Closed for business, the United States goes on,
health care, abortion, racial tension and other issues, but its culture and politics are transformed. When I
is key to both parties’ 2020 presidential campaigns. called to check in with the people I met on my trip,
Then came the virus. there was a consensus that it was worth shutting
The novel coronavirus disease Covid-19 landed things down for a while to contain the virus, with
hard in a highly connected nation with an aging pop- praise for civil servants like Dr. Anthony Fauci, di-
ulation, a disjointed medical system, and persistent rector of the National Institute for Allergy and Infec-
income and racial inequality. Initially clustered in big tious Diseases.
cities on both coasts, the virus spread into the heart- Crisis brings out the values we hope are true: Hu-
land—and into the places I visited. mans matter more than profits, truth more than po-
Schools, restaurants, bars, gyms, and both Little litical spin and science more than the stock market.
League fields and pro sports stadiums slammed shut. Maybe public service will even regain its once-noble
Dioceses suspended Mass en masse. The stock market reputation.
18 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORGBeaver, Pa.:
Among those
who voted for Mr.
Trump in 2016 were
suburban white
Catholics like Judith
and Mike Deelo.
Photos by: John W. Miller
“I have great confidence in what the president calls
the ‘deep state,’ people who’ve given their careers to
Monday:
good government,” said Rocky Marcoux, Milwaukee’s
commissioner for city development who, pre-lockdown,
Trump is a 'New York City
gave me a tour of the city in his Toyota pick-up truck. streetfighter and hard-core
“There’s a decency and competency in those people that
will shine.”
businessman. That’s what we
My phone calls reaffirmed the value of my road trip.
The places I visited are still there, and the people I met,
needed.'
like the rest of us, still have a decision to make in Novem- •••
ber about the future of this country.
Among Democrats, I found more unity than I ex- Monday: Beaver, Pa. (suburban Pittsburgh)
pected. All the Bernie Sanders supporters I talked to said Trump’s Suburban Catholic Support
they would vote for Joe Biden in November, assuming he On a rainy Monday morning, I set out on Route 65 along
is the Democratic nominee. Among Republicans, I found the Ohio River, which starts near my house and flows west
allegiance to Mr. Trump based on satisfaction with his all the way to the Mississippi. It first hits Beaver County,
tax cuts and appointments of conservative, pro-life judg- a cluster of river towns at the heart of Pittsburgh’s once-
es; there was less concern about his ethical and behav- mighty steel manufacturing complex. In one of those
ioral shortcomings. Among undecided voters, especially towns, Ambridge, a plaque reminds visitors that the
Catholics, I found an openness to supporting Mr. Biden, Brooklyn Bridge is made from local steel. Beaver Coun-
even among those identifying as democratic socialists. ty is now in a population decline, and only 24 percent of
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA | 19Tuesday:
'The Democratic
Party left me when tor and individual citizens should do. “The more money I
make, the more generous I can be,” said Julie West, who
works in the oil and gas industry.
they abandoned The group said they mainly got their information from
Fox News. Few read a newspaper anymore.
my values, Catholic That is bad news for J. D. Prose, political editor of The
Beaver County Times, founded in 1851. In 1999, Mr. Prose
moved to western Pennsylvania from Washington, D.C., to
values.' become the political editor of The Times. Those were salad
days: The newspaper printed 50,000 copies on weekends,
operated a full-on features desk and even sent reporters to
adults have a college degree, compared with 32 percent in Russia.
the United States as a whole. Now Mr. Prose is feeling burned out and looking for
In 2016, Mr. Trump won 58 percent of the vote in this other work. The decline in advertising revenue has obliter-
county of 166,000, up from Mitt Romney’s 52 percent in ated the newspaper industry. “Instead of reading my stuff,
2012 and the best performance by a Republican since 1928. people go on Facebook and yell at each other,” he said.
In 2016, voters here told political reporters of their hope Maybe as a result of this breakdown in how people get
for factories opening again and their receptiveness to Mr. their news, some were slow to heed the alarm over Covid-19.
Trump’s promises to support gun rights and oppose abor- “The virus, I believe, is being blown out of proportion,” Phil
tion. Among those who voted for the president were thou- Remke, the former mayor of Moundsville, a West Virginia
sands of suburban white Catholics like Judith and Mike town down the river, texted me on March 15. “I believe the
Deelo, who said they plan to vote for his re-election. media is causing the panic.”
“I’m impressed by what Trump has done for the
church,” said Mr. Deelo, a retired metals trader. In partic- •••
ular, said Mr. Deelo, he has backed anti-abortion policies
and nominated conservative judges. Catholic bishops last Tuesday: Lorain, Ohio (suburban Cleveland)
year voted to make abortion the “pre-eminent” issue for Even Bernie Bros Will Vote for Biden
Catholic voters, Mr. Deelo pointed out. As I headed west on Tuesday morning, rolling down the
Mr. Trump is a “New York City streetfighter and hard- backslope of the Appalachians toward the Great Lakes, I
core businessman,” said Judith. “That’s what we needed.” journeyed through the Silicon Valley of the 1890s.
When I later caught up with the couple by phone, they From Pittsburgh to Iowa, thousands of artisanal en-
both repeated their support for Mr. Trump. The couple also trepreneurs used the coal, glass, natural gas and iron ore
said they had to cancel a planned vacation to California. to build new consumer goods, from cosmetics to horseless
“It’s better to overreact than underreact,” said Mr. Deelo. carriages. Henry Ford in Detroit made cars. The Wright
I met the Deelos as part of a focus group assembled for Brothers in Dayton, Ohio, made bicycles and then air-
America by the Rev. Bob Miller, the pastor at Sts. Peter and planes. One cog in the network of manufacturers was the
Paul Church in the county seat (also called Beaver). It was city of Lorain, the seat of Lorain County on Lake Erie west
a politically conservative bunch, with most leaning for Mr. of Cleveland. Ford used to make cars here, assembling al-
Trump and some undecideds who said they might vote for a most 10 million Fairlines, Thunderbirds and Rancheros.
more moderate Democrat like Mr. Biden. “I know so many In the mid-20th century, migrant workers from Puerto
Catholics who hold their noses and vote for [Mr. Trump] Rico and Mexico, and African-Americans from the South,
just because of the abortion issue,” said Joe Rubino, a re- arrived in Lorain to work in the factories. One of them was
tired teacher. the family of the Nobel Prize–winning writer Toni Morri-
What about inequality and lack of access to health care son, who in her first novel, The Bluest Eye, describes a dy-
and good education? Like other politically conservative ing fire giving the sky “a dull orange glow.” The Ford factory
Catholics I met on the trip, focus group members endorsed closed in 2005, taking down with it a network of suppliers.
helping the poor, but said it was something the private sec- The two big steel mills are basically closed, and have not re-
20 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORGopened despite President Trump’s promises. had moved north from Michoacán State to work in a
Lorain County has a slowly rising population of steel mill. “I believe in what unions can give people,”
310,000; in contrast to Beaver County, it has a significant he told me. “That’s benefits and fair pay, and training
non-white population (22 percent of the total). Over- for a trade.”
all, only 24 percent of adults have college degrees, but it Mr. Ceja opposes Mr. Trump, but immigrants
is home to a famously liberal college, Oberlin. In 2016, and other Latinos come in all political stripes.
Hillary Clinton beat Mr. Trump in Lorain County by 131 David Arredondo is vice chair of the
votes, 47.6 percent to 47.5 percent. This was down from a Lorain County Republican Party,
15-point margin for Mr. Obama in 2012. and his brother Joel is president of
Lorain, Ohio:
Raoul Ceja was born to
Mexican parents in Lorain
in 1935. “I believe in what
unions can give people,”
he said.
As industry spread west across Ohio, the Catholic
Church came along, keeping communities together as they
staffed the factories that made steel and manufactured Wednesday:
consumer goods for the country and world. In the city of
Lorain, even the priests seem to be made of steel. The Rev.
John Retar worked as a purchasing manager for a steel
'When you factor in
company for 12 years before discerning a vocation and
going to seminary. He said his parishioners are mostly
poverty, you get a climate
Democrats “because they’re proud, blue-collar, work-
ing-class people.” of fear: fear of immigrants
He invited Raoul Ceja to our meeting. The 84-year-old
was born to Mexican parents in Lorain in 1935. His dad and the other.'
APRIL 13, 2020 AMERICA | 21Thursday:
'Obama was so lia Waltz.
loved, and that
Both were Sanders supporters, worried about the
climate crisis and eager for student loan forgiveness and
universal health care. But both said
pissed off people they would support Mr. Biden in
November.
who elected I asked a leading question: “Isn’t
Biden channeling this craving Amer-
Trump.'
icans have to return to normalcy, the
rule of law?”
“How old are you?” Mr. Kenne-
dy asked.
the city council—as a Democrat. The two are from a fami- I answered truthfully: 42.
ly of Mexican immigrants, and both started as Democrats. “O.K., so this is a generational thing,” he said. “We
In 1972, David was a delegate for George McGovern at the don’t understand this idea of reforming institutions,
Democratic National Convention; now he’s a Trump boost- of going back to something, because institutions
er. have always failed us. They let 9/11 happen. And the
“The Democratic Party left me when they abandoned Iraq War. And the climate crisis. And the financial crisis.
my values, Catholic values,” he said. “My dad came here as an And the guns.”
immigrant, and my values are hard work and self-reliance, The coronavirus, Ms. Waltz told me later on the phone,
and the Democrats lost me when they started promising free “just shows how right Sanders has been in demanding uni-
stuff.” The two brothers talk about politics, but without fight- versal health care.” She still planned to vote for Mr. Biden,
ing. “Family is the most important thing,” David told me. but she committed only to volunteering for candidates for
On the phone, David said he supported Mr. Trump’s han- local offices.
dling of the crisis “because he’s relying on experts and medical
professionals, and these decisions are coming from them.” •••
Many immigrants do not engage in politics when they
first move here, said Victor Leandry, the executive director Wednesday: Macomb County (suburban Detroit)
of El Centro—a Lorain nonprofit that, among other things, Fighting for America’s Future
educates Puerto Rican and Mexican immigrants about the This is not the first time America has felt under siege. In
U.S. political system. “People are worried about practical
things, like getting a job and paying their rent.”
What’s incredible about the United States, Mr. Le-
andry told me, is its diversity. “You can drive south from
here and leave a Puerto Rican community, and then drive
through Trump country, and then Oberlin [College],
which is incredibly liberal, and then get to Amish country,
all in less than an hour. You don’t get that in Puerto Rico.”
It was Super Tuesday, so I decided to watch primary
results with those famously liberal students at Oberlin
College. At a campus bar known as the ’Sco, the primary
results were coming in on a big screen, and the crowd fa-
vorite, Mr. Sanders, was losing. I approached a gathering
of students. Would anybody be willing to talk to me? They
all pointed at 20-year-old Dan Kennedy. “I’m not sure I’m Milwaukee:
“Biden is a connection to Obama," said Tracey
in a good head space,” he said, but he agreed to talk, along Dent, explaining his popularity among black voters
with another politically engaged student, 19-year-old De- in both the primary and general elections.
22 | AMERICAMAGAZINE.ORGYou can also read
