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TIMOTHY DOLAN

St. Patrick's Day to be largely virtual in NYC for 2nd year

Bagpiper Joe Brady leads a smaller version of the St. Patrick's Day Parade, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)NEW YORK – A largely virtual St. Patrick's Day was planned for New York City on Wednesday, one year after the annual parade celebrating Irish heritage was canceled because of the pandemic. A live broadcast of the St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral took place. AdMultitudes of people usually line Fifth Avenue for New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, which traces its roots to the 1760s. Patrick’s Day: A Celebration For All” at 7 p.m.

Drawing down savings, relying on food banks: Americans take emergency actions amid the pandemic, CNBC + Acorns survey finds

What to know before applyingBlack small-business owners are being left behind in pandemic, survey findsBlack leaders offer several key steps to help close racial wealth gapTo handle everything at once, Cruz needed help. (Food Bank for New York City saw a 91% increase in first time visitors in the earliest months of the pandemic, the organization said.) Covid led many to take emergency financial actionsCruz is not alone – as many as 40% of Americans have taken emergency financial measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent CNBC + Acorns Invest in You survey. For many, emergency financial actions meant either drawing down savings or asking for help. Thirteen percent tapped a savings account, 12% borrowed money from a family member or a friend and 11% used a food bank.

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Trump, Biden appeal to Catholics at virtual charity dinner

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appealed to the nation's Roman Catholic voters on Thursday during a charity dinner that traditionally has been used to promote collegiality and good humor. The event comes as Biden and Trump make fierce plays for Catholic voters, a large swath of the electorate that spans the U.S. political spectrum, including a significant slice of swing voters in battleground states. Trump’s appearance at the dinner four years ago along with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton produced some laughs, but several cringe-worthy moments, too. When Trump described Clinton as corrupt, he crossed the line for many of those in attendance and was booed loudly. On Thursday, Trump sought to highlight his administration's accomplishments benefiting Catholic voters.

Amid pandemic, future of many Catholic schools is in doubt

Nationwide, more than 140 Catholic schools will not reopen in the fall. Already this year, financial and enrollment problems aggravated by the pandemic have forced the permanent closure of more than 140 Catholic schools nationwide, according to officials who oversee Catholic education in the country. Three of the nations highest-ranking Catholic leaders, in a recent joint appeal, said Catholic schools are presently facing their greatest financial crisis and warned that hundreds more closures are likely without federal support. For Catholic schools that are reopening, there is no national directive as to how they should handle the question of in-person classes. And in Evansville, Indiana, Catholic schools reopened Aug. 5 with a full program of in-person instruction.

Mexico tops 35,000 deaths, making it country with 4th-highest death toll

MEXICO CITY Mexican officials say the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths has passed 35,000, making it the country with the fourth-highest total. A count by Johns Hopkins University has only the United States, Brazil and Britain with more confirmed deaths from the new coronavirus. Sundays rise to 35,006 confirmed deaths moved Mexico, a country with 130 million inhabitants, past Italy. Also over the weekend, the ashes of 245 Mexican migrants who died of COVID-19 in New York arrived back into their home nation. The Mexican government says more than 1,500 Mexican migrants have died of COVID-19 in the United States, about half of them in New York.

New York opens the door to small religious gatherings

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)NEW YORK New York will allow religious gatherings of up to 10 people as hospitalization rates continue to decline. More tests and outreach efforts are planned for hard-hit New York City neighborhoods. Coronavirus developments in New York:___RELIGIOUS SERVICESNew York will allow small religious gatherings starting Thursday as the state gradually loosens pandemic restrictions, Gov. Religious gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed statewide as long as participants wear masks and practice social distancing. ___MORE NEIGHBORHOOD TESTINGCuomo said targeted testing and outreach will be expanded in low-income New York City neighborhoods that have been hotbeds of the outbreak.