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Be a Beacon of Hope During a Time of Fear

Stephanie Foleyby Stephanie Foley

With much of the country shutting down in hopes of containing the spread of COVID-19, this is a time of great uncertainty. People are worried, people are anxious, and people are fearful of what the future holds.

But as Catholics, we are a people of hope. Though this is a time of fear and suffering, we know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

And as we are all weathering this storm together, you have the opportunity to be a beacon of hope to those around you. Joe Tremblay, the Parish Evangelization Director for the Diocese of Green Bay, was recently a guest on The Drew Mariani Show™ and he pointed out, “Whenever there’s public anxiety or uncertainty, people go to God naturally for comfort, for strength, and also for perspective.”

For inspiration on being a beacon of hope and peace during times of fear, Tremblay suggested we look to the lives of the saints. Many of the saints experienced tremendous trials and suffering, but their hope, peace, joy, and trust in the Lord brought many people closer to God during those times.

“If you read the lives of the saints, and what they had to say about their time of distress … they totally trusted God, even though death was on their doorstep or some tragedy just happened,” Tremblay said. “Those calamities, those trials didn’t shake their faith. And I think we have to provide that comfort.”

Prayer is the weapon that saints have used for centuries to fight against pandemics, wars, and plagues. Prayer gives peace, puts things into perspective, and is a powerful, protecting force. You can be a beacon of hope during this trying time by joining Relevant Radio® in our prayer campaign to end COVID-19. Check out the details of our Faith & Facts, Not Fear campaign below, and then join our movement today!

  • Special Rosary Novena:  Beginning March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, tune in for a special edition of the Family Rosary Across America®, as Fr. Rocky, Executive Director of Relevant Radio, leads a nine-day rosary novena to pray for the end to the coronavirus and for the health and safety of all.  The rosary will be prayed Live from our Chapel of the Nativity in Green Bay, WI, and Fr. Rocky will be taking your prayer requests. This special rosary will be broadcast each evening from March 19 through March 27 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on your local station, on the Relevant Radio App, at RelevantRadio.com, or on the Father Rocky Facebook page.
  • Live Mass:  Fr. Rocky will continue to offer a daily Mass at Noon CT /10am PT, for those unable to attend due to the many Mass cancellations.  If you would like to participate, tune in to your local station or go to RelevantRadio.com, the Relevant Radio App, or the Father Rocky Facebook page.  The Mass will also be rebroadcast each evening at 8:30pm ET /5:30pm PT.
  • Divine Mercy Chaplet:  Drew Mariani continues to offer the chaplet for your intentions every weekday at 4pm ET/1pm PT, with a special intention for the end to the coronavirus.
  • Live Shows:  Our live shows continue to provide the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic, with experts in every field sharing the facts you need to know to keep you and your loved ones safe and informed from a Catholic perspective.

Stephanie Foley

Stephanie Foley

Stephanie Foley serves as a Digital Media Producer at Relevant Radio®. She is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she studied journalism, and she has worked in Catholic radio for 12 years. Stephanie is a wife, a mother of three boys, and in her free time she enjoys reading, running, and really good coffee. You can find more of Stephanie’s writing at relevantradio.com and on the free Relevant Radio mobile app.