Prayer amid Pandemic

Kateri Tekakwitha became the first Native American saint in 2012. Much of her life was marked by violence, disease, and loss brought on by French colonization and conflict with local tribes. The Mohawk woman died at the young age of 24 but her resolute faith throughout her hard life inspired many. On this episode of Prayer amid Pandemic, Susangeline Patrick, assistant professor of

In 2014, the Ebola outbreak began in West Africa. Over the next two years, more than 11,000 people died, the majority from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. As people struggled to adapt to the new normal brought on by the epidemic, the government and public health workers enlisted church leaders in educating their congregants about the disease. On this episode of Prayer amid Pandem

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a renaissance woman from 17th century Mexico. Born an illegitimate daughter of a Spanish Captain and a Criolla mother, Juana went on to become a scholar, nun, theologian, and poet. At age 46 she died after tending to her sick sisters after the plague arrived in Mexico City in 1695. On this episode of Prayer amid Pandemic, Joel Morales Cruz, the Histori

Perpetua was a noblewoman from Carthage who had a guaranteed life of comfort ahead of her. Born in the late 100’s, she lived with her husband, her son, and her slave. Then she converted to Christianity, a decision that changed everything. On this episode of Prayer amid Pandemic, Megan DeVore, associate professor of church history and early Christian studies at Colorado Christian

Philomena Percival has counseled and cared for hundreds of AIDS patients in Guyana for more than 25 years. She joins Prayer amid Pandemic to discuss how an ectopic pregnancy led her to care for those afflicted by AIDS, how witnessing this suffering up close changed her faith, and why Christians should spend more time with the sick. This episode’s prayer is from Miguel Castillo, t

The most famous siblings of the early church are likely two brothers, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, and their sister Macrina. “She was deeply precious to them for her love, her insight, and her wisdom; they even called her “Teacher,” wrote David Hutchings for Christianity Today last year. Macrina ultimately died after a long battle with an unknown illness. Her life an

The village of Eyam sits about 30 miles East of Manchester in the UK and according to the 2011 British census, it has less than 1,000 residents. But during the 17th century, this unassuming town was hit by the bubonic plague. In the coming months, it killed dozens of residents. Then, just when town leaders thought the crisis had abated, it struck again. On this episode of Prayer am

Much of Catherine of Siena’s life was defined by sickness and plagues. The future saint was born in 1347. The next year, the Black Death began—an epidemic that killed more than 20 million people over the next five years. Despite growing up surrounded by death, Catherine was unafraid. When a plague struck again less than two decades later, the 20-something convinced her follower

The man who would become St. Cyprian of Carthage was born in North Africa around 200 A.D. Cyprian did not convert to Christianity until later in his life but became a bishop shortly after his conversion. In his 10 years in office, Cyprian led his church through a period of intense persecution, a devastating plague, and another round of persecution that ultimately ended his life. On

Perhaps no American community is as polemic as the Puritans. One of its biggest personalities was Cotton Mather, a New England minister whose life is largely remembered in connection with the Salem Witch Trials. But another key part of his legacy are his scientific interests, specifically Mather’s response to a smallpox outbreak in his community, one inspired by his slave Onesimu