My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
The old saying that an idle mind is the Devil’s workshop is so true. In times of idleness, we accomplish little, and we are more vulnerable to life’s usual temptations. Our own personal laziness and any other faults we have seem to be exaggerated during times of idleness, and when we are not sure of what to do with ourselves.
Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, pastor of St. Brigid’s parish in Wyckoff Heights, Brooklyn, died of coronavirus this Friday.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
When we began Lent this year, many of us heard the words, “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.”
While most of the work at a religious order’s general headquarters continues in lockdown, a group of Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit found an additional activity where they could use their hands, do something together and be useful.
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond has announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first Catholic bishop in the U.S. to publicly announce being infected with the coronavirus that has caused a global pandemic.
Following a particularly deadly week for Italians inflicted with the COVID-19 coronavirus, Pope Francis Sunday urged Christians everywhere from different confessions to unite in shared moments of prayer, including several he will be leading at the Vatican.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio released a video on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 22, for the Brooklyn and Queens faithful. This message from the bishop was released just one day after four new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the diocese.
Four more confirmed coronavirus cases related to the diocese of Brooklyn and Queen’s churches were announced March 21.
Effective 12 p.m., Friday, March 20, all churches and rectories in the Brooklyn Diocese are now closed.
On the same day Italy surpassed China in the number of fatalities related to the COVID-19 coronavirus, Pope Francis joined the Italian bishops in calling for a nationwide rosary to pray for an end to the outbreak set for 9:00 p.m. Rome time, 4:00 p.m. on the East Coast of the U.S., offering special prayers for families and the elderly.
