Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

FAIRFIELD—The current health-care crisis requires response, and Sacred Heart University alumnus Bing Carbone ’84 has stepped up to the challenge, epitomizing SHU’s mission to “make a difference in the global community,” personally and professionally.

Carbone recently wrote on Facebook that his company, Modern Plastics, was available to make products like face shields and intubation enclosures. He included his cell phone number in the posts.

What happened next was something Carbone never could have imagined. “My cell phone lit up,” he said. “And it hasn’t stopped.”

Health-care workers from all over the country have called Carbone, asking for supplies. “We don’t turn anyone away,” he said.

History

Carbone’s grandfather, Joseph C. Carbone, established Modern Plastics—initially Modern Glass Co.—in 1945 in Bridgeport. Bing Carbone helped out with the family business throughout his childhood and into his teens. Summer breaks, days off—he was there, doing everything from sweeping floors to processing orders.

Carbone majored in business administration and marketing at SHU and recalls his years there as a “phenomenal experience.” He came to SHU from Trumbull High School, where, he admits, his grades were less than extraordinary. However, he worked hard to excel at SHU and made the dean’s list every year—an especially impressive accomplishment, considering that after he was done with classes, he drove down Park Avenue to his family’s business. “Those four years were really about school and work,” he said.

In 1998, Carbone became president of Modern Plastics, now in Shelton.

Before the pandemic, Carbone and his team of 25 employees manufactured and distributed plastic sheets, rods, tubes and film, and they produced custom-design work. Modern Plastics also is known for products designed for the medical industry, manufacturing parts used for hip and knee replacements.

New normal

When Carbone first learned of a possible pandemic, he said, he was in disbelief, but soon he started thinking of ways to help. He knew medical professionals needed supplies because the stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) was diminishing and finding more was impossible. His company came up with a face shield prototype, and he turned to social media to let people know what his company could do. Each post was shared more than 200 times.

“The calls have not slowed down,” Carbone said, and he has listened to many emotional voicemails. “There are a lot of messages from doctors and nurses so desperate for materials. Many are thanking us, too.” He said the response has been humbling and overwhelming.

In light of the desperate need for PPE, Modern Plastics now has an infection control division that produces items specific to the pandemic, including face shields and protective plastic barriers for hospitals and grocery stores.

Advice remembered

When Carbone was at Sacred Heart, beloved business and marketing professor Laurence Weinstein passed along some worldly advice. “He told me, ‘Life is difficult, and once you understand that, you start to move forward,’” Carbone recalled.

“Life has gotten a lot more complicated,” he said. “This virus is affecting a lot of people in many ways, and we’re going to try to do what we can to help.”

Modern Plastics has donated supplies to the Shelton Police Department, and Carbone said he and his employees are doing their best to fulfill every order as quickly as possible, whether it’s 10 face shields or 100,000.

For more information, visit Modern Plastics at https://modernplastics.com/.

Photos courtesy of Modern Plastics. Pictured from left are hospital/healthcare plastic protection, alumnus Bing Carbone ’84 wears one of the face shields and an acrylic plastic physical contact barrier.

April 20, 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When I began my ministry as your bishop nearly seven years ago, I spoke of the need to build bridges between people. I suggested that each of us is a “living stone” in the bridge that Christ wishes us to create to provide healing and service to our neighbor, especially those in need. Little did I know at that time of the personal and extraordinary challenges that we would all face in our families, parishes and community as a result of the terrible COVID19 pandemic that has upended our lives.

While I am grateful for all who have helped “flatten the curve” and done what was asked by our health officials to help save the lives of the most vulnerable in our midst, the numbers we hear in the media can easily mask the names, faces and stories of the tens of thousands of people who are living in grief for the death of a loved one, struggling against the grip of a faceless enemy, living in fear and isolation, or for the first time facing the prospect of not having enough money to buy food, medicine or pay their monthly rent or mortgage. What the future holds has not been this uncertain in years but the challenges we will face will endure long after the coronavirus has been tamed.

Therefore, in these days when we celebrate the promise of new life in Easter, I write to you now to ask your heroic help to re-launch the 2020 Annual Catholic Appeal in a moment of extreme, urgent need.

I come to you in this emergency to ask for your help to ensure that the Annual Catholic Appeal, which has provided basic human services of food, shelter, education and counseling to many in the past can be maintained and, to the extent possible, be expanded to the many others who are facing real hardship for the first time in their lives. I recognize that some of you are now among those who are facing these hardships. For this reason, I am asking all those who can to give as generously as possible, so that our Church can be there to assist you and your family.

We have seen many faces of heroism in those who have served on the front line of this crisis: doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel who risk their lives to serve the sick; police, firefighters and first responders who go wherever they are needed; grocery workers and gas attendants who help provide us with the necessities of life. They deserve our deep gratitude, respect and prayerful support.

Added to these heroes are the chaplains in our local hospitals and nursing homes who are serving the most vulnerable, including those infected by the virus; our teachers who continue to teach our children online despite the tremendous workload this creates; our pastors who have reached out in creative ways to connect people to the Lord and one another in a time when faith and hope are needed to help us to persevere.

I ask that you join the efforts of these heroes and heroines in responding to this emergency appeal. Your contribution will help to allow the Church’s mission to endure so that we can respond effectively to the spiritual, psychological and physical needs of our people.

Please make a donation online to this year’s Appeal as generously as your means allow at www.2020ACABridgeport.com or text the word APPEAL to 475-241-7849. All donations of whatever amount will help us to help those in need.

As your bishop, I have seen first-hand your extraordinary generosity and I remain deeply grateful. Every time I have asked, you have responded with compassion, with sacrificial giving, and with deep and abiding faith in the Lord and the work of his Church. In this hour of need, let us together become the living stones of the Church by loving and serving one another by building a bridge that will carry our sisters and brothers safely through this crisis. And let us do so joyfully in the name of the Risen Lord who has triumphed over sin and death and will never abandon us.

With every best wish and prayer this Easter, I am

Sincerely yours in Christ,


Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano
Bishop of Bridgeport

P.S. If you have already made a gift to the 2020 Annual Catholic Appeal, thank you, your steadfast support is truly a blessing in this time of need.

STAMFORD– Bishop Frank J. Caggiano has announced the merger of Saint Mary Parish and Saint Benedict-Our Lady of Montserrat Parish in Stamford into the single parish of Saint Mary. effective on April 19 2020, the Octave of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.

In a formal decree issues on April 19, 2020, the Bishop formally declared the merger and that “The territorial boundaries of the aforementioned parishes, by this canonical decree, shall be amalgamated to become the boundaries of Saint Mary Parish.”

“The above two parishes be merged through an extinctive union so as to form one parish. This determination has been made to strengthen the pastoral care of the people of God in this area of my diocese, and to address several trends that are of serious concern, including: diminished Mass attendance, lack of sustainability in the face of diminishing income, declining sacramental celebrations, and clergy availability,” the bishop wrote in the Decree.

The Bishop met with parish leaders on January 12, 2020 and with all parishioners during an open meeting on February 9, 2020. The merger was also brought before the Council of Priests on January 23.

In an earlier letter to parishioners, the bishop noted that after having consulted with the Pastor, Father Gustavo Falla, the parish staff and lay leaders of both communities, he made the decision to canonically merge the two parishes.

“I wish to express my sincere thanks to Father Falla, the clergy and your parish lay leaders for their great cooperation and support of this process,” the bishop said. “I believe the merger will be an occasion of great grace for both parish communities, allowing them to come together in greater unity and vitality for years to come.”

The parishes have already shared the same pastor, Fr. Falla, and some parish leaders for the last five years, which should further facilitate the transition to a single parish.

The merger had initially been schedule to take effect on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, March 25, during the celebration of a bi-lingual Mass which the Bishop will celebrate with the priests of both parishes. However, the health and safety precautions put in place for the Coronavirus pandemic, delayed the final decree.

The Bishop said that at a practical level, the merger of the two parishes will not greatly affect the daily life of either community. Both churches will remain open. All existing spiritual activities at both churches will essentially remain unchanged.

Some of the major committees including the Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Finance Council that advise and assist the pastor will be consolidated over time to help alleviate some of the administrative burden that the clergy carry in their administrative and financial duties towards the parish, he said.

“The merger will also allow both communities to join forces in tackling some of the great challenges we are facing, including the need to involve our youth in the life of our parish, seeking and nurturing vocations to priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life, and our common desire to bring back to active faith those Catholics who have stopped coming to Sunday Mass,” he said.

In 2019, Bishop Caggiano issued canonical decrees merging The Parish of St. Gabriel with the Parish of St. Cecilia in Stamford to create the newly named Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel; merging the Parish of St. Agnes in Greenwich with St. Catherine of Siena in Riverside to create the Parish of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes; and merging of Holy Family Parish in Fairfield and St. Emery Parish in Fairfield into the new Holy Family and St. Emery Parish.

The successful parish consolidations have grown out of the work of the diocesan Synod 2014 and the mandate to create welcoming, vibrant and stronger faith communities.

The mergers are intended to address pastoral trends including diminishing Mass attendance, fiscal sustainability, decreasing sacramental celebrations, and clergy availability. all parishes formed collaborative committees with equal representation to discuss the parish consolidations.

All of the parishes involved formed collaborative committees with equal representation to discuss the parish consolidations and to undertake the mergers through a consultative and collaborative process with parishioners.

Decree Merging the Parishes of Saint Benedict-Our Lady of Montserrat, Stamford, CT and Saint Mary, Stamford, CT Decreto Para la Fusion de las Parroquias de Saint Benedict-Our Lady Of Montserrat, Stamford, CT y Saint Mary, Stamford, CT

FAIRFIELD—When Sacred Heart University’s faculty and staff learned they would be working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, they chose to be proactive, rather than sit back and watch the world struggle. They started asking each other, “How can we help?” And they came up with answers.

Within days, faculty came together and devised plans to help those who are fighting the crisis on the front lines.

Shelter for first responders, health-care workers
Neighboring communities have been seeking shelters for first responders who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and need to self-isolate for 14 days away from their families. Sacred Heart is providing these responders, as well as health-care workers and other displaced persons requested by local authorities, with a place to stay.

“No one wants to bring this infection home, but they’re put on that front line to fight this pandemic,” said Gary MacNamara, SHU’s executive director of public safety and governmental affairs. “We hope all local emergency responders and health professionals know they have a home at Sacred Heart for as long as they need it.”

MacNamara, former Fairfield police chief, is encouraging all emergency responders to pack a travel bag and bring it with them to work each day. If they are exposed, they won’t have to go home for personal belongings; they can just come to the University.

Center for Healthcare Education provides equipment
When administrators from Bridgeport Hospital reached out to SHU looking for equipment to set up a temporary patient-housing tent, Mary Alice Donius, dean of the Dr. Susan L. Davis, RN, & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing, didn’t think twice. Within an hour, she let the administrators know the Center for Healthcare Education could provide 12 set-ups for the hospital’s tent. Each includes a bed or cot, trash can, side table or cart with drawers, over-bed table and an IV pole.

“If we can help, we will,” Donius said. “We are happy to provide any services we can to the health-care workers fighting this fight.”

The University also distributed additional medical supplies to area hospitals. This included surgical masks, N95 masks, gloves and hand sanitizer, all which would normally be used by students in SHU’s nursing and health professions programs. Sacred Heart also offered to house tents on its campus for hospitals in need of extra space for its COVID-19 patients.

SHU President John J. Petillo shared his thoughts in an editorial for the Hartford Courant requesting that the state lift regulations and allow medical students and students in health professions who are about to graduate to be allowed to work as soon as possible. Governor Lamont has since made that decision.

Face shields
In light of the nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), professor Tolga Kaya and IDEA Lab manager Cedric Bleimling of the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology (WCBT) took home 3D printers from the University’s IDEA Lab to manufacture face shields for health-care workers. “We filled my minivan with the printers and dropped them off at our houses, all while practicing social distancing,” said Kaya, who is also director of the engineering program in the School of Computer Science & Engineering. “We are going to do whatever we can do to help the world.”

To make the shields, these professors ordered plastic and elastic fabric online. The 3D printers manufacture two pieces for the masks: the top part of the shield, which holds the elastic fabric or headband, and a bottom piece that enables the plastic to stay curved around the user’s face. Kaya estimated each shield costs about $5.

The printers produce materials to make one mask per hour. The faculty members have made more than 100 masks so far.

Ventilators
Kaya and Bleimling are also taking part in an initiative to create ventilators, a device that helps patients breathe. Hospitals across the country are struggling with ventilator shortages. The IDEA Lab team took part in a local initiative led by MakeHaven, a makerspace in New Haven, to prototype a ventilator based on an existing Israeli design called “AmboVent.” If the coalition is successful, Bleimling said a production batch could help fight the shortages in local hospitals.

“Think of all the people who could be saved,” Kaya said.

Bleimling said these efforts are truly grassroots—engineers and people from makerspaces are coming together to try to find solutions to serious problems. He and Kaya have received interest from industry partners, companies and others asking for advice related to the pandemic, he said.

“It’s been an amazing response from people,” said Bleimling.

Folding for a cure
Sacred Heart also is donating unused computer bandwidth to help researchers find potential cures for COVID-19. The University’s IT department downloaded software provided by the organization Folding@Home on computers in the WCBT’s IDEA and artificial intelligence labs.

“Since classes are being hosted online, a lot of the computer labs are not currently being used,” said Tom Tarantino, a technical support specialist. “We thought it would be a good idea to put some of the computing power to good use.”

Folding@Home describes itself online as a distributed computing project for simulating protein dynamics, including the process of protein folding and the movements of proteins implicated in various diseases. It brings together citizen scientists who volunteer to run simulations of protein dynamics on their personal computers. Folding refers to the way human proteins fold in the body’s cells. Bodies rely on proteins to stay healthy and to assemble themselves by folding, according to Folding@Home.

Tarantino said that, through Folding@Home’s software, SHU computers are set to analyze the COVID-19 protein. Sometimes the computers are analyzing the genetic makeup of the protein and sometimes it’s looking for areas on the protein itself that are vulnerable. These calculations would take “ages” for humans to do, so researchers from Stanford University developed Folding@Home to allow computers to join the effort, Tarantino said.

Researchers are trying to understand how the virus’s proteins work, with a goal of designing therapeutics to stop them, according to the organization.

Sacred Heart’s computers are contributing to the top 3% of Folding@Home’s calculations. “We have very powerful computers in these WCBT labs that can handle a lot of calculations at once, so it’s the ideal environment for computational research,” said Tarantino. “Folding@Home sends a job to our computers, our computers analyze the protein, and they report the information back to Folding@Home. Our results and those of everyone else participating in this project globally are analyzed by scientists to help find cures and better understand COVID-19.”

“I think given a cause, people demonstrate innovation and the ability to change things,” Bleimling said.

Throughout the pandemic, Kaya said, Martha Crawford, WCBT dean, has been very supportive, with conversations over text, video and phone taking place at all hours of the day and night. “She has allowed us to think more and more and is always telling us to “go for it” and asking what she can do to help,” he said.

About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges—2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu

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ROME—Holy Week and Easter events broadcast and shared by Vatican media reached millions of people around the world, attracting new viewers, followers and fans inspired by Pope Francis’ words and gestures.

“We have been struck by the many emails we have received, comments and posts on our social media from people, even agnostics and nonbelievers, who say they have been moved by the words and gestures of the Holy Father during this very difficult period,” Alessandro Gisotti, vice-editorial director of Vatican media, told Catholic News Service by email April 14.

Huge spikes in online visitors, views, follows and comments on their numerous platforms showed that “many people, not just the Catholic faithful, were able to follow and ‘encounter’ the Holy Father and, through him, the Word of God thanks to this technology and especially to streaming services and social media,” he said in a response to a request for information about online engagement during Holy Week and Easter.

Gisotti told CNS that Vatican media outlets tried to put into practice that “creativity of love that the pope asks of us in order to overcome the isolation caused by the pandemic.”

Their Vatican News site, which offers video, radio, podcasts, images, news and audio services in more than 30 languages, saw its number of visitors and page views quadruple from the same liturgical period last year.

Nearly 5.5 million users registered more than 14.5 million views on the vaticannews.va website between April 5 and April 13 versus Holy Week last year, which saw 1.5 million users and some 3.5 million page views.

Vatican News livestreamed all the major events on its YouTube channels with live commentary in six languages, plus, for the first time, a channel featuring a sign-language interpreter.

Easter events broadcast on YouTube, Gisotti said, had more than 2.1 million views.

The social media accounts for Vatican News and Pope Francis also saw huge growth, he said.

Over Holy Week the @Pontifex Twitter accounts surpassed 50 million followers, while the @Franciscus Instagram accounts exceeded 7 million followers.

The Vatican News Instagram account gained 27,000 new followers over Holy Week, bringing them to more than 436,000 followers. Vatican News tweets, over its different Twitter accounts in six languages, had 61 million views and received 31,000 mentions.

There were almost 18 million viewers watching the live video feeds of Holy Week events on the Vatican News Facebook pages in different languages. The Good Friday Way of the Cross alone had more than 5 million viewers. Levels of engagement on Facebook were high with 1.9 million actions on their accounts and an “exceptional number” of almost 143,000 comments made during the pope’s Easter events April 12, Gisotti said.

While all major papal Masses, liturgies and services have long been offered online, only a handful of events are broadcast worldwide via satellite each year. However, this year the Vatican offered for the first time, all major Holy Week and Easter events.

A total of six events were broadcast and distributed free-of-charge, thanks to funding from the Knights of Columbus, to television outlets and networks around the world.

Gisotti said they had no way to estimate the number of television viewers around the world, but there were almost 8 million households (25 percent of the audience share) tuning in to the Way of the Cross on the Italian public broadcasting company’s RAI 1 channel as well as 750,000 viewers on the Italian bishops’ conference TV channel and unspecified numbers of viewers on the stations’ streaming services.

Easter Mass had a nearly 50 percent share of the television audience in Italy with more than 8.1 million households viewing the entire event, while 17.5 million households tuned in for at least part of the event.

By Carol Glatz  I  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY—Using the media to pray together and, especially, to join others for Mass is showing Catholics that they can be united around the Lord’s table even when they are not physically together, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi.

When Pope Francis began inviting a small group of people to the chapel of his residence for early morning Masses, he began with Vatican gardeners and garbage collectors.

It was March 22, 2013, just nine days after his election as pope. Father Lombardi, who was his press officer at the time, said he soon went to the pope with a request from the Italian bishops’ television station, which wanted to broadcast the Mass each day.

The pope thought about it, Father Lombardi said, and decided no “because, unlike the public celebrations, he wanted to preserve a more intimate and private character, one that was simple and spontaneous, without the celebrant and assembly feeling like the world was watching.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in Italy and other countries, the situation—and the pope’s thinking—have changed, Father Lombardi wrote in the first installment of his “Diary of a Crisis” for the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

Pope Francis still celebrates Mass at 7 am in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, but there are no invited guests, just his secretaries, a few of the sisters who work in the residence, an organist and the television camera operator.

“It is transmitted live and followed by a great number of people who receive comfort and consolation from it,” Father Lombardi wrote. The viewers unite with the pope in prayer and are “invited by him to make an act of ‘spiritual communion’ because they cannot go forward to receive the body of the Lord.”

When giving a homily, he said, Pope Francis “loves to look in the eyes of those present and dialogue with them,” but now he looks at the camera and the “congregation” hears his voice over the TV set, the internet or the radio.

But his words still “reach the heart,” he wrote. “The assembly is no longer present physically, but it is there and, through the person of the celebrant, is truly united around the Lord who died and rose again.”

Pope Francis praying in an empty St. Peter’s Square or an almost empty St. Peter’s Basilica is even “more intense,” Father Lombardi said. The Vatican is used to giving crowd estimates—50,000 or 100,000 or 200,000 for major events—but it always has known that millions more are watching on television.

The reality of those global “gatherings,” he said, were especially obvious during the “urbi et orbit” (to the city and the world) blessings of St. John Paul II, who always wished people “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Easter” in more than 50 languages, reading off a page where the words were printed phonetically.

But, Father Lombardi wrote, Pope Francis’ special “urbi et orbi” prayer in late March, praying for an end to the pandemic, and his Way of the Cross service on Good Friday demonstrate that “the pope can be alone in St. Peter’s Square, like in the chapel at Santa Marta, but the church, the universal assembly of the faithful, is strongly real and united by bonds that are very deeply rooted in the faith and in the human heart.”

Even in the empty square, he said, it was obvious people were more present that the word “virtual” would suggest, showing a whole web of “spiritual relationships of love, compassion, suffering, longing, waiting, hoping.”

The church as the body of Christ is a spiritual reality that “is manifest when the assembly is physically gathered and present, but it is not tied to or limited by physical presence,” Father Lombardi wrote. “Paradoxically, in these days that can be experienced in a stronger and more evident way.”

By Cindy Wooden  I  Catholic News Service

 

DYKER HEIGHTS—When I see Dr. Anthony Fauci on the TV screen explaining expertly everything we need to know about the coronavirus pandemic, I find myself thinking back to his father, Stephen Fauci, whose drugstore our family relied on back in the 1950s. Steve Fauci was the neighborhood pharmacist.

The Fauci Pharmacy stood on the southwest corner of 13th Ave. and 83rd St., in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, diagonally across from the Shrine Church of St. Bernadette. We lived two blocks away on 85th.

Long ago parishioners like me remember what the store looked like, the soda fountain that ran along the right wall, the telephone booths at the left close to the entrance and the counter straight ahead down the center.

Whenever my mother sent me there, Mr. Fauci would be behind the counter, but it was a family enterprise. They lived in an apartment above the store, and if the patriarch wasn’t serving you, his wife, Eugenia, or daughter, Denise, was there. Young Anthony, I’ve since learned, pitched in too, his father sending him out on his bike to deliver items to customers.

I’ve never met the man who has become the most important medical voice in the country. Nor have former parishioners that I’ve spoken to about him in recent days, like boyhood pals Anthony LoFrisco, from 80th St., now in Connecticut, and Bob Orlando, who lived on 84th, now a New Jersey resident, as well as Bishop Gerald Barbarito of the Palm Beach Diocese., from 11th Ave. But each remembers the pharmacy as a Dyker Heights institution.

While we don’t know him personally, in a sense he’s become everyone’s friend. With his steady television presence, he’s imparted his vast knowledge and straightforward advice in a trademark, sometimes gravelly or raspy, Brooklyn accent that has endeared him to people far and wide. You can’t be anything but proud of someone of his prominence who came from the parish.

Anthony became known as Tony, as he tells it, when Father Flanagan, principal of Regis High School, decided to call him that on his first day as a freshman. The name stuck.

Tony took buses and trains to the Jesuit school in Manhattan, including the old Sea Beach Express. He traveled 70 minutes each way, did three hours of homework, captained the basketball team and excelled in the class room.

I remember hearing that when Tony was a high schooler, he had a part-time job working in St. Bernadette’s rectory, answering the phone and doing whatever else parishioners wanted him to do to put them in touch with one of the parish priests. In those days, the rectory had a priestly bonanza. There were four of them.

Because St. Bernadette’s School had not yet been established, Tony went to Our Lady of Guadalupe School, where he was taught by Dominican Sisters. It was, and is, St. Bernadette’s neighboring parish.

Like most kids, he loved sports. He played CYO baseball and basketball. At Dyker Park on 86th St., he and his friends developed skills in imitation of their heroes. A Yankee follower living in the midst of Brooklyn Dodgers fans who adored The Boys of Summer, he’s said his favorite players were Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.

Tony’s father and mother married at 18, after they graduated from New Utrecht High School. Steve went on to Columbia to study pharmacy.

Sometime after he opened his pharmacy, he became friends with Father Al Varriale, one of St. Bernadette’s beloved parish priests. At one point, Steve, as a parent, and the priest known as Father V, who directed the parish’s robust CYO sports program for youths, shared a concern. It was the easy availability of indecent and immoral publications that they knew was a threat to the moral development of young people.

So, with the approval and support of the Diocese of Brooklyn, together they formed a diocesan commission against pornography. Both men are now long gone, and so is the commission, but it was a good idea, though it did not survive them.

Remarkably, just a few houses up the block from where Steve established his pharmacy, lived the Pellegrinos, another family of St. Bernadette’s parishioners that produced a renowned medical professional.

The eldest son, Edmund, became a bioethicist, a “preeminent” one, as one newspaper described him after he died. But he was more. He helped develop medical programs at Kentucky, Stony Brook and Tennessee Universities. Later, he took on the presidency of The Catholic University of America. Then, after completing his tenure there, he became, as physician and philosopher, the director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University.

Though years apart in age, both Dr. Fauci and Dr. Pellegrino became Hippocratic stars, nurtured on the same block. Only in Brooklyn, I say, not without bias.

Steve Fauci was known by members of his extended family and friends for his personality, kindness, sense of humor and wit, and for telling good stories. So they said in comments after he died in 2008.

Tony appears to have inherited Steve’s gene for lightheartedness. His daughter once told the Washington Post that her dad could be a “goofball. . .he works hard and does his thing, but he comes home and he’s singing opera in the kitchen and dancing around.”

That kind of calm can help a man maintain his balance as he deals with the pressure of talking to millions of people every day about the complexity of a global pandemic. As one newsman said, “When Fauci appears on the screen, you turn up the volume.”

He once said the Jesuits at Regis and Holy Cross College taught him the importance of “precision of thought and economy of expression.” That’s what he delivers every day: accurate information given concisely.

That’s Tony Fauci, now a national treasure. And to think, he came from the neighborhood.

By Frank DeRosa
(DeRosa retired as Associate Publisher of The Tablet and director of the Diocesan Public Information Office in 2008)

 

WESTPORT—Each year, St. Luke parishioners would gather to watch Living Stations put on by the youth group.

With no public Masses occurring throughout the diocese, the teens worked hard to bring this breathtaking experience to our homes.

In time for Good Friday, St. Luke Youth Ministry released “With Love, From the Cross,” which features a compilation of photos from previous Living Stations set to music.

Please enjoy the video!

(Editor’s note: During this unprecedented coronavirus crisis, the priests of the Diocese of Bridgeport may be separated from their flocks physically but they are connected with them spiritually. Their message is a simple one: Christ is with us even in the storm … and he will never leave us. Here are some of their stories.)

NEW CANAAN—Parishioners at St. Aloysius have been lighting candles in front of the statue of the church’s patron and praying to the saint who was a servant to the sick. An Italian aristocrat, Aloysius Gonzaga left behind his life of affluence and entered the Society of Jesus, and he died at 23, caring for victims of an epidemic that ravaged Rome in 1591.

“He served during the plague and he died during the plague, and his life has brought many of our parishioners closer to our church and to our faith,” said Father Robert Kinnally, pastor and Diocesan Chancellor. “We have been asking everyone to pray for his intercession during the coronavirus pandemic.”

One parishioner who brought her grandson to light a candle said to Father, “Aren’t we blessed to have St. Aloysius as our patron right now because he is such a friend and servant of the sick.”

For Father, it was one of many “grace-filled moments” he has experienced in recent weeks since the parish turned to technology to fill the void that developed when the faith community could no longer gather.

“I am very proud of our parishioners because they are doing the best they can under these circumstances,” he said. But the longing for Christ in the sacraments is great.

Father Bob Uzzilio, a retired priest in residence, was recently walking around the block near the church when a couple from the parish spotted him and called out, “We miss the Eucharist!” When he mentioned the encounter during the staff meeting, Father Rob said their eyes filled with tears.

“For us, this Lent was a time in the desert, a time of longing to go back to what we love—Jesus in the Eucharist,” he said. “And I hope this brings a stronger desire for him. I think that is where God is leading us.”

Despite the challenges the separation has caused, the parish is working hard to keep people connected. The youth group and their families have been reaching out to the well over 100 seniors of St. Aloysius.

“They pray with them on the phone, they laugh with them and they listen to them,” Father Rob said. “It makes me think about my own ministry, and I find myself asking how I can rearrange what I do so that I spend more time with parishioners.”

Of course, technology has its limitations when it comes to the pastoral ministry of priests.

“Sometimes the best we can do is talk to someone on the phone but even with those who don’t have the virus and are dying because of natural causes, we can’t get to,” he said. “We talk to them while nurses are holding phones up to their ears. But God does what God does, and we are confident in his mercy.”

In the first reading at Mass on a Sunday when the crisis was in the early stages, the Israelites asked, “Is God in our midst?” For Father Rob, that question has been a recurring theme in recent weeks.

“We should be able to answer a hearty ‘yes’ to that. He is in our midst and challenging us to go deeper in our faith,” Father said. “We should ask ourselves, ‘What does this mean for me as a Christian, for my family, for my parish, for the Church and for the world?’ We have time to think about that now. It is an opportunity to find God in our own lives and recognize that he is present and that, yes, he is in our midst.”

The coronavirus crisis is a call from the Lord for the faithful to look inward, to sit and think and pray about our relationship with God and get to know him better amid the challenges we are experiencing.

“All this happened in Lent, which is a time for us to go deeper in our spirituality and look for Christ in a very intentional way, so we can draw closer to the Paschal mystery of suffering, dying and rising with Christ,” he said. “I tell people to just be with God and ask, ‘What are you trying to tell me?’ And in asking that, know that God loves us through all this. Not that God is angry with us or disappointed with us, but loving us. This time has made us more aware of God and of our need to change and be more aware of the other person.”

God is always in control

DARIEN—Several days before the coronavirus pandemic began to ramp up, Father Christopher Perrella, parochial vicar of St. John Church, was called to Stamford Hospital to give the Anointing of the Sick to a woman who was dying. Several days later, she passed away, and it emphasized for him once again the importance of administering the sacraments to people when they are sick or in danger of dying.

This crisis has made his ministry more difficult. Serving others is the life of a priest, and being separated from the sacraments is particularly challenging for faithful Catholics, he said.
Nevertheless, he has been focusing on trying to connect with people on a personal level through Zoom and social media. He has also been regularly calling parishioners to say hello and ask if they need groceries, and he continues to do pastoral counseling and spiritual direction through the available technology.

“I miss my people, and I really look forward to the day when we can get back to the church again. It has taken some time to realize how much it weighs on me, and other people too,” he said. “I would love to be able to take this burden away from people and solve this, but I have to recognize that is far beyond my ability. It is pulling down some of the illusions of control that I had and that a lot of us had, when we were laboring under that illusion that we have control.”

God is the only one in complete control, he said, and he has always been in control.

“What do we do when we are forced to confront our helplessness?” Father Chris said. “We can despair. We can give up. Or we can say, ‘Lord, I am scared. I am anxious. I am lonely … and I am going to trust you.’ It is easy when our anxiety is high to think that God is absent. God has always been in control, and he is in control of the situation now. He is a loving father who won’t leave us or let us carry our burden alone. He wants to use this present situation to draw us closer to him. There are so many things we get attached to even when we are following God, and sometimes it takes something serious to help us reprioritize.”

Father Chris recalls the Gospel story in which Jesus calls a little child to himself and tells the disciples, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

This is one of Christ’s most powerful statements, he said, because it points to the importance of childlike dependence on God in all things. Nothing is outside of God’s plan, Father Chris says.

“God is a loving, wise father, and he wants the best for his children,” he said. “God has never punished us according to what we deserve, and he always tries to be lenient and forgiving, but sometimes when we become obstinate, we need a wake-up call. All things are under his control, and he will bring good out of every situation, including the one we are in right now.”

‘I haven’t forgotten you. I’m praying for you’

TRUMBULL—In his Easter videotaped message to the St. Joseph High School community, Father Eric Silva, the episcopal chaplain, reminded them to celebrate during this time of great joy and great challenges.

“The Lord is risen, alleluia, alleluia. Happy Easter, St. Joe’s,” he said from the school chapel. “We know that the end of a story changes the meaning of every page, and Lent only makes sense in the light of what’s to come and in the light of what we celebrate today….Celebrate. Eat ice cream, have cake, watch a movie with your family. It’s spring break now, so just enjoy yourselves and really celebrate, remembering that this time is supposed to be a time of great joy…”

Since the school closed because of the pandemic, he has been sending regular video clips to the 820 students and the rest of high school community, along with links to resources that will help them pray the rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and live-stream liturgies and prayer services.

“I want to encourage them and make sure they have the resources they need during this time,” he said. “And sometimes my message is simple: ‘I am praying for you. I haven’t forgotten you.’”

His ministry is primarily one of “presence,” and to maintain that presence, he has been relying on communications platforms such as Zoom and Google Hangouts, to stay connected with students. Every day, he makes himself available and has from one to four “digital office hours” in addition to saying daily Mass.

“Even though I am a young priest, I never imagined myself as being a priest who overuses the digital platform,” he said. “It is something unappealing to me personally, but that is what needs to be done, as well as praying and interceding for my people. My flock and my sheep are not able to go to Mass so first and foremost, I am hunkered down in prayer for them and making them know that beyond a shadow of a doubt I am praying for them at the altar.”

Young people, in particular, are dealing with anxieties because of the crisis and their inability to leave home.

“Being in lockdown for a teenager can be a particularly difficult time,” he said, so during his twice weekly videos he addresses topics of special concern to the students in addition to parents, alumni and staff.

Father Silva, who assists at weekend Masses at Our Lady of Fatima in Wilton, also celebrates the Eucharist at three convents in the area, where Masses are still permitted.

“We have so many good and faithful religious,” he said. “Celebrating Mass with these sisters has been a huge source of consolation and grace for me.”

By Joe Pisani

WILTON—On Easter Sunday, April 12, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Academy organized another special meal delivery to Norwalk Hospital. For the second time, OLFCA partnered with Letizia’s Pizza of Norwalk in an endeavor to thank workers at the hospital. On Sunday, they delivered 100 dinners to provide sustenance and comfort to those working in these difficult times.

OLFCA students, families and staff raised the funds needed for the effort. Letizia’s prepared and delivered the dinners consisting of ham, mashed potatoes, string beans, lasagna and apple pie.

Each dinner included a note to workers saying, “We appreciate your bravery, sacrifice, and dedication to helping our community during this crisis. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we hope you enjoy your meal.”

Susan Kaiser, parent of an OLFCA student and marketing chairperson on the school’s board, commented, “While many of us have the good fortune of safely celebrating Easter or Passover in our homes, many of our friends and neighbors are on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis and continue to put themselves in harm’s way. We thank them all with our deepest gratitude.”

OLFCA is also taking the opportunity to thank healthcare workers and first responders with lawn signs as part of the school’s annual enrollment drive. “We hope those workers see our signs when they’re on their way to and from work. What they are doing is the epitome of ‘service above self’,” said Kaiser, referring to the school’s motto. “That spirit of service is something we work hard to instill at OLFCA. The lawn signs are a fitting tribute to those workers whose values we share.”

(For more information about Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Academy, visit www.olfacademy.org or contact Principal Stanley Steele, ssteele@olfcatholic.org. Live virtual tours of the Pre-K – 8th grade school are available upon request.)

NEWTOWN—As a way to celebrate Easter, while still practicing social distancing, St. Rose School families organized an Easter car parade to greet pastor Msgr. Robert Weiss with messages of hope, support and love.

Organized by a St. Rose parent who put the offer out and received so many positive responses.

More than 50 cars lined the parking lot decorated with Easter messages and filled with enthusiastic children and families who called out loving messages to Monsignor as they passed by the rectory porch where he stood waving back to them and calling out “Thank you and God bless.”

The St. Rose School spirit is strong!

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School is a Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence in an atmosphere that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and moral development of each child. The dedicated staff partners with families to prepare students to be responsible leaders in a global society by fostering integrity, service and respect. By creating a sense of family where all are welcome, they encourage each child to develop his/her gifts and to become Christ’s compassionate heart and hands in the world. They center their community of learning around the four core values of respect, integrity, academic excellence and service. Their spirituality is fostered through their close connection with St. Rose of Lima church. Students attend weekly Mass and are blessed by the continual presence of Msgr. Robert Weiss and the other parish priests.

(For more information on St. Rose of Lima school, visit their website at: www.stroseschool.com.)

VATICAN CITY—In a dark and nearly empty St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis blessed a fire, lit the Easter candle and called Christians to keep kindling sparks of hope, knowing that Jesus has risen and death will not have the last word.

Easter is a reminder that “God is able to make everything work unto good, because even from the grave he brings life,” the pope said in his homily April 11 during the Easter Vigil Mass.

Like at the earlier liturgies of the Easter triduum, the pope celebrated a pared-down Easter Vigil at the Altar of the Chair in the back of the basilica. With fewer than 20 people in the congregation and just a handful of singers from the Sistine Choir, the gradual lighting of the basilica came from the electric lights overhead and not from the progressive lighting of candles held by the faithful.

Just as in many basilicas, cathedrals and parishes churches operating under pandemic restrictions around the world, there also were no catechumens being baptized, confirmed and receiving their first Communion.

In addition to a few Easter flowers, two strong symbols of praying for God’s deliverance were again present near the altar: The “Salus Populi Romani” (health of the Roman people) icon, usually kept at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the “Miraculous Crucifix,” which usually is housed in the city’s Church of St. Marcellus.

In his homily, Pope Francis echoed the sentiments of many people mourning the deaths of loved ones because of COVID-19 and facing the tensions of living in prolonged lockdowns.

Even after the Gospel proclamation of the Resurrection, Pope Francis spoke of how, for many people, “we are experiencing, more than ever, the great silence of Holy Saturday.”

“We can imagine ourselves” like the women disciples preparing to go to Jesus’ tomb, he said. “They, like us, had before their eyes the drama of suffering, of an unexpected tragedy that happened all too suddenly. They had seen death and it weighed on their hearts.”

“Then, too, there was fear about the future and all that would need to be rebuilt. A painful memory, a hope cut short,” the pope said. “For them, as for us, it was the darkest hour.”

Still, he said, the women were not “paralyzed” by fear. “They did not give in to the gloom of sorrow and regret; they did not morosely close in on themselves or flee from reality.”

Instead, they prepared spices to anoint Jesus’ body, he said. “They did not stop loving; in the darkness of their hearts, they lit a flame of mercy.”

“Jesus, like a seed buried in the ground, was about to make new life blossom in the world,” the pope said, “and these women, by prayer and love, were helping to make that hope flower.”

“How many people, in these sad days, have done and are still doing what those women did, sowing seeds of hope! With small gestures of care, affection and prayer,” Pope Francis said.

But when they went to the tomb, he said, an angel was there and told them not to be afraid because their beloved Lord had risen from the dead.

Easter, the pope said, gives believers “a fundamental right that can never be taken away from us: the right to hope.”

Easter hope is not simply optimism, rather “it is a gift from heaven, which we could not have earned on our own,” he said.

“Over these weeks, we have kept repeating, ‘All will be well,'” the phrase children wrote on banners and posters hung from windows and balconies all over Italy as the lockdown began a month ago, he said. “But as the days go by and fears grow, even the boldest hope can dissipate.”

But Easter proves that “Jesus’ hope is different,” he said. “He plants in our hearts the conviction that God is able to make everything work unto good, because even from the grave he brings life.”

“Dear sister, dear brother, even if in your heart you have buried hope, do not give up: God is greater,” Pope Francis said. “Darkness and death do not have the last word. Be strong, for with God nothing is lost!”

The pope encouraged all Catholics to open their hearts to the hope and courage that is God’s gift.

And, he said, remember that all Jesus’ disciples, those of his time and Christians today, are given a mission after the resurrection to share that hope with everyone, “for everyone is in need of reassurance.”

“How beautiful it is to be Christians who offer consolation, who bear the burdens of others and who offer encouragement: messengers of life in a time of death,” he said.

“Let us silence the cries of death, no more wars! May we stop the production and trade of weapons, since we need bread, not guns,” Pope Francis said. “Let the abortion and killing of innocent lives end. May the hearts of those who have enough be open to filling the empty hands of those who do not have the bare necessities.”

By Cindy Wooden   I  Catholic News Service

BRIDGEPORT—“Christ’s victory is our victory, a victory for all those willing to persevere and be patient in His life,” Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said in his Easter morning homily at St. Augustine Cathedral, where he has celebrated all Holy Week Masses.

“This Easter it may be harder than any before to see the signs of this victory. Once again I come here to celebrate Mass essentially alone. I miss all of you not being here as you are in your homes hunkered down in safety, trying to be free from an invisible enemy in our midst,” said the bishop in his life-streamed homily.

“Just as this deadly virus has passed from person to person, consider with me that Christ’s victory also passes from person to person this Easter morning,” he told the faithful as he asked them to think of all those who are in hospital beds, isolated in quarantine or on the front lines struggling to serve people during the pandemic.

In his homily the bishop focused on the garden as an image of growth, beauty and eternal life but also a place of human suffering.

“The saga of Christ’s death began in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Lord surrendered to His father’s will and showed us how much he loved us.”

The bishop said that Christ’s resurrection created a new garden that has triumphed over sin and suffering and death. “The tomb is empty because Lord has risen in victory.”

“As we gather this Easter morning, this most unusual of Easters that you and I are celebrating together, let us recall the great in-breaking of Divine Life, the victory over death that occurred in a garden which featured a tomb hewn out of rock. In fact, the story of our salvation began in the first garden when Adam and Eve were tossed out in search of redemption.”

He said that every gardener longs for seeds to grow, but must learn patience and perseverance, and during difficult times may ask, “What kind of garden? Where is life and beauty ? What are the signs of Easter beauty?”

Photos by Amy Mortensen

“The winter you and I are living during this pandemic seems not yet to be fully letting go. We see the first signs of seeds but need to be patient. Are we any different than Lord in Gethsemane being asked to sacrifice it all? We too are asked to persevere,” because in the garden of Eternal Life Christ asks us to plant the seeds of his powers, healing and presence.”

“As we run into empty tomb with heart renewed in perseverance and settled in patience, let us personally pass seeds of the light of Christ won for us this day and I promise you that winter will pass, spring will come, not the Spring of nature, but the springtime of eternal life and victory in Jesus Christ. And that springs and the plants and sees and flowers of that garden, no one and nothing will ever take away from you and me.

Before giving his final blessing the bishop wished all the faithful a “happy grace-filled, and joyous Easter,” and reassured them that “the Lord’s victory is already in our midst as we plant seeds in the garden we share together. I see it blossom before our eyes. The Lord is truly risen and we honor him with glory forever and ever.”

OFFICE OF THE BISHOP

April 12, 2019

My Dear Friends in Christ,

The Lord is Risen. He is Truly Risen!

I invite you to join with me in proclaiming these joyful words to a suffering and fearful world.

Even if we cannot fully understand the mystery of Christ’s love for us, our unique observance of this past Holy Week assured us in quiet and ordinary ways that Christ has triumphed over suffering, sin and death itself. He will never abandon us in the hour of our greatest need. For His victory is our victory. His resurrected life is our promise of new life.

As we continue to live through these difficult days, you have been much in my prayers and in the prayers of our priests, deacons, and religious, just as you and I have prayed for all those who have been afflicted by this pandemic. We pray for families who have lost loved ones, those who are sick and remain in isolation and for all those suffering from the anxiety of the moment. As we remember them, I also commend you and your families to the power of the Risen Lord. May He watch over you and grant you safety, protection and continued good health.

During these past weeks, I am much reminded of the letters of Saint Paul to the early Christian communities. Saint Paul reminded his fellow Christians, many of whom suffered great trials because of their allegiance to Christ, to trust in the Lord’s promises, to love each other more deeply and to support one another in faith. On this Easter day, Saint Paul offers you and me this same message of hope. As we spend this day in the safety of our homes, let us draw courage from the example of those who came before us.

With Easter joy, let us express our deep gratitude for all those heroes and heroines in our midst who continue to risk their lives to care for us and our neighbors. We recall our healthcare and rescue workers who cared for the sick, our police and fire fighters who went where others feared to go, for the quiet courage of the grocery and pharmacy employees, and transportation and service industry workers who have carried on the dangerous work of feeding, clothing and sustaining the most vulnerable among us. In our world, the mighty and powerful often wish to claim the mantle of heroism. Easter teaches us that the true heroines and heroes in our midst are those who are servants of love and live among us each day.

Here in our own diocese, I have been moved by the dedication of our priests who have given sacrificially and found creative ways to minister to the spiritual needs of their parish families; by the teachers and catechists who are reaching out to the young online to continue their education, and by the personal courage of Catholic Charities workers and volunteers who have kept our soup kitchens open to feed those who have nowhere else to turn in the crisis. I am also deeply grateful to our many donors and all who continue to make sacrificial financial gifts to help continue the good work of our parishes, charitable organizations, and the diocese during this time of increasing need. So much good and faithful work has been performed by many diocesan and parish staff, and so many other good works will undoubtedly go untold. They too are fearless heralds of the Easter message of love’s victory over suffering and fear.

My sisters and brothers, as we proclaim the message of Easter, let us draw together in prayer, faith and service, and look forward to the time that we can worship together again as members of Christ’s Mystical Body and proclaim together the victorious message of Easter.

May the Risen Lord bless you and your families, and may we be strengthened in His love and the joyful promise of eternal life.

With every best wish, I am

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano
Bishop of Birdgeport

BRIDGEPORT— The Easter Vigil is a night to celebrate that the “waters of Baptism have set us free,” even at a time when many people are overcome with fear and anxiety, said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano at the Easter Vigil Mass that was live-streamed from St. Augustine Cathedral.

“This is the night of our victory, of our hope and encouragement, particularly this Easter with all of its challenges, suffering , loneliness and tears. The waters may be rising around us but they will not drown us, they will not take us. The risen Lord will set us free,” he said.

Once again, as he has been throughout Holy Week, the Bishop was assisted by St. Augustine Pastor, Fr. Michael Novajosky, and the priests of the Cathedral parish. The sacred music was played and sung by the Cathedral choirmaster Dr. Sam Schmitt.

“My dear brothers and sisters, on this most sacred night in which our Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church calls on its sons and daughters scattered throughout the world to come together to watch and pray. If we keep the memorial in this way, listen to word, celebrate his mysteries, we will have hope of sharing his triumph over death and living with him in God,” said the Bishop to begin the liturgy.

The Paschal Candle gleamed throughout the Mass in the Cathedral emptied by the pandemic. At its base was a quiet and simple arrangement of Easter lilies and multi-colored hydrangea.

On a night in which the faithful would normally renew their Baptismal Promises together in the Cathedral and adult catechumens would gather in person to be received into full communion with the Church through their Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, the Bishop reflected on the significance of water and the gift of Baptism in our lives.

He began by recalling a trip to Coney Island he took with his uncle and his father when he was a young boy. His uncle had promised to teach him how to swim as they waded waist deep in the water.

“He unexpectedly picked me up and threw me into water and thought I would float. I was overcome with fear and it caused me to panic, and I found myself under the waves,” he said.
“I remember trying to breathe and the only thing I could do was gasp for air until a hand reached down and dragged me out of the water. That breath I took as I emerged from the waters of Coney Island was the deepest breath I have ever taken.”

The Bishop said that when he celebrates the Easter Vigil, he often remembers “that one incident, and that one breath” he took, because we may all find ourselves gasping for air at some point in our lives.

“None of us is a stranger to waters that threaten us and lead to fear anxiety, suffering, and doubt,” he said, noting that people can feel overwhelmed.

“We are living in such time where many are struggling, where the boat of our lives is letting in water, and some feel as if they are downing. This is the night where Christ reaches deep down into those waters and draws up to breath his life of grace.”

“The waters of baptism bring us the promise that no matter how deep the waves, how big the storm, the hand of Jesus has grasped us in Baptism, and he will never let go. We are in the hands of the father who has made us his sons and daughters, given us breath of his spirit, and allowed us to share in victory on this holy night.”

The Bishop said that while suffering, loss and death are inevitable in every life, the resurrection is our hope in Jesus, “the first born, who has gone before us, and has broken the back of suffering and death for all eternity.”

Though we will always will be acquainted with suffering, “we sing our Alleluia because we have had the courage go to go Calvary first, to sit with Lord in his passion and death and even in the quiet of his burial.”

He said that the promise of Baptism is that “the breath of this life that will one day fail for all of us is replaced by breath that will last forever– God indwelling in us the breath of eternal life.”

The Liturgy of the Word included seven Old Testament readings from Genesis, Exodus and the Prophets that recall God’s saving deeds throughout salvation history. They were followed by St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans and the Luke’s account of the Resurrection.

In the Prayers of the Faithful, Fr. Novajosky prayed for Pope Francis and Bishop Caggiano, for persecuted Christians, for “healing for all those who are sick,” and a “strength and health” for all those caring for them, and for the catechumens who would normally be received into the Church during the Easter Vigil.

Before he gave the final blessing, the Bishop thanked all those who watched online and wished them and their families a “happy, blessed and health-filled” Happy Easter.

“There are still challenges ahead of us, and they may at time seems daunting. We must remember that Christ is victorious and we will be victorious in him. Just reach out and grasp his hand and he will do the rest.”