Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

In a March 18 newsletter to schools, Dr. Steve Cheeseman, superintendent wrote, “While certainly things are never perfect, I wanted to share a snapshot of how things are going in the schools. I have to say I am so impressed by some of the creative ideas teachers have employed to stay connected. We even had one gym teacher giving Irish Step dancing lessons on St. Patrick’s Day! I especially like how many of our principals are live streaming morning announcements, story time and prayer.”

Take a look at how students and teachers are continuing their lessons through virtual learning!

VATICAN CITY—At the end of the general audience March 18, the pope said he is joining the initiative promoted by the Italian bishops to pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary at 9 pm (Italian time) on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph.

Presumably, this initiative will gain ground across the globe, with each time zone joining in and creating a chain of prayer.

Every family, every member of the faithful, every religious community: All of us spiritually united tomorrow (Thursday) at 9 pm in praying the Rosary, the Luminous Mysteries.

Mary — Mother of God, and Health of the Sick, to whom we direct the Rosary, under the loving gaze of St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family, and our families — brings us to the luminous and transfigured Face of Christ and his Heart.

And we ask that he especially protect our families, in particular the sick and those who care for them: doctors, nurses, and volunteers, who risk their lives in this service.

The Holy Father also spoke about St. Joseph:

In life, in work, in family, in joy and sorrow, he always sought and loved the Lord, making himself deserving of the praise the Scriptures give him: a just and wise man. 

Call on him always, especially in difficult times, and entrust your lives to this great saint.

By Kathleen N. Hattrup | Aleteia

“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children” —so says the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Thanks to the coronavirus, that’s about to get real.

As Catholic schools close and religious education classes get canceled, religious education for the young has become yet another part of life that will not proceed normally, at least for a few weeks, if not more.

My guess is that—as with school closings—more than a few children cheered the cancellation of religious ed classes. For families stressed by the economic or health challenges related to the explosion of the coronavirus, it might be a relief to take a vacation from them.

But, if possible, parents should consider stepping in to provide even informal religious education while social distancing or even quarantining. To that end, catechetical experts are offering some free resources, including from Catechist magazine and from St. Mary’s Press.

As someone who has been homeschooling my children in religious ed, because of some special learning issues, for the last year, I can offer some tips from our experience.

Although my parish offered me a copy of the textbook used in the parish classes, our family has tried to connect the content of our weekly “class” to family experiences and the church calendar.

For example, during November, we read about and discussed saints, including those with connections to our hometown of Chicago (Mother Cabrini) and Vietnam, the country of my son’s birth (the Vietnamese Martyrs). On the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we went over the promises we parents and godparents made for our children, and talked about how they would renew those promises in confirmation. In preparation for a family friend’s bat mitzvah, we read books about Judaism.

This Sunday, I decided to connect our weekly religious ed session with the news about the current health pandemic. We turned to Exodus (after a brief review about the Torah, which we had studied when learning about Judaism) to learn about the 10 plagues of Egypt.

My kids are already familiar with the Exodus story (thank you, Disney, for “The Prince of Egypt”!), but we read up on the context of the 10 plagues, with Moses asking Pharaoh to “let my people go” on behalf of the enslaved Hebrews. When Pharaoh refused, God sent down the plagues to punish the Egyptians.

Immediately, my 11- and 12-year-old were confused: How could God do that? Aren’t the Egyptians God’s people too, since God created them?

This required some explaining about the concept of God’s chosen people in Judaism and among some other religions. I further shared how, in the past and even today, some religious people believe plagues and other natural disasters are punishment from God for sinful behavior. We talked about HIV/AIDS, and how some people blamed LGBT people for getting sick.

“Could coronavirus be a punishment from God?” I asked.

No way, they said. In fact, my son argued that even a virus was God’s creation. Let me tell you, conversation with kids is rarely boring!

Since we are going to have plenty of “together time” on our hands with schools and other institutions closed for weeks, the kids and I decided to read about the first two plagues (water turning to blood and the frogs) on Sunday and follow up with two more plagues per day for the week.

We also plan to watch this National Geographic miniseries that explores whether the 10 plagues really happened or not.

Next week, I’m thinking of spending time contrasting our experience of the Mass via livestream versus the in-person experience. After two weeks, I am hoping they might actually miss parts of it and may be able to explore their own beliefs about Eucharist, the people of God and privatized-versus-shared religious experience.

When you make religious education an integral part of your family’s life, the connections start showing up everywhere. Once, while watching one of our favorite television series, “Brain Games,” we discovered an episode about the seven deadly sins. This prompted a chance to learn more about and memorize the sins and their corresponding virtues. We also shared which of the “seven deadlies” we most struggle with, which helped to discern our chosen Lenten practices for this year.

You might think that children of a religion journalist would have higher-than-average biblical and religious literacy, but it takes constant work, even for adults. One week, I helped my daughter memorize the names of the four Gospels; another week we all learned about Ramadan, which several of our kids’ classmates celebrate.

For the digital generation, the use of video is a no-brainer to keep their interest. YouTube has some helpful videos on St. Patrick, (including this favorite from VeggieTales), and PBS members will be able to watch the new Dorothy Day documentary on demand. You also could have kids make their own videos about age-appropriate religious topics. I’m also a big fan of craft projects that help kids to actively learn content.

Finally, our homeschool religious education has always involved service to others. The coronavirus pandemic will mean plenty of people in need. Already, we’ve delivered food to a needy single mom in our neighborhood, and I’m sure we will find many more opportunities to help others suffering because of this crisis.

When schools reopen and religious education classes start up again, most parents will be happy to hand off the education of our kids to the professionals. But a few weeks of homeschooling religious education might help us to be more involved in the future, and to take that “first responsibility” more seriously.

By Heidi Schlumpf who is NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER national correspondent. Her email address is hschlumpf@ncronline.org. Follow her on Twitter @HeidiSchlumpf.

“… I was sick and you visited me.” (Matt. 25:36)

Visitation of the sick is one of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy given to us by Jesus in the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. So it would require a serious set of circumstances, and much prayerful consideration, to prevent individuals from visiting patients in our hospitals.

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak presents us with this serious circumstance. Hartford HealthCare’s decision to suspend visiting hours at St. Vincent’s Medical Center is in keeping with the common-sense practices Catholics have been urged to follow in all areas of their lives. While I realize this decision is difficult for patients and their loved ones, our greatest act in this moment is to prevent the unnecessary spread of disease and suffering.

As a Catholic faith community, in times of uncertainty our first response is to pray for guidance and grace to meet the challenges of the day. As Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has said: “With the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, we are confronted once more with the fragility of our lives, and again we are reminded of our common humanity — that the peoples of this world are our brothers and sisters, that we are all one family under God.”

Please join me in praying for those in hospitals and nursing homes, and for all those in the medical profession who bring hope and healing.

BRIDGEPORT– In a letter to priests issued today (March 18th), Bishop Frank J. Caggiano has updated sacramental guidelines and practices in response to the Coronavirus crisis. He offers further instructions and suggestions regarding the pastoral care of parishioners during this unique period of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis.

These directives take into consideration the March 16th order of Governor Lamont that in-person gatherings in the State of Connecticut must be less than 50 people, as well as the Bishop’s concern for the wellbeing of the clergy and lay faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Eucharistic Adoration

Although no public Masses are currently being offered in the Diocese, the Bishop said it is important that churches, as much as possible, remain open during some portion of the day so that the lay faithful are given the opportunity to pray before the Blessed Sacrament and spend some time in quiet meditation. Most especially during this unsettling time, the Bishop wants parishioners to remain in close contact with Christ in the Eucharist and with their parish. 

He has asked each parish to offer Eucharistic Adoration on the Sundays when Mass is not available. Weekday Eucharistic Adoration is also permitted. Exposition will be simple and not include hymns or Benediction. Each individual Pastor will determine the scheduling and feasibility. The bishop recommends that parishes provide this opportunity for a suitable period of time each Sunday afternoon. Pastors must monitor attendance and make sure that the number of adorers present is less than 50 persons at one time.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

 Recognizing that a time of crisis can also be a time of personal conversion, it is our obligation to continue to provide the Sacrament of Reconciliation to those who request it. The Bishop has directed that parishes maintain their regular hours for Confession to the extent possible, but communal penance services are not permitted and, if already scheduled, will be cancelled.

An abundance of caution should be used when administering the Sacrament. Therefore, because they cannot be properly and uniformly disinfected after each individual Confession, the use of confessionals for the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not permitted. Pastors are to designate another open space where Confessions can be heard.

Whatever configuration is used, Pastors should ensure that penitents have the option of confessing anonymously or face-to-face and that a distance of 6 feet (as recommended by the CDC) is maintained between the priest and penitent. One option, for example, is for priests to place themselves with their back toward the entrance door and set up two chairs, one behind them and one in front of them so that both options are available to the penitent. In such circumstances, Pastors should make arrangements to ensure that privacy is maintained.

In order to maintain uniformity and clarity, the Bishop has asked pastors to create signs in the vestibule of the church (or wherever the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered) providing the information above and also instructing penitents to wait their turn for Confession in a way that avoids a line and leaves ample space between them and other penitents.

However, under no circumstances may any Confession be heard via telephone, the internet or any social media platforms. Confession of sins must always take place in person.

Because of the large crowds, it has attracted over the past three years, Reconciliation Monday, scheduled for April 6th from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, is cancelled. Please inform your parishioners of this in a timely manner.

General Absolution

The Bishop has forbidden the use of General Absolution.

Anointing of the Sick

As much as possible, priests are encouraged to administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as needed. When doing so they should observe prudence and common sense. Specifically, Bishop Caggiano has asked that the following directives be followed:

  • If a person has been diagnosed with the Coronavirus or if there is reason to believe that a person could have been exposed to it, priests should not put themselves at risk of catching the virus by administering the Sacrament without the proper protective gear.
  • Those who have been diagnosed with Coronavirus and who are in hospitals or nursing homes should only be anointed by the trained priest chaplains of each institution, and only if they are permitted to do so by the administration and health care professionals at each hospital or nursing home;
  • For the time being, in accord with canon 1000 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, whenever priests are ministering to the sick, including providing the Anointing of the Sick, they should use latex gloves or, in the absence of gloves, cotton swabs.,
  • Older or vulnerable priests should refrain from providing the Sacrament or visiting the sick or homebound until the crisis is clearly over.

The diocese will continue to work with the chaplains of hospitals and nursing homes to develop more detailed protocols should they be necessary.

Catherine Dennis Keefe Queen of the Clergy Residence

Last week, out of concern for the retired priests who reside at Queen of the Clergy, Bishop Caggiano asked that no outside visitors except for health care personnel be permitted inside the building. Also, for the last several weeks the staff at Queen of the Clergy has been extra diligent in cleaning and disinfecting the Residence regularly and wearing protective masks and gloves when serving the needs of the priests.

Effective today, Bishop Caggiano has asked the residents of Queen of the Clergy for the next three weeks to remain inside as much as possible and to exit the building only for exercise or for essential appointments, such as visits to the doctor, banking or essential shopping. Furthermore, any residents in the building who must leave and reenter the building regularly for any reason have been asked to temporarily relocate during this period.

Other Information

The Connecticut March for Life, scheduled for Wednesday, April 15th, has been cancelled. The date for the 2021 March will be announced soon.

“Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation during this crisis. We continue to place our trust in Jesus, the Divine Physician, through the loving hands of Our Blessed Mother, and to pray for an end to this illness,” said the Bishop.

‘Mixing childhood experience with mission’

FAIRFIELD—Paola Pena, one of the youth ministers of Fairfield Life Teen and an employee at St. Pius X in Fairfield, saw a need in the community and saw a way that she could fill that need.

“I saw a post on social media about how families would be experiencing heightened food insecurity due to school and business closings and it brought me back to my childhood,” shared Pena. “I grew up on food pantries. I know what it’s like to be food insecure. As a kid, you’re always hungry, but you can’t eat what you want when you want.”

Pena got the OK from Father Sam Kachuba, pastor of St. Pius, and began her outreach. She made graphics and social media posts to get the word out.

“Many families in Bridgeport will be experiencing food insecurities due to recent school closures,” Pena wrote online. “If you overbought food or would like to donate—please drop off food at the Faith Center Chapel so we can donate to pantries in need. If you know someone who is homebound and can’t leave to buy groceries or supplies and they need assistance, please email ppena@st-pius.org.”

Pena raised $500 within 24 hours and $1,650 all within three days. “More people were willing to give money than food donations,” explained Pena, especially with many not wanting to venture out to the store. This gave Pena new insight into ways to modernize evangelization and communicate to the Church.

“The Holy Spirit was like you have to do something,” said Pena. “I found a way to mix my childhood experience with mission. My story was totally worth it, God is using it to serve His Church.”

Teens and young adults, now home from school, gathered to help sort food and supplies…and many stayed to pray for our community and the world during this time of uncertainty. “The Lord just wanted to pour peace on us,” Pena said, stating that the experience was meaningful for all involved.

On Wednesday alone, four deliveries were made, including Thomas Merton Center, Operation Hope and Blessed Sacrament.

Pena says she plans on continuing this drive while schools are closed.

When asked what this experience has taught her, Pena explained, “God’s desire is for each of us to be a saint, and it is a unique call for each and every one of us. We have to ask ourselves, ‘Am I open to the Holy Spirit?’ If everyone was aware of the Spirit in their lives, the world would be so different.”

Along with listening to His unique call for each one of us, Pena suggests, “If you can find a chapel that’s open—go—if not, read the Scriptures. Fall in love with the love letter from heaven.”

Her hope, “that the solace and quiet will draw more Catholics to the Scripture.”

‘God really is in everything’

DANBURY—St. Gregory the Great Parish in Danbury is also conducting a food and supply drive for those in need.

Devon McCormick, pastoral assistant at St. Gregory the Great saw what Pena and St. Pius were doing and loved the idea. “We were kind of scrambling here at St. Greg’s to figure out what our response should be, and I thought that their model was absolutely perfect,” McCormick explained.

“We knew that our community needed something like this,” said McCormick, explaining that many parishioners are elderly and unable to leave their houses to shop for necessities. In addition, St. Greg’s School has many families that could struggle to provide adequately for their kids with the recent closures. “I knew that we needed to help in some way, and our parishioners are always so incredibly generous.”

Their Facebook post reads, “If you overbought food/supplies, or would just like to donate, please bring canned/boxed food, toiletries, hand sanitizer, etc. to the St. Greg’s Parish Office (behind the basketball courts) between 9 am and 12 pm every Monday through Friday until 3/31. If you, or someone you know, is homebound and in need, please contact Devon McCormick at dmccorm17stgregs@gmail.com.”

McCormick and St. Greg’s have raised almost $500 in the past 24 hours, utilizing the money-sharing app Venmo, as well.

McCormick explains that they are expecting a surge in material donations in the days to come. Many young people have also reached out and offered to do contact-free delivery.

“I truly believe that our universal calling is to love one another,” shared McCormick. “To me, to love means to put others before myself. This is a really scary and confusing time, and it can be so easy to turn inward and focus on our own needs. But I think that God could be working through this crisis to show us what it means to truly love one another and care for the most vulnerable of our society. These days are really teaching me that, as a young person, I should put aside my own needs, fears and anxieties, and turn those into positive action for others.”

McCormick, a mom to a 16-month-old, considers this a teachable moment. She asks what her son can learn from looking back at this time. “In general, I just hope that all of us come together in support of one another in order to bring us all through this scary time. It really is a life and death situation out there, so my only hope is that we come out on the other side of this more unified in love, compassion, and care for one another,” she says.

As for suggestions on how to maintain one’s prayer life during this time, McCormick says there are tons of resources available online—whether it be streaming Mass, online meditations, or spending time reading Scripture as a family.

Her hope—for a thriving spiritual life, by being intentional about time with those in the house. “God really is in everything— every encounter, interaction, crisis, or blessing—including this dark time,” says McCormick.

By Elizabeth Clyons

For a complete list of cancelled or postponed events, please see our website. Click here.

Artwork by two young boys asks St. Michael the Archangel to slay the Coronavirus and St. Patrick to keep us in his care.

The young artists Matthew Vogt, age 7, and Gregory Vogt, are grandsons of grandsons of Marilyn Vogt.

 

 

 

 

 

BRIDGEPORT—Effective this evening at 8 pm, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano has mandated that all weekday and Sunday public Masses celebrated in the presence of the lay faithful are temporarily suspended in the Diocese of Bridgeport.

The temporary suspension will remain in effect until Friday, April 3. You will receive a confirmation or revision of that date on Monday, March 30.

Beginning this Sunday, Sunday Mass celebrated by Bishop Caggiano or Monsignor Thomas Powers, Vicar General,  will be available on our Diocesan Website (www.bridgeportdiocese.org) or on diocesan social media channels (www.bridgeportdiocese.org/dobsocial/home).

The bishop’s decision was made in response to the March 15, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that, for the next 8 weeks, any in-person gatherings of 50 people or more throughout the United States be cancelled or postponed. Governor Lamont today followed that directive and has limited crowds to less than 50 in the State of Connecticut.

“With those standards now in place, out of concern for the common good of ending the spread of the Coronavirus and for the wellbeing of the clergy (many of whom are older and at greater risk) and the lay faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport, I would like to inform you of some important new directives that will be binding throughout the diocese,” the bishop said today in a letter to all priests and diocesan officials.

“Please know that I do not make this decision easily. However, this is an extraordinary—and, in some ways, unprecedented—time in the life of the Church, the country and the world, and it requires extraordinary action to ensure the safety of those whom we serve. I appreciate greatly the cooperation of our pastors in communicating this decision to parishioners in a clear and pastoral manner. May we continue to place our trust in Jesus, the Divine Physician, through the loving hands of Our Blessed Mother, the bishop said.

Churches may remain open for private prayer at the discretion of the Pastor. Some parishes will also begin live streaming of Masses, and the diocese will publish that information on its website. The diocese will continue to provide updates and the latest news on its website: www.bridgeportdiocese.com and on Facebook and other social media.

ROME—With Italy on lockdown and Rome streets almost deserted, Pope Francis left the Vatican March 15 in a mini-pilgrimage to an icon and to a crucifix associated with miraculous interventions to save the city and its people.

The icon is “Salus Populi Romani” (health of the Roman people) in the Basilica of St. Mary Major and the crucifix, which Romans call the “Miraculous Crucifix,” is housed in the Church of St. Marcellus on Via del Corso, a usually crowded street of shops leading to the central Piazza Venezia.

Shortly after 4 p.m., the Vatican said, Pope Francis was driven, with a small police escort, to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Joined by Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, archpriest of the basilica, he entered the Pauline Chapel where the “Salus Populi Romani” icon looks down from high above the altar.

The pope laid a bouquet of yellow and white flowers on the altar and sat in prayer in front of the chapel’s famous icon of Mary and the child Jesus.

Pope Francis prays before the icon often, including before and after every trip he makes abroad. In the late 1500s, St. Francis Borgia, the third superior general of the Jesuit order, started giving a copy of the icon to every Jesuit going out on mission. According to Cardinal Rylko, Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci carried his to China and gave it to the emperor.

But, long before that, the image was connected to the faith of the Roman people in times of dire health emergencies. According to legend, late in the 6th century Pope Gregory I had the icon carried through the streets of Rome in prayer that the Black Plague would end, and in 1837, Pope Gregory XVI prayed before the image for an end to a devastating cholera outbreak.

Leading the recitation of the rosary in 2013 at St. Mary Major, Pope Francis said, “Mary is a mother, and a mother worries above all about the health of her children; she knows how to care for them always with great and tender love. Our Lady guards our health.”

The crucifix at the church of St. Marcellus is a 15th-century wooden crucifix that survived a fire in 1519 that burned to the ground the original church on the site. The morning after the fire, while the ruins were still smoldering, people found the crucifix intact. Some Catholics began gathering every Friday evening to pray together, eventually forming the Confraternity of the Most Holy Crucifix.

In 1522, in the midst of the great plague in Rome, the faithful carried the crucifix in procession throughout the city for 16 days. According to an article on the website of TV2000, the Italian bishops’ television station, devotion to the crucifix led the city’s people to defy “the authorities, who for fear that the contagion would spread further, had banned all gatherings of people.”

The situation was similar when the pope, stopping his car on the Via del Corso, made a point of walking to the church “as in pilgrimage,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.

“With his prayer, the Holy Father invoked the end of the pandemic striking Italy and the world, imploring healing for the many people who are sick, remembering the many victims and asking that their family and friends find consolation and comfort,” Bruni said.

The pope, he added, also prayed as he did that morning at Mass, for health care workers, doctors, nurses and all those who are still working in Italy so that necessary services are guaranteed even amid the lockdown.

By Cindy Wooden | Catholic News Service

DANBURY—Immaculate High School has moved its curriculum into the cloud, as they wait out concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus in southwestern Connecticut. Currently, the school is planning to teach everything online through March 27, beginning Monday.

“We are using multiple technologies to teach our students, and they will have full-schedule days from home,” Immaculate spokeswoman Janine Azzi told Patch. “Faculty has been preparing for this in advance in case such a decision was made. All activities have been canceled for these two weeks.”

Immaculate students are not alone, Azzi said. All Catholic schools in the Diocese of Bridgeport have been similarly prepared, and are currently online-only through the end of March.

“We are well-prepared for this type of distance education as we have been doing it for several years for bad weather days,” Azzi said. “We recently added new technology and video tools, and we have also been offering a Distance Learning math program to Catholic middle schools. This is a big advantage of Catholic schools.”

Academics are covered, but there are still some very important highlights of the high school experience that not even the internet can salvage in the Age of COVID-19.

“Our Gala and Spring Musical have been postponed,” Azzi said. “All other events both in and out of school up until April 1 have been canceled.”

Azzi says custodians have been deep-cleaning the school regularly, and 24/7.

By Rich Kirby, Patch Staff

TRUMBULL—Parishioners at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Trumbull were comforted yesterday when they heard this beautiful hymn, “Hear, Holy Mother, ” written by Anna Bendiksen, a parishioner of St. Catherine’s.

The sung prayer asks the Blessed Mother’s intercession for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.  The text is set to the hymn tune CHRISTE SANCTORUM.

The hymn alludes to the passage in the Book of Revelation which speaks of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1).  The Latin word for “crown” is “corona,” so this prayer, set to music, invokes the one who wears the “corona” of twelve stars to intercede for all who are affected by the pandemic, and to bring a swift end to it.

The hymn is sung by Kristen Smith Gionfriddo, Soprano, and accompanied by organist Dr. William Atwood, Director of Music at St. Catherine’s.

Click here to watch the video.

BRIDGEPORT—If you can’t make it on Sunday, please know you can tune in to Mass at 8 am (every day of the week) on Veritas Catholic Network.

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will speak quite a bit about the Coronavirus on this week’s episode of Let Me Be Frank; how Catholics should respond to the current situation, as well as the hands-on response of Catholic Charities. The show airs on 1350am at noon on Wednesday, and you can catch the podcast on these platforms: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio.

Steve Lee, President of Veritas Catholic Network has urged listeners to pray for one another and to tune in for an edifying conversation.

Veritas also has many excellent shows on the air… Al Kresta (4-6 pm M-F) and Teresa Tomeo (9-10 am M-F) look at current events, Called to Communion (2-3 pm M-F) and Catholic Answers Live (6-8 pm M-F) take all questions about the Catholic faith, and you can hear from family counselors on More2Life (10-11 am M-F) and The Doctor Is In (1-2 pm M-F)… just to name a few.

Remember, there’s a place to go when they’re tired of listening to music and they want to be fed. We’re at 1350am on the radio, or download the Veritas Catholic Network app on the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

BRIDGEPORT—As news continues to develop on the potential threat of the novel coronavirus to our area, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano has released multiple directives, along with the announcement of school closings and parish event cancellations.

With the closing of schools and programs throughout the diocese, there is a worry that some may be left without the resources they need.

“This is the time we need to be open to serve our clients, says Mike Donoghue, executive director of Catholic Charities of Fairfield County. “We are ready willing and able to step up.”

In an effort to combat worry, below is a list of the food pantries in the area that are still in operation:

Catholic Charities

The Thomas Merton Center—
43 Madison Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604
203.367.9036
www.themertoncenter.org

New Covenant Center—
174 Richmond Hill Avenue
Stamford, CT 06902
203.964.8228
www.newcovenantcenter.org

In the community

Bridgeport Public Schools will open emergency food service sites during the school closure. The sites will be open Monday-Friday to provide breakfast and lunch to Bridgeport Public School students.

Visit www.bridgeportedu.net for locations and time schedule.

Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry—
The Church of the Blessed Sacrament
275 Union Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06607

With many overbuying supplies in order to prepare, some grocery stores are left with sparse inventory. For those who have more than enough, there is the potential to donate to these food pantries. Especially during the season of Lent, when almsgiving is at the forefront of our minds, what can we do to help those who may be most adversely affected by the current crisis?

Catholic Charities of Fairfield County is making sure that they are ready and available for their clients at this time. That being said, they are also keeping the needs of their employees and volunteers in mind, encouraging anyone in an at-risk situation to stay home.

Donoghue has expressed that Catholic Charities of Fairfield County’s programs are currently taking measures to try and set up more to-go options at their food pantries, as well as putting together wish lists of items that are needed. “We want to be a place where people in need can come,” says Donoghue.

In a message of hope, Donoghue expresses that Catholic Charities has received calls from many college-aged kids and those who are in good health, who are ready to help, offering their time.

“Usually in times of crisis, this is when the best of people come out,” Donoghue says.

In a recent Facebook post, Bishop Caggiano offers this prayer: This is a time when we must offer intercessory prayers for all those who have died from this disease, that they may rest in the Lord’s peace. We must pray for consolation for their families and loved ones during their time of sorrow and grief. Let us also pray for those who have been sickened by the virus, that they will soon recover, and for all those who are quarantined and are living alone and in fear. Finally, let us pray that this emergency may pass and that our love for one another will help us to make the right decisions to keep each other safe.

The Diocese of Bridgeport is continually monitoring the status of the virus in the Fairfield County community, consulting with health care professionals and experts when appropriate.

In response to the growing number of calls and concerns related to the Coronavirus and its impact on liturgical practices, the diocese has produced a special web page to offer the latest news, resources and information.

(People throughout the diocese can visit the website at any time for updates: www.bridgeportdiocese.org/coronavirus-resources-and-information.)

(For more information on Catholic Charities’ programs visit: ccfairfield.org.)

By Elizabeth Clyons

  • All Diocesan/Diocesan Sponsored Catholic elementary and high schools will close for students effective March 13th and will tentatively reopen on March 30th. Schools will begin implementing their distance learning instructional plan on Monday, March 16th.
  • All school activities and trips are cancelled until further notice
  • While we tentatively plan to reopen March 30th, we will continue to monitor the situation with local and state health officials in order to reassess and determine our next steps
  • Click here for more information