Bug shuts churches
All 186 Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn were shuttered at noon Friday by the coronavirus crisis, with a moratorium declared on funerals, weddings and baptisms for the faithful.
The diocese made the dramatic announcement after confirming positive coronavirus tests for two priests: One at a church in Queens, the other at a church in Brooklyn. Both men celebrated Mass in their parishes last Sunday, and church officials said the churches and rectories at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Glendale, Queens, and St. Matthew’s Church in Crown Heights would both undergo cleaning and sanitizing under guidelines from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We want to ensure that there cannot be any more possible exposure to the virus at one of our churches in Brooklyn and Queens,” said Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzo, spiritual leader for the diocese’s 1.5 million Catholics. “This was not an easy decision to make. However the safety of our parishioners and our priests, deacons and parish staff weigh heavily on my mind.”
The diocese also announced Friday that ten more congregants at six churches in Brooklyn and Queens were diagnosed with the virus — including an entire family of four who regularly prays at a Queens Village house of worship.
Seven worshipers at two Queens churches tested positive for the virus earlier this week.
Officials said the newly infected churches — including Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Queens Village, Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Fresh Meadows, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church in Jamaica, St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church in Jackson Heights and Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church in Gowanus — would be deep-cleaned and sanitized.
The St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy was ordered to be cleaned after a parent who briefly visited the school on Mar. 11 came down with the illness.
The infected family of four regularly attends Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic
Church on 220th St. One of them last attended Sunday Mass on Mar. 1. The other three last attended Mass on Feb. 23 and one attended a Bible study at that parish’s Bethsaida Spirituality Center the next day.
Church officials said weddings and baptisms are postponed and can be rescheduled, while graveside funeral services will be allowed under the CDC guidelines for social distancing and at the discretion of the cemetery. Church rectories were closed along with all the churches, with any necessary parish business now conducted strictly by phone.
The sacrament of reconciliation will be limited to emergency sessions, again with social distancing guidelines in effect. There was no timetable for reopening the churches.