Death of pastor ‘a great loss’
NORWALK — The pastor of St. Matthew Parish died suddenly Monday morning, according to the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Monsignor Walter C. Orlowski was 68. A complete obituary has not yet been published. The parish is currently in the process of planning Orlowski’s funeral, St. Matthew Parish Communications Coordinator Ann Yannetti said.
“It is with a deep sense of sadness and of profound loss that we announce the passing of Monsignor Walter Orlowski, beloved pastor of St. Matthew Parish,” Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said in a statement. “His passing is an even more difficult cross to bear for his parish family and all those who loved him, coming as it has just a few days before Christmas.”
Caggiano said Orlowski’s spirit of joy and compassion “gathered an entire community around him.” He said Orlowski brought healing and affirmation to many people.
“His death is a great loss to parishioners, his brother priests, and to the entire community,” Caggiano said. “He will be deeply missed by all.”
“He loved all the families in his parish, they were his family.”
Linda Dunn,
All Saints Catholic School principal
data. The state’s seven-day death rate per capita is the second-highest in New England, topped only by Rhode Island.
Rhode Island had been leading the country in new cases per capita, but has fallen recently as infections have surged in Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and California.
After being on a steady decline, Connecticut COVID hospitalizations increased by 16 on Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 1,159.
Hospitalizations for the disease had fallen in recent days, including over a seven-day period earlier this month.
Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday pointed to falling hospitalizations as a reason not to go back into a full lock
down after he was asked if a second federal coronavirus relief bill would prompt him to do so.
Congress passed a $900 billion relief bill Monday night, sending the second comprehensive COVID-19 aid package to President Donald Trump’s desk, the Associated Press reported. The package includes funding for a second round of stimulus payments to most Americans, 11 weeks increased unemployment benefits and aid for businesses.
But Lamont also urged Connecticut residents to avoid family gatherings over the holidays, pointing to a noticeable bump in infections attributed to Thanksgiving. He said the state is preparing for another spike after the holidays.
“My strong recommendation is, especially for older folks, stay close to home,” Lamont said. “Zoom with
grandma and grandpa and enjoy a really nice holiday in a few months after they’ve been vaccinated. But look, we’re ready.”
Last week, the National Guard set up a field hospital at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. The facility, which Lamont has described as precautionary in case of a surge, will be staffed with Hartford HealthCare doctors and nurses and is meant to take patients in recovery who no longer need ICU beds.
The state has also altered its travel advisory so foreign and domestic travelers from everywhere except New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island must either quarantine for 10 days or produce a negative test.
The new rules also allow out-ofstate travelers who have had the disease in the past 90 days and recovered to skip quarantine.