US Catholics Respond to Coronavirus With Prayer and Outreach to the Vulnerable, by Lauretta Brown

In hard-hit New Rochelle and elsewhere, the faithful are seeking to help out spiritually and materially.

By Lauretta Brown, EWTN News,  3/13/20

WASHINGTON — During a time of social distancing and uncertainty, Catholics in areas affected by the coronavirus are taking the time to pray for the poor and vulnerable, while coping with restrictions on Masses and large public gatherings. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. reached nearly 2,000 Friday, and President Trump declared a national emergency.

In the New York City suburb of New Rochelle, a 1-mile containment zone has been established, after more than 120 confirmed coronavirus cases in Westchester County — one of the biggest clusters of the outbreak in the U.S. The containment zone means that schools and large public gathering areas are closed.

Therese O’Brien, a Catholic who lives just blocks from the Young Israel at New Rochelle synagogue, which is the outbreak’s epicenter, told the Register most of her neighbors are in quarantine, as they attended the synagogue where a man tested positive for the coronavirus last week and was subsequently linked to dozens of cases.  ….

Read more here:  https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/us-catholics-respond-to-coronavirus-with-prayer-and-outreach-to-the-vulnera