{"id":24056,"date":"2021-01-13T06:00:42","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T11:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/empty-pews-and-crowded-hospitals-the-priestly-ministry-during-covid-19\/"},"modified":"2023-11-29T16:13:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T21:13:54","slug":"empty-pews-and-crowded-hospitals-the-priestly-ministry-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/empty-pews-and-crowded-hospitals-the-priestly-ministry-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Empty Pews and Crowded Hospitals: The Priestly Ministry During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/frstephenhowe2-300x264.jpg\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-24058 lazyload\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"264\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-24058\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/frstephenhowe2-300x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/frstephenhowe2-300x264.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/frstephenhowe2-768x675.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/frstephenhowe2.jpg 792w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript>St. Peter and St. Denis Church in Yonkers, New York is a lively and flourishing church, but this wasn\u2019t always the case. Made up of a largely Hispanic congregation, with parishioners from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and a large variety of Central and South American countries, the parish had been experiencing little growth and vitality, until the arrival of Father Lino Ortero, LC, eight years ago. By creating a small group program called Grupos Peque\u00f1os de Oracion y Formacion, Father Lino invited parishioners to meet weekly in each other\u2019s homes to pray, study their faith, and even share a meal, in the hopes of bringing life and vigor back to the dying parish. Today at St. Peter and St. Denis, there are approximately forty small groups that meet each week who benefit from the formation and accompaniment of the three Legionary priests currently serving the parish \u2013 Father Donald Kaufman, Father Helio Cantu, and Father Stephen Howe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Father Stephen was ordained a Legionary priest at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome in December of 2014. As one of the parish vicars at St. Peter and St. Denis, he spends most of his time administering the sacraments; besides offering seven weekend Masses in both Spanish and English, the church of St. Peter and St. Denis is something of a \u201chotspot\u201d for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, providing hours of confession each weekend and attracting people from all around the area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">During the worst of the COVID outbreak last year, Father Stephen spent much of his time visiting with and providing the Anointing of the Sick to his parishioners and, sadly, ministering at many funerals. One of the ministries to which Father Stephen\u2019s priestly vocation called him was attending to the sick and dying at St. John\u2019s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers. In the spring of 2020, the small hospital was inundated with patients suffering from COVID; at the peak of the pandemic, all of the hospital\u2019s 150 beds, plus another 30 beds placed in converted office space, held COVID patients, and a refrigerator truck was required when the morgue reached capacity. Father Stephen spent his time at the hospital praying with patients, administering the sacraments, and simply engaging with people who, because of isolation requirements, were separated from their families and loved ones and had little other human contact and interaction. At the bedside of one dying patient, Father Stephen video-called the family so that they could all be together \u2013 at least virtually \u2013 in the man\u2019s final moments. \u201cWhat a privilege to be able to give them those last precious moments with their father,\u201d says Father Stephen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/frstephenhowe-204x300.jpg\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-24059 lazyload\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-24059\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/frstephenhowe-204x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\"><\/noscript>And Father Stephen knows firsthand the feeling of helplessness and isolation that the patients he ministered to were experiencing. In March of 2020, Father Stephen contracted COVID himself, becoming seriously ill. Because of his symptoms, which he describes as feeling like he had been \u201cbeaten and left for dead,\u201d and quarantine protocol, he spent several weeks alone self-isolating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">While the numbers of COVID infections in Yonkers remain as high as they were back in spring of 2020, the cases of those needing hospitalization have decreased, and there have been no COVID deaths of parishioners since spring. And although the doctors at St John&#8217;s Hospital are now far more successful in helping those patients recover, the social and economic effects of the crisis are still prevalent, particularly at St. Peter and St. Denis Church, whose congregation had already been experiencing a high level of poverty and unemployment before the pandemic hit. At the height of the crisis in the spring of 2020, a large team of volunteers at the church\u2019s Food Pantry were assembling and handing out up to 600 packages to families in need every Tuesday. Recently, the number of food packages required has decreased to about 400 per week as families get back on their feet, but this is still double the amount of aid that was required before COVID. The church also works closely with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, which is housed right next door. \u201cI\u2019m often sending people over there to get help,\u201d says Father Stephen. \u201cAlthough they\u2019re often overwhelmed there because of COVID, they have been very helpful, even helping some people with their rent and other needs they have that can be significant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Father Stephen was recently touched by the generosity of family, friends, and fellow Australians towards the parishioners of St. Peter and St. Denis who are experiencing financial burdens exacerbated by the pandemic. After an article came out in the Australian press about his experience ministering to the COVID patients at St. John\u2019s Hospital and the financial struggles that many families in his parish were currently suffering, Father Stephen began receiving generous donations from people back home. \u201cI know one family of eight kids in Australia who are not overly wealthy, and yet they very generously gave $5000 to help out families here,\u201d says Father Stephen. \u201cI\u2019ve had other relatives and friends coming out of the woodwork to donate, so we\u2019ve been able to give that to the families most in need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Like all parishes, St. Peter and St. Denis Church has had to adapt to ever-changing COVID restrictions and protocol \u2013 since the church can only accommodate about a third of the building\u2019s capacity, and to accommodate the large turnouts at Spanish masses, a second mass is celebrated simultaneously in the gym below the church. As well, all small group and youth groups now meet online, and the parish has not been able to rent out its retreat center since March, which has had a significant financial impact on the church. Despite these difficulties, the parish hasn\u2019t let the pandemic stop them from continuing to grow their ministries. \u201cOne project that I have been particularly involved with is helping to resurrect a young adult group that has gone through a bit of a slump,\u201d says Father Stephen. \u201cCOVID actually helped us, because we got together a new team to run the group, and we were doing weekly Zoom calls as opposed to the live monthly meetings we previously had. We were getting a good number signing in for those every week, and it really got people excited.\u201d In the past few months, the newly revitalized young adult group, called Made for More, has held outdoor activities as well as missions to serve those experiencing homelessness. \u201cIt\u2019s been really good to be involved with and see [the young adults\u2019] desire to be formed in their faith and have good, strong Christian friendships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Father Stephen shares one experience of a young woman who has already been impacted by the revitalized Made for More ministry. One of the patients that Father Stephen had ministered to in the hospital was a mother of five in her forties; when she died of COVID, her oldest daughter turned to the young adult ministry at the church. \u201cIt\u2019s been beautiful to see her really getting into her faith, because before she joined Made for More, she didn\u2019t really know much about the faith, and wasn\u2019t particularly practicing,\u201d says Father Stephen. \u201cShe has been getting involved in our young adult ministry and really loves it, and she has been finding a lot of consolation and strength in this time of mourning after losing her mother. \u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">For Father Stephen, the most rewarding part of his ministry as vicar at St. Peter and St. Denis is the help and healing that he\u2019s able to bring as a priest and minister of the sacraments to his parishioners, whether it\u2019s in their homes, in the church, or at their hospital bedsides. \u201cTheir greatest need is God,\u201d says Father Stephen, \u201cso it\u2019s rewarding to be able to serve them in a very priestly ministry here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">For the month of January, Father Stephen will be returning to his ministry as chaplain at St. John\u2019s Riverside Hospital. To find out more about St. Peter and St. Denis Church and the aid programs they offer, visit their website at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spyonkers.com\/\"><span class=\"s1\">spyonkers.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>St. Peter and St. Denis Church in Yonkers, New York is a lively and flourishing church, but this wasn\u2019t always the case. Made up of a largely Hispanic congregation, with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":24057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2962,3003,3001],"tags":[3622],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-24056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legionaries-of-christ","category-legionaries-of-christ-news-news-article","category-news-article","tag-social-issues"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.8 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Empty Pews and Crowded Hospitals: The Priestly Ministry During COVID-19 - Regnum Christi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/empty-pews-and-crowded-hospitals-the-priestly-ministry-during-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Empty Pews and Crowded Hospitals: The Priestly Ministry During COVID-19\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"St. Peter and St. Denis Church in Yonkers, New York is a lively and flourishing church, but this wasn\u2019t always the case. 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