New Rochelle has the highest concentration of COVID-19 cases in the country. Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed schools in the zone to close and forbade large gatherings of people.
While public gatherings, including Masses, have been banned in Italy through April 3, Holy Week begins with the Palm Sunday liturgy April 5, so the notification from the Prefecture of the Papal Household was read as a sign that the ban would be extended, at least at the Vatican.
The Archdiocese of Seattle has been joined by numerous other dioceses, including those of Little Rock, Salt Lake City, and Santa Fe, in canceling public Masses. Major archdioceses, such as in Chicago and Newark, have undertaken similar precautious.
The Church of All Saints in Bergamo -- located in a cemetery in Italy's hardest-hit Lombardy region -- has had to open its doors to dozens of coffins containing the remains of people who died of COVID-19.
During this time of coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis is calling for prayers not only for our elected leaders who are dealing with the crisis, but also for religious who are trying to provide spiritual sustenance for their flocks.