Inside this issue 5 Brendan Blawie 15 “Shining a light” 29 Msgr. Walter Orlowski, 68 to be ordained Special Christmas Section Beloved Pastor of St. Matthew’s ON THE COVER | CONTENTS Students from 7 MIKE DONOGHUE, CHARITIES 24 ENCOUNTERING GOD IN THE UPS & DOWNS All Saints School On leading the agency during crisis David D’Andrea writes about surviving abuse in Norwalk 14 WE STAND WITH CHRIST 26 BISHOP PROMULGATES FUNERAL NORMS Distributes $30 million New guidelines on all aspect of Catholic funerals prepare for Christmas by 17 AMAZON SMILE PROGRAM 30 ROUNDUP OF ABBREVIATED FALL SEASON Helps parishes shop for Christmas Columnist Don Harrison report on high school sports learning about 22 A YEAR OF HARDSHIP 32 VOCATIONS: FATHER ERIC SILVA Advent. A timeline of COVID-19 in the diocese The power of Spiritual Fatherhood 2 December 2020 Around the Diocese Advent: a time of active waiting! BY ELIZABETH CLYONS FAIRFIELD COUNTY—Parishes and schools throughout the diocese have been embracing the Season of Advent in joyful waiting. n Coats and more… NEWTOWN— Newtown Council 185 collected 500+ coats and received donations for many more. They deliv- ered coats to the Thomas Merton Center in Bridgeport, the Danbury Family and Children’s Aid and the Newtown school children that have been designat- ed. Great work! Operation Christmas Child NEW CANAAN—St. Aloysius School in New Canaan participated in Operation Christmas Child— Assumption School, graciously and Fairfield generously filling boxes with toys, FAIRFIELD—At school supplies, Assumption Catholic personal hygiene School in Fairfield, an products, and Advent wreath adorns the letters of love and hall in front of a statue of care to 86 children Our Blessed Mother. in need! Lighting the Advent Wreath at St. Mary’s School BETHEL—At St. Mary School in Bethel, Father Corey lit the Advent wreath and shared a blessing with all the students and faculty. 3 December 2020 Around the Diocese Jesse Tree Advent: a time of active waiting! Ornaments FAIRFIELD—The fifth-graders at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fairfield created their own Jesse Tree orna- ments, used to help tell the story of the Bible from creation to the birth of Jesus. The students read a differ- ent Bible story each day before hanging their ornaments on the tree! Knights set up Creche BRIDGEPORT—Knights of Columbus St. Frances X Cabrini Council 4096 helped their pastor at St. Andrew Church in Bridgeport by putting up the Christmas decorations in the Church and setting up the crèche! Great work to all! A Class Blessing! FAIRFIELD— Father Peter Cipriani blessed Assumption Fairfield students and faculty. Every prayer and blessing can make all the difference! Joining Al’s Angels STRATFORD— Youth and adults from St. Mark Parish in Stratford recently helped assemble 1,600 bins of food for families in need with Al’s Angels! Please keep these families in your prayers this holiday season! 4 December 2020 Diocesan News Queen of Saints Hall is a COVID-19 testing site BY BRIAN D. WALLACE an altruistic spirit, which aligns rate drive-up testing on Saturdays 9 well with our company’s think- am–3 pm within the parking lot. BRIDGEPORT—To help com- ing.” Testing results are generally bat the spread of COVID-19 in the Brian Bellows, chief strat- available within 48 to 72 hours. greater Bridgeport area, the Queen egy officer of Progressive Progressive Diagnostics accepts all of Saints Hall of the Catholic Diagnostics, who is a parishio- forms of health insurance. Center is now being used as an ner of St. Catherine of Siena in Catholic Center building on-site location for both COVID- Trumbull and has served for many unites two eras of pandemic 19 and antibody tests. years on the board of St. Joseph The repurposing of part of the The Diocese of Bridgeport High School in Trumbull, has 75,000 square foot Catholic Center announced an agreement with been instrumental in forging the campus to respond to a pandemic Progressive Diagnostics, LLC of partnership, which may bring addi- unites two eras in the Church and Trumbull, a clinical medical labo- tional test sites to other diocesan in Bridgeport history. While the ratory, which has begun providing locations. facility now houses the Offices of high-volume, COVID-19 PCR Deacon Toole said the decision the Bishop and many diocesan min- (saliva) testing along with antibody to open Queen of Saints Hall for istries and programs, much of the blood tests (beginning next week) testing is consistent with the con- building history is related to its role that are FDA EUA approved. siderable health and safety proto- as a contagious disease hospital. “We’re very proud of this initia- cols the diocese has introduced in First opened in 1917 in response tive, which is offering an essential its parishes and schools since the to the Spanish flu, it was hailed as service to help flatten the curve beginning of the pandemic. a modern hospital, the structure and safeguard lives in our commu- He said that Progressive was known to generations of area nity,” said Deacon Patrick Toole, Diagnostics has designed a sys- residents as Englewood Hospital, as episcopal vicar for administration tem that ensures all patients are it treated successive waves of scarlet of the Diocese of Bridgeport. socially distant and professional fever, mumps, measles and polio. “Masks, testing and contact specialized cleaning is performed The building was expanded tracing are essential until there is a between visits and every evening. again in 1962 when the Diocese widely available vaccine, and this As an added measure, the HVAC of Bridgeport purchased the site offers a timely new option for peo- units that supply the heat/ac to the as the home of Notre Dame Girls ple, particularly as the pandemic is hall are being equipped with state High School after the city closed the expected to surge over the next few of the art Air Scrubber ActivePure hospital. months,” said Deacon Toole. Technology to purify the air and According to officials at the Curt Kuliga, entrepreneur, reduce exposure to bacteria and University of Connecticut Health CEO and founder of Progressive viruses, FDA EUA approved. Center, the 1918 Spanish flu has Diagnostics in Trumbull, said, “Their primary concern is the been described as the catastrophe “Our whole purpose is to expand safety and health of their patients, against which all modern pandem- access to quality affordable care. Catholic Center employees and the ics are measured. Health experts We are simply blessed to be in community. Accordingly, they imple- believe that as many as 100 million partnership with the Diocese of mented policies and procedures to people around the globe may have Bridgeport and the forward-think- prevent the spread of the COVID-19 perished in the outbreak—which is ing leadership of Deacon Pat virus,” Deacon Toole said. believed to have infected up to 40 Toole, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano Queen of Saints Hall provides percent of the earth’s population. and many of the clergy and staff, a separate entrance for those who The Spanish flu had a grim who are committed to expanding come to the building for test- efficiency that rivaled the medie- care in their communities during ing. The side door to the hall, adja- val plague. Many of the 1918-19 the pandemic.” cent to the parking lot, also allows victims woke up in full health and “The collaboration with the for easy access, while the rest of were dead within 24 hours—dying Church will not only provide the 75,000 square foot building of suffocation after their lungs filled access to FDA EUA authorized remains off-limits. with fluid. Eight thousand people PCR saliva testing, but it will also All testing is by appointment died in Connecticut during the last add jobs as we continue to expand only with times available between four months of 1918. patient collection centers through- 9 am-5 pm Monday through The Catholic Center is located at out the diocese. The Church has Friday during the week and a sepa- 238 Jewett Avenue in Bridgeport. n 5 December 2020 Diocesan News Diocesan News Deacon Blawie to be ordained to the priesthood BY ELIZABETH CLYONS in Rome and was on pastoral assignment at St. Thomas More BRIDGEPORT—Bishop parish in Darien. Frank J. Caggiano will ordain In the fall, he returned to Deacon Brendan Blawie to the Pontifical North American the priesthood on Saturday, College in Rome to continue January 2, 2021 at 11 am at St. his formation and begin his Augustine’s Cathedral. Licentiate of Sacred Theology Blawie was ordained as a tran- in Dogmatics at the Pontifical sitional deacon on June 20, 2020 University of St. Thomas alongside Guy Dormévil. Aquinas. For transitional deacons, the “I am filled with gratitude and following year included pastoral, joy to have arrived at this point liturgical and an educational in my life, to lay down all that preparation period for the priest- I am, to be configured fully to hood. Christ as His priest,” says Blawie. Attendance at the ordination “I heard the call to ‘leave my net will be limited to immediate fam- DEACON BRENDAN BLAWIE and follow Him’ (Matthew 4:20), ily members and other invited and this ordination is the fulfill- guests in order to conform to the ment of years of discernment, public health recommendations being sent to the Pontifical North prayer, and study. But it is only for returning to indoor Mass American College in Rome where the beginning of what I pray will during the pandemic. he spent three years. In 2019, be a fruitful lifetime of service in Brendan Blawie was born and he received his theology degree, Christ’s vineyard.