NEW YORK – “Animo!” Courage! In life, the Rev. Jorge Ortiz-Garay would repeat the word in Spanish when he encouraged teenagers to stay in school, when he fed the homeless, when he consoled those who lost loved ones.
Now, parishioners repeat his favorite word to pay homage to the devoted leader of their community, even when the pandemic won’t let them gather to mourn their beloved ‘Father Jorge.’ The pastor of St.
Brigid Church in Brooklyn was the first Catholic cleric in the United States to die from the coronavirus outbreak. He was 49.
Just days before he died on March 27, he officiated a Mass. He said he was healthy, and told parishioners that “the only way to fight this virus” was to love God and serve others.