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The beloved pastor of a New York City church has become the first Catholic priest in the United States to die from the coronavirus.
The Rev. Jorge Ortiz-Garay, 49, served as a pastor of St. Brigid’s Church in Brooklyn. He died Friday at a hospital, the diocese said.
BROOKLYN PRINCIPAL, 36, DIES OF CORONAVIRUS COMPLICATIONS, OFFICIALS SAY
Rev. Jorge Ortiz-Garay
(Diocese of Brooklyn)
The coronavirus has killed nearly 1,000 people in New York State, which has become the U.S. epicenter of the disease with a growing surge of cases.
“This is a sad day and a tremendous loss for the Diocese of Brooklyn,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the head of the diocese.
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St. Brigid Church in Brooklyn, NYC.
(Google Maps)
“Father Jorge was a great priest, beloved by the Mexican people and a tireless worker for all of the faithful in Brooklyn and Queens,” DiMarzio said. “It is unfortunate that he was overcome by the coronavirus because of underlying health issues.”
Ortiz-Garay was born in Mexico City and became a priest in the U.S. after working as a lawyer.
