Cathedral serves as vaccine site

DATELINE  One by one, residents in the city of Paterson rolled up their sleeves to get the COVID-19 vaccine offered at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here, which served as a “pop-up” vaccine distribution site during the week of March 8 to 12.

More than 2,000 parishioners and those living in the neighboring area were able to get their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. They will receive the second dose during the week after Easter, also at the cathedral. Many at the site believed receiving the vaccine gave them a sense of hope exactly one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

One couple that felt that sense of hope was Dolores and Edgar Leon, longtime parishioners of St. John’s, both of whom thought having the vaccine distribution at their place of worship was “a blessing.” Dolores Leon, who works in child care, and her husband, who is considered high risk, lined up next to the cathedral making their way toward the Bishop Rodimer Center, where the site was located. “Everyone is so happy,” she said. “This is great to be able to get this at our church, our second home. Two months ago, we couldn’t even get an appointment to receive the vaccine.”

The distribution site at St. John’s was made possible through the Federal Emergency Manage­ment Agency (FEMA), N.J. Depart­ment of Health, N.J. Office of Emer­gency Management, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Serving at these sites were U.S. Army and U.S. Navy military personnel as part of the federal vaccine response to the pandemic. In addition to the city of Paterson, similar “pop-up” sites were located in other urban cities including Elizabeth, Vineland, Camden, and Jersey City.

Those who came to the cathedral to get the vaccine learned about the “pop-up” site through announcements that were made at weekend Masses a few weeks before. Parishioners were able to register for the vaccine shot online on the cathedral’s website.

Each of the five days, teams of volunteers from St. John’s, including staff and Knights of Columbus Council 17254 members, assisted parishioners and other city residents who lined up around the cathedral to ensure everything was orderly.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney visited the site on Friday to speak with the volunteers and tour the vaccination site. In addition, Gov. Murphy, Mayor Andrew Sayegh of Paterson, and other local and state leaders visited the site during the week.

Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the cathedral and diocesan vicar for special projects, welcomed having the cathedral as a vaccine site, saying, “This is really about the New Evangelization. People are open to faith when they see that the Church cares for their basic human needs and their health.”

In addition to making certain the lines were orderly, and people were properly signing in for the vaccine, the volunteers handed out cards with information on the Cathedral’s Holy Week and Easter schedule.

Up to 500 people came through the doors of the Bishop Rodimer Center on Grand Street each day, sometimes wrapping around the corner on Main Street to line up. Many without appointments but hoping to receive the shot due to any “no shows” also waited across the street in front of Eva’s Village. Once in the center, the people registered and filled out the “COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card,” then they received the injection and finally, they sat in a waiting area for 15 minutes for any possible side effects.

St. Bonaventure Parish in Paterson was also the location of the vaccine distribution for its parishioners with Rite Aid Pharmacy providing the shots. About 175 Pfizer vaccines were administered to the parishioners on March 13 with the second shot to be received on April 3.

One of the volunteers at the cathedral, Jorge Medina, a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 17254, got his shot on the first day along with members of his family. “Everyone has been positive and just so grateful,” he told The Beacon. “The year 2020 was an especially difficult year and after what many of us went through this past year, this vaccine gives us a sense of hope.”