Fighting off COVID-19

CEDAR KNOLLS  When Father Alex Nevitt returned home to Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish on Oct. 2 after a month in Rome, he did not feel ill — only slightly “under the weather” from what he chalked up to jet lag. The Notre Dame parochial vicar even had temperature scans at airports in Rome, Toronto and Newark on his way back to check for COVID-19, which all produced negative readings.

Inspired by an abundance of caution, Father Nevitt went beyond U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and self-quarantined in isolation in his room in Notre Dame’s rectory upon his return. That ended up being the right move a day before things went wrong: a diagnosis of coronavirus from his local doctor Oct. 3. His bout with the virus — a case accompanied by cough, chills and incredible fatigue — kept him in isolation for 24 days but also kept him fighting thanks to the prayers and support of Notre Dame staff and parishioners, fellow priests and Bishop Kevin Sweeney.

Since his return to active ministry on Oct. 26, Father Nevitt has been spreading the gospel of good health to the Notre Dame faith community and beyond — for themselves and the people around them. In announcements at Mass and on social media, he has been reminding people to wear face masks and practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19. He also urged them to be tested for the virus if they feel the slightest bit ill or are at high risk or have been in at-risk situations such as at parties.

“When I returned from Italy, there was no quarantine requirement for me. However, I knew that travel in any form placed me at higher risk so I went to get tested and am so glad I did. When I got tested I did not feel sick at all, just a little tired. Yet the virus can move quickly: while at the beginning, I felt normal, in about a day or two I felt all my energy drained from me. And almost in the same way, I recovered just as quickly,” Father Nevitt posted on Facebook with a photo of him wearing a face mask after his return to public ministry. “As your brother in Christ, I ask you to please be charitable to all of your brothers and sisters in Christ and to stay home and get tested if you start feeling ill or unusually fatigued. Testing will help us to overcome this virus until a vaccine is discovered,” he wrote.

Last month, Father Nevitt flew to Rome to finish some work for his licentiate in spiritual theology with a specialization in vocational formation at the St. Peter Favre Centre for Formators to the Priesthood and Religious Life at Gregorian University. His studies there were interrupted by his return to the Diocese in the lockdown mid-March but continued online, during his temporary assignment at St. Luke Parish, Long Valley. The priest said he plans to finish his studies virtually early next year in his final step to earning the degree.

“In Rome I didn’t feel sick. Around the airport, people came up to me with temperature sensors on their helmets. I was negative,” said Father Nevitt.

The next day, Father Nevitt visited his doctor who came out in full scrubs and face gear to tell him about his positive diagnosis. He already started to self-quarantine in his room that is separate from the rest of the rectory and above the garage on the Notre Dame campus.

“I wasn’t nervous for myself because I’m a younger priest but I was worried about passing the virus on to Father Paddy [O’Donovan, pastor] because he is 73 and to the staff at the rectory as well as parishioners at Mass,” said Father Nevitt. “I slept 16 hours, which for me was very usual, because I normally sleep about six hours,” he said.

Father Nevitt did not have safe access to the rectory kitchen so parishioners left meals and cases of water and other groceries that they bought outside of the garage. After 14 days in isolation, doctors were concerned about a lingering cough that he had so they suggested that he self-quarantine for another 10 days even though he felt fine otherwise, the priest said.

“I used my time in isolation praying and thinking about how to preach now using this experience. I thought of ideas for the Family Faith Formation program to teach young people to make Jesus the center of their lives,” Father Nevitt said. “I also prayed for my people who were praying for me and were concerned about me: Father Paddy, the staff, parishioners whom I call my ‘prayer warriors’ and priests from around the Diocese. I also prayed for Bishop Sweeney who called me with his prayers and concerns,” he said.

On Oct. 26, Father Nevitt concelebrated his first Mass back at Notre Dame with Father O’Donovan. After the liturgy, he reminded the faithful about following safety protocols and to be tested if needed.

“I love getting back to ministering to people and saying Mass as a priest. It’s so joyful to me,” Father Nevitt said.

A post on Notre Dame’s Facebook page declared, “Thankful for Father Alex’s recovery and glad to have him back celebrating weekend liturgies.”

Since his return, Father Nevitt has been urging people to follow safety measures, many of which are included in Notre Dame’s COVID-19 guidelines.

“We cannot let fear dictate our lives and must place our trust in God but take appropriate precautions,” posted Father Nevitt who also urged the Notre Dame community to pray. “We can never underestimate the value and the power of prayer. So if you or anyone you know has COVID-19 and would like us to pray for them, let us know. We as a community want to help you with prayer,” he wrote.