ST. HELENA WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR PRIVATE PRAYER Following GOVERNOR CUOMO’S EXECUTIVE ORDER, the Cardinal sought guidance from state officials regarding the question of whether churches could remain unlocked and open for individual prayer following the soon-to-be-released executive order requiring the closing of most businesses in the state other than essential services, and placing other restrictions on New Yorkers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the official response we received from the state: No congregate services (which we had already enacted last week), but parishes/rectories/churches can have enough clergy or laypeople on hand to allow public access to the premise for prayer. To be clear, churches can remain open for personal prayer but not congregant services.