Diocese of Wilmington Archives

After 11 deaths at residence, Little Sisters report signs of improvement

Apr 14, 2020

As the nation and much of the world wait for a drop in the harm and disruption caused by the novel coronavirus, the sisters, staff and residents of Jeanne Jugan Residence in Newark, Delaware, are dealing with the devastating impact of the disease while also helping some residents recover.

By Joseph P. Owens

Even in perfect weather, sports fields are quiet because of pandemic

Apr 5, 2020

On a beautiful sunny spring afternoon in late March, the setting on the softball diamond at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, was just about perfect. But the Auks’ softball team would not be taking the field that afternoon or any other for the foreseeable future.

By Mike Lang

Retired Delaware priest dies from COVID-19, underlying illnesses

Apr 4, 2020

Father Hilary Rodgers, 75, a retired Diocese of Wilmington priest who lived at Jeanne Jugan Residence in Newark, Delaware, died April 1 as a result of COVID-19 and underlying illnesses, said the Little Sisters of the Poor, who operate the facility.

By Joseph P. Owens

Distraught, determined Little Sisters of the Poor cope with coronavirus

Mar 28, 2020

The Department of Health and Social Services late in the evening of March 26 announced the first long-term care facility coronavirus-related death in Delaware and the first outbreak of positive cases in such a facility in the state.

By Joseph P. Owens

Delaware priest says mother, siblings in his native Italy ‘stressed out’

Mar 12, 2020

So many people are keeping a close watch on the impact of coronavirus in Italy and elsewhere, but few are paying closer attention than Father Stanislao Esposito. The pastor of St. John the Baptist-Holy Angels Parish in Newark, Delaware, was born in Naples and his mother, Teresa, 83, two sisters and a brother are among family members who currently live in his native country.

By Joseph P. Owens

Sundays After: For survivor, routine brings some relief

Dec 19, 2019

It’s been nine years since the trial that nearly killed John Vai.
He sat for depositions by church attorneys who called him a greedy liar and accused him of enticing the priest. He saw a secret he’d spent 40 years trying to forget splashed across the pages of his hometown newspaper. In a Delaware courtroom, over six weeks, he laid bare the details of his sexual abuse as a teen by Father Francis G. DeLuca, a religion teacher at St. Elizabeth’s in Wilmington.

By Juliet Linderman