On Good Friday, if you looked to the mostly-clear sky and were lucky enough to spot it, you could see the Archbishop of New Orleans, flying overhead in an open-cockpit WWII airplane, as he prayed and blessed the city of New Orleans amid the coronavirus crisis.
Just before he and his pilot took flight Friday morning, Archbishop Gregory Aymond told WWL First News’ Tommy Tucker, “It’s an adventure and a privileged opportunity to go above the city, to ride above the city and to ask for God’s blessings.”
The Archbishop explained, “We will be going throughout the city on both sides of the river and during that time I will be praying and asking for God’s blessings upon our city, also, I have some holy water from the Jordon river, where Jesus was baptized, which I will pour over the city.”
The archbishop will not be raining down blessings alone, Rabbi Lexi Erdheim of Gates of Prayer Synagogue will also take a similar flight in a separate plane with his own pilot.
Aymond says the flights and blessings are a symbol for all Catholics during this holiest of Lenten days and amid the fatal COVID-19 crisis.
“It was this day that Jesus was misjudged, mistreated, condemned unnecessarily,” says Aymond. “He offered himself for the sin of humanity.”
Aymond himself was infected and has recovered from the coronavirus, just last month.As New Orleans is dealing with a pandemic health crisis in the best ways she can, Aymond’s hope is his flight gives the city the hope she needs to get through this crisis.
Related: Archbishop, rabbi to bless New Orleans from overhead