Good morning.

In my last post on this trip in the Eternal City, I’d like to share with you a moment that was very personal and moving for me.

After the baptism at St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, I was very pleased for the opportunity to visit the grave of Pope John Paul II, who named me a Bishop and sent me as Archbishop to Boston. In so many ways his ministry for 20 years has influenced the life of our Church so very much.

It’s always quite moving to visit John Paul II’s final resting place. I was so happy to pray at his tomb and ask him to intercede for the Church of Boston.

“Totus Tuus” was the apostolic motto of Pope John Paul II…it means “Totally Yours.”

As I make my last post from Rome during this journey, I reflect on the events of this past week. It’s been a wonderful week, very productive and also most enjoyable. It has also been spiritually reinvigorating. But, I am looking forward to getting back to Boston.

It’s always good to come home.

I am very grateful that the people here in Rome and at the Vatican have been so helpful in so many ways…helpful to me and to our Church in Boston.

During my time here this week, I have prayed often for our priests and religious of Boston. I am grateful for all that they do for the Church and for Catholics of Boston.

Catholics of Boston have also been in my prayers here in the Eternal City. I am grateful for your faith and for your support for our Church. As I return, I look forward to continuing to work together with you to strengthen our Church, for the present and for future generations to come.

There is an upcoming event that may be of interest to you…We are looking forward to the arrival of the relics of St. John Vianney, coming to Boston from October 12 – 14. There will be events open to the public on October 13 at St. Mary’s Church in Waltham and October 14 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. Having the relics come to Boston is an important event for our diocesan clergy and for our seminary. St. John Vianney is the Patron of Priests, inspiring us and calling us all to pray for priests and for vocations.

I have appreciated the opportunity to communicate directly with you through my blog and to share my experiences, my work and my reflections from here in the Eternal City, as well as the celebrations and Masses that have taken place on this journey. I am very grateful for your visits and for all your comments….I welcome your thoughts and am thankful for your continued prayers and support.

With this being my last post from Rome, I am happy to announce to you that I will continue to communicate directly with you through my blog each week when I return to Boston. It’s my hope to make a post once a week, on Friday of each week, starting this coming Friday. So, I invite you back to my blog and look forward to sharing and communicating with you well into the future.

Thank you again and I look forward to sharing with you next week.

Until then….

God Bless,

Cardinal Seán