Comments on: Visiting the Society of St. James in Peru

By: Br. Orlando Reyes, OFM Cap

Br. Orlando Reyes, OFM Cap — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 22:42:15 +0000

Que gusto poder seguir sus huellas y sus memorables experiencia con nuestro hermanos peruanos, que Dios le siga bendiciendo con buena salud y muchas bendiciones. Paz y Bien, Orlando

By: Ruth Schiavone

Ruth Schiavone — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 22:27:55 +0000

I heartily agree with the last two comments. Something has to be done, your Eminence. Your Priests here do not come up to the plate and as a result many Catholics are no longer interested in what the Church has to say. I never thought that we would be so bogged down in Massachusetts as we are now. The faithful are not getting the support from their Priests which is their due. I think your blog is well done; your ministry exemplary, but your Priests need to be free to preach the Word, in season and out of season, even to those with itching ears…..
Ruth Schiavone.

By: Ania

Ania — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 22:10:50 +0000

I”m from Poland,(country”s Jan Pawe? II) but I love read blogs, where are write for cardinals and people”s Church. Sorry for mistakes, but I can”t speak english very well. You should read my coment and pleas you, write to me…
See you leter

By: Alice Slattery

Alice Slattery — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:37:38 +0000

Dear Cardinal O’Malley,
Regarding vital matters in our Archdiocese of Boston, what advice do you have for parents in light of the tragic decision today(Feb. 23) by Federal Judge Mark Wolf, that gives the public schools, where most of the Catholic children in the state receive their education, the unrestricted right to teach our children all about same-sex sex and same-sex marriage as being good and positive in” preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy.” . The court case involved children in the early elementary school of Estabrook School in Lexington but effects all public school children in Mass.. What advice do you have to give to the pastors of Sacred Heart and St. Bridgid’s parishes in Lexington who are responsible for supporting the religious education of Catholic families
in their parish? Parents are crying out for this support and your advice!

By: Margarita

Margarita — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:49:19 +0000

Felicitaciones por estar junto a los pobres y necesitados.Saludos en Cristo

By: Myriam Dox-Frias

Myriam Dox-Frias — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:04:27 +0000

Thank you for your continued outstanding job of sharing your daily activities with all of us. We hope and pray that someday your work will bring you to Belgium and Bolivia.
May God bless you.

By: Marylin Thompson

Marylin Thompson — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 00:53:31 +0000

Thank you Cardinal O’Malley. It is very uplifting to see and read about your good work and the work of our church in Latin America.

By: GB

GB — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:32:45 +0000

I never really thought of John giving the Eucharist to Blessed Mother…what a wonderful meditation that is!
Its always uplifting to me to see how the Church is present all over the world. It proves the truth of Jesus’ word that the gates of hell & everything else can’t prevail against it. Appropriate for the Chair of Peter feastday, eh?

By: rita strow

rita strow — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:04:54 +0000

dear Cardinal,
As regards your trip to Peru that is fine and well, but back at home in Boston there is great sorrow. I lived in your archdiocese for 34 years and have suffered through appalling Masses and innane sermons – worldly priests and, sad to say, bishops are the culprits. And now you want to close the one Church where the holy traditional Mass is offered! Instead of more such churches you are extinguishing this place of reverence. Thank God I have found a traditional parish in another state. But alas, for Boston

By: susan white

susan white — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:38:50 +0000

Thank you your eminence for all you have done to revive the archdioscese of Boston. I enjoyed the pictures of your work in South America. One question I have….I always wonder why priests choose to wear street clothes instead of their clerics. Certainly they couldn’t be trying to distance themselves from the visable sign of Christ’s church
or could they? I appreciate your example and I ‘ll continue to pray for all our priests….God bless them!!

By: Eve

Eve — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 13:42:52 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,
Hello. Once again, I read your very informative blog. It is the fourth day of Chinese New Year and the Catholic Church here participates in the celeb by hanging all the red lanterns outside the church’s santurary.

By: The Pilot

The Pilot — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 05:51:34 +0000

TEST

By: Vito Nicastro

Vito Nicastro — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:37:13 +0000

As I read your blog, I felt thankful that our leader has seen and felt places that most of us never think of. Someone who has been to Pueblas Jovenes probably never sees the world quite the same way again.

By: Fr. Phil Bloom

Fr. Phil Bloom — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 17:03:36 +0000

Dear Cardinal Se�n,

Thank you for your blog and particularly for this post. I was in Peru for seven years (1987 – 94) and admired the work and spirit of the St. James priests.

Fr. Phil Bloom
Pastor – Holy Family, Seattle

P.S. It was good to see the OSV article on how you and other bishops are using the new media to evangelize.

By: Francis C. Higgins

Francis C. Higgins — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:51:54 +0000

I enjoyed reading of your Peruvian journey. I have known of the St. James Society since the days of my youth (’60′s), Cork City, Ireland. I was a member (1979-1985) and worked in Ecuador. I’ll never forget the experience. Since my return to the Savannah, Georgia diocese I have worked, to the present, with the local Hispanic population. My prayers and best wishes are daily with the Society and it’s members.

Sincerely,

Frank Higgins

By: William

William — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:05:13 +0000

The photos say so much more than words can describe.

By: Cyril

Cyril — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:56:39 +0000

Your Eminence,

Your article helped me piece together why we have priests from my diocese down in Ecuador. I enjoyed reading this article and seeing the tombs of two great saints. It must have been be nice to go about looking like an ordinary friar without all the cardinal and episcopal regalia.

Let us pray for one another.

Cyril

By: Jamie

Jamie — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 09:39:51 +0000

Dear Cardinal Se�n,

I just cannot help but once AGAIN extend an enormously heartfelt and gracious thank-you for ALL of your seemingly endless service and work in the name of Our Blessed Mother and Her Divine Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ all while representing, of course, your fantastic Order and the American Catholic Church.

Likened to those before you and along with you in your time, just to name a very very few – Frank Kelly, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Fr. Patrick Peyton, Fr. John Carapi, Fr. Andrew Apostoli, Fr. Frank Pavone & Fr. Benedict Groeschel and of course Pope John Paul II – The Great and his successor Pope Benedict XVI, may God bring abundant blessings and graces upon you and them for all of eternity with the recognition of Sainthood in Our Catholic Church! Because, through your perpetual and tireless (however surely exhausting!) efforts you, right alongside the blessing of Mother Angelica & EWTN and all those there, St. Mother Theodore Guerin (and ALL who have been chipped from the same diamond as Christ Himself) have redeemed The Catholic Church of the U.S.A. in the eyes of the entire world!

We should all be forever endebted to you and pray and also do whatever else we all can in order to help with your work currently, pass it on to those we know now and to our own children and heirs so the bearing of fruits may last until Christ comes in glory honce and for all!!

God Bless you and we beg you, PLEASE never stop!

By: Esther

Esther — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:31:33 +0000

Aloha Your Eminence:
I was born in Peru and haven’t been back since I was 2. It was so heartwarming to see the photos especially those of the tombs of Santa Rosa de Lima and San Martin de Porres. Mahalo for sharing this with us.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 20:07:48 +0000

Your Eminence,
Once again, thank you for the inspiration at this weeks post. One of the Filipino priest that is part of the Missionary society of St. James the Apostles, Msgr. Allen Aganon, used to be the parish priest of my town of Las Pinas in the Philippines. I did not know until now that you as the Archbishop of Boston is the titular head of the Soceity. It seems cool, its like a Franciscan Capuchin founded another missionary society. You’r really an inspiration. Please keep me in your prayers as I continue my discernment to the preisthood. God bless you and always. May Mary, our mother and Francis, your father keep you always.

By: Paul McNelis, S.J.

Paul McNelis, S.J. — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 19:18:29 +0000

Cardinal Sean, woderful discussion of life in Peru. I worked both with St. James and Columban fathers, wonderful groups, while living with the Jesuits in Peru, a mix of Spaniards, Peruvians and Americans, in the 1980′s. I also remember well the dedicated religious women who serve the pueblos jovenes. One humorous memory. I was serving in a pueblo joven, through contact with Irish Columban fathers, and Cardinal Juan Landazzuri drove his VW to the parish for confirmation. He had done three that day, it was around 1 pm, very hot. After mass, we had dinner with the sisters who worked in the parish. At the end of the dinner, he left the table and did not return. I began to worry, did he have a heart attack in the bathroom? The sisters just laughed, telling me he was taking a siesta in one of their rooms before driving back. It unnerved me, as a Pennslyvania (Scranton diocese) catholic, I could never image a bishop going to take a siesta in the bed room of the mother superior of a convent! This would have raised a lot of eye brows in Pennsylvania. But humor aside, these are hard working priests and religious from all over the world who are doing their best to bring hope and courage to people in extreme poverty. The fact that they could relax on Sundays and share in some good humor is a powerful witness to their hope in the gospel.
Seeing many of the processions of the Peruvians remined me of the Irish-Catholic Knights of Columbus and other Italian devotions (St. Rocco) throughout neighborhoods in parish Churches in Pennslyvania. We are not so different from our brothers and sisters south of the boarder.
Keep up your great work in giving us the human, personal dimensions of your ministry of evangelization.

By: Bridgette

Bridgette — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 18:39:37 +0000

Dear Cardinal O’Malley,

I am a sixteen year old in the Archdiocese of Boston and I have an idea for the upcoming bicentennial…an Archdiocesan Youth Chorus! This would be an auditioned chorus for high school students whose purpose would be to come together, learn sacred music, and perform for the bicentennial. I am hoping you can direct me to someone who can assist me.

Thank you very much,
Bridgette

By: Fr. Roberto Mena, S.T.

Fr. Roberto Mena, S.T. — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:29:03 +0000

Grace and peace. I liked that you visited Peru. It gave you an idea of what is happening in Latin America. I liked the statue of St. John giving communion to Mary.I keep you in my prayers. Please do the same.

FR. Roberto Mena, S.T.
http://www.parishworld.net

By: James King

James King — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:24:13 +0000

Dear Cardinal,
I appreciate your willingness to enter the blogosphere and communicate with the rest of us. Your blog is full of content and nicely designed, too. I pray daily for the intentions of Pope Benedict, and that the Church will quickly overcome its present troubles. Although I live on the other side of the continent, I pray that the Boston Archdiocese will emerge from its troubles in a strengthened condition. With God everything is possible.

By: Rose Marie Benoit

Rose Marie Benoit — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 03:47:45 +0000

To my friend the Cardinal,
I was over come with emotion when I saw the picture of you standing by the bed of the man covered with bedsores. It brought me back to another time in Fall River, at Espirito Santo Church. As you Processed into the church, the bands playing behind you and the people in church waiting for you. A mentally disabled woman ran in front of you as Msgr, Oliveira tried to prevent her, you gave him a singnal to let her come. She threw her arms around your waist, gave you a big hug, and continued talking to you. As you listened, it appeared to me you treated her as though she were the only person in the earth at that moment. Cardinal that particular sene left such a strong impression on my mind. I no longer saw you, I saw Jesus. The same feeling came over me looking at the photo (mentioned above) in this blog. Thank You is just a small sign of appreciation for the service you give all of God’s People.
I love you with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Rose Marie Benoit

By: Emanuele

Emanuele — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 22:21:32 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,
I’ve just read your biography on the english wikipedia. It says when you were in Washington you was named Episcopal vicar. But given you were a religious priest didn’t you receive the honorary title of Monsignor, did you?

By: Shirley St.John

Shirley St.John — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 17:25:56 +0000

aS USUAL, i DELIGHT IN READING YOUR BLOG EACH WEEK. The photos are done beautifully and add to your comments. I belong to Holy Cross Parish in Easton and in conjunction with Holy Cross at Stonehill College in Easton, Ma., they often visit our sister Parish in Peru. Some one of these days, I would love to take that trip. You made that somewhat possible for me with your trip. Thank you, Shirley S.

By: Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:53:56 +0000

Dear Cardinal,

Thank you for your posts.

God bless,
Ryan Adams

By: milanta

milanta — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 08:42:32 +0000

I’m very glad you met my country, a very beautiful place with lots of children and with a strong faith. We are catholics by centuries but we need more education and particiation in the Church and Society. Thanks for Society of St. James!

By: Kaleb

Kaleb — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:36:37 +0000

Cardinal,

Was this your first trip to Peru? I had the opportunity to visit there this past June and I fell in love with the country. Did you have the chance to take a taxi in the city? Riding in along in Lima was a little nerve-racking for me. I didn’t have a chance to go inside the cathedral, so I’m envious. Next time you go to Lima you should check out the restaurant L’Eau Vive. It’s run by an order of nuns out of France and they have wonderful food.

By: Angela Messenger

Angela Messenger — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 06:49:07 +0000

Thank you for this post! Our parish has a mission in Peru also. Fr. David works very hard for the people of Pamparomas.