Cardinal Seán's Blog

Welcome to you all!

This was a very eventful week in which I had the opportunity to renew my religious vows, participate in two vocation events at our seminaries and hear Cardinal J. Francis Stafford speak on the Sacrament of Penance. In addition, the Archdiocese of Boston made a very important announcement regarding the future of our Catholic hospitals.

Friday, Feb. 2, the Feast of the Presentation of The Lord – also known as Candlemas – was designated by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, as the World Day of Consecrated Life. The feast marks the day the Holy Family presented Christ in the temple and consecrated Him to His mission. For that reason, it is a day when we invite the religious to renew their vows. We are very thankful for the gift of religious life in the Church.

Prior to the Mass, I blessed these candles which
will be used throughout the year

Many of the parishes have celebrations for religious life on the Sunday following the feast day. However, here at the Chancery, the feast coincided with our First Friday Mass. We took advantage of that occasion for those of us at the Chancery who have been called to religious life to renew our vows.During the Mass I invited the religious present to join me in this prayer:

Today, in our celebration of the mystery of God’s choice, we marvel at the lived response God has made possible in your vowed life. I invite you now to renew your commitment, so that all may rejoice with you in God’s faithful love.

Then I prayed, along with my fellow religious:

Eternal triune God,

trusting in Your faithful love,

I, Brother Se�n, renew my vows

to live my life following Christ in chastity,

poverty, and obedience

I commit myself anew

to serve the Church in the ministry

entrusted to my institute.

Grant me the grace, Lord,

through the intercession of Our Lady

and the prayers and support of my institute,

to live these vows faithfully.

Amen.

Next, I blessed the religious:

The steadfast love of our God endures forever. With you, we rejoice at how God has loved you. Blessed indeed are you, each of you, for trusting as Mary, that God’s word to you would be fulfilled. We confidently pray that God, who has begun this good work in you, will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.

The assembly responded:

We praise and thank God with you for His faithful love which has inspired and enabled your fidelity. We thank you, too, for witness of your lives and your example of loving service. May God fill your hearts with love, peace and joy. Amen.

I, and all the religious present, renew our vows

- – -

This weekend the Archdiocese sponsored two events for men who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood. The first was a day of recollection at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary for men who are 40 or over. It was very well received.

Then, at St. John’s Seminary, we had a record crowd for a discernment retreat held from Feb. 2-4 – the response was so great that the retreat organizers had to go out and borrow beds!

In all, over 60 men in their 20s and 30s participated, a group that represented the diversity and the richness of our local Church. Among the participants we had immigrants who were Asian, Cape Verdean and Hispanic. In addition, we had students from MIT, Harvard, Boston College and Boston University.

During the weekend retreat we had a number of witness talks by the seminarians, and I gave a number of conferences. We also invited Cardinal J. Francis Stafford (who you’ll hear more about later in this post) to address them. The reaction of the young men was all very positive, it is good that they had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what seminary life is like and to meet the seminarians.

The fact that so many came to the retreat was a great source of encouragement for all who attended and our seminarians. The large number of participants was evidence that the seminary and the priesthood are alive and well.

Certainly, in our parishes and religious communities, we are always asking for prayer for vocations, and I think this is a sign that those prayers are heard. In praying for vocations, we are publicly witnessing to our own conviction in the importance of vocations in the Church. This, in turn, is an encouragement to our young people.

Celebrating Mass in St. John’s Chapel for the retreat participants

In the past, when a very large percentage of our children were enrolled in Catholic schools, the sisters acted as wonderful vocation directors. They modeled the life of consecration for their students and were constantly inviting them to consider whether God was calling them to a life of ministry in the priesthood or religious life. Now that we no longer have that huge cadre of sisters, we must appeal to our religious education teachers, Catholic parents and parish priests to fulfill that role. Many of the young men who were at the retreat came because their pastors had invited them to be there. We are very grateful for that.

After celebrating Mass for the retreat participants, I suggested that we take this picture for the blog. However, I introduced the idea realizing that there may be some who might not want to be in the photo. I told them that everyone except those who were in the witness protection program or who had not told their mothers or their girlfriends that they were coming to a vocation retreat, could come forward and have their picture taken. I assured them that we were only going to put it on the blog and then we were going to destroy the negatives!

- – -

As I mentioned earlier, this past weekend we were fortunate enough to have Cardinal Stafford, the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, here with us in the Archdiocese.

The Apostolic Penitentiary is a tribunal of the Holy See, which is comprised of two offices. One responsible for the regulations concerning indulgences (for example the plenary indulgence relating to World Day of the Sick activities this weekend), the other is a court which resolves cases relating to the internal forum and gives absolution from sins and censures reserved to the Holy See.

Cardinal Stafford was invited to the St. John’s Seminary to speak about the Church’s ministry of confession. He addressed the priests, seminarians and laity in three separate sessions.

Father George Szal and St. John’s rector, Father John Farren,
listen to Cardinal Stafford’s talk for priests

In his talks, spoke on the riches of the Sacrament of Penance, which is such an important means of God’s grace and mercy in the Church. It is through the sacrament that we are able to truly deepen our personal conversion and experience the Lord’s love and mercy in our lives.

I often reflect on how the Divine Mercy devotion has spread so rapidly in the last few years, and also the fascination our Catholic people have with Padre Pio, who would hear confessions for 10 or 12 hours per day. There is a hunger for mercy in the world, and so the cardinal’s conferences about the sacrament of God’s love and mercy are a great grace for us. We were grateful for his presence.

Cardinal Stafford is a great gift to the Church, a man of wonderful intellectual and spiritual gifts that he so generously shares. I have known him for many years from the time when he was a priest of Baltimore, and later the Bishop of Memphis and Archbishop of Denver. He also headed the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome, and therefore was involved in organizing the World Youth Days. Of course, being the Archbishop in Denver, he experienced the wonderful results of World Youth Day in his own diocese.

- – -

On Tuesday of this week, the archdiocese announced that we are entering into discussions with Ascension Health, a national Catholic health care system, concerning sponsorship of Caritas Christi Health Care. If all goes well, we will give the responsibility for the governance and running of our hospitals to Ascension Health.

The flagship hospital of Caritas Christi, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton

Last summer, I was poised to hire a new CEO and there was a sense of urgency to put someone in place very quickly. However, in the midst of that, John Kaneb advised me not rush into a decision but rather to bring in some consultants. Following John’s advice, we brought in Navigant Consulting, based in Chicago. They did a very good job of analyzing Caritas’ situation, and we discovered we had several options.

A few years ago, our entire health care system was losing money and was in great jeopardy. In the last couple of years – thanks to a very strong management team – there has been a remarkable fiscal recovery. That recovery gave us more options than we otherwise may have had.

Among the options presented to us were: to continue “going it alone,” since we were beginning to experience some successes; join a national Catholic health care system; merge with other, local non-Catholic hospitals; or sell our system to a for-profit system.

All of these were very real possibilities, and we were approached by many different groups – in part because our Catholic hospitals are doing well at this stage in our history.

Looking at the options closely, we have come to the conclusion that joining a national Catholic system is the best way to guarantee the future of Catholic health care in our region. The decision will strengthen our hospitals as well as deepen their Catholic identity and their mission. In a very special way, our mission is to be a sign of God’s love and mercy to the sick and the suffering and to have a special concern and outreach to the poor, to the underinsured, to immigrants and to those in need. We are called to do all of this in a way that protects the Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person and sanctity of human life.

Ascension Health is a healthcare system established by the Daughters of Charity who have centuries of tradition managing Catholic hospitals, for 100 years they ran Carney Hospital here in our own Archdiocese. I think this is going to be a great moment in our history, and it will move us to a much stronger position. The Dominican sisters at St. Anne’s who are our partners in Caritas Christi are enthusiastic about this as well.

- – -

Finally, I’d like to answer some more of your questions this week:

Your Eminence, as always, I enjoyed your post. For a future Q&A session on here, when the bishop here in Wichita came to my house for dinner last summer, I asked him how much he talks to others in the episcopacy, and he said not very often because of duties in the diocese requiring his attention. Because you are a Cardinal, I am curious as to how often you communicate with the Vatican and/or other members of the American and international hierarchy? Or, as your blog posts suggest, are you pretty much consumed by obligations to your archdiocese as my bishop is with his? Just wondering how you juggle your responsibilities for the Curia and USCCB in addition to leading the Boston Church. I look forward to reading more next week. God bless, Cardinal Sean!

- Nathan

I certainly see my primary function and obligation as being the shepherd of this local Church. Obviously, there are times when the Holy See will involve me in meetings or in some project. I have been named to two congregations in Rome – clergy and consecrated life. However, those congregations have not yet held plenary sessions, so I have not been directly involved with them as yet.

I am on a number of committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: for missions, for Latin America and for immigration. Those are obligations which certainly involve me in issues beyond the archdiocese. Boston also has a commitment to the Universal Church through the St. James Society. This week I will go down for the Society’s annual meeting of the 40 diocesan priests who are part of that effort to serve the Church in Peru and Ecuador. However, my principle focus and responsibility is the archdiocese.

Dear Cardinal Sean,

When will the church start addressing all survivors of sexual abuse, and not just the ones who were abused by priests?

- Christine

It has always been my hope that the tragedy of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and the programs we have developed for the protection of children, will help to improve the way that society responds to the problem of sexual abuse.

Unfortunately, sexual abuse is far too wide spread in society, most of it takes place within families or neighborhoods. Through the programs that have been initiated in Catholic schools, parishes and other Catholic institutions, so far, more than 300 cases of child abuse and neglect that had nothing to do with clergy or Church personnel have been uncovered. Children who were being abused learned how to report it.

We see sexual abuse as a larger problem, and in fact, I am anxious for people to contextualize it. I think that there has been so much focus on clerical sexual abuse that people may get the impression that this a problem with priests, celibacy or the Catholic Church. That’s not true at all. I think that we are helping to make our Church, and society in general, safer for children.

Hello Cardinal Se�n,

I am still wondering if you are planning to visit Reading, PA. When you do, I will greet you with open arms (and baked goods)

Paz vobiscum

- Vox Clara

I would like to say hello to all the people at St. Gabriel Parish, Sacred Heart Parish and all those who live in Reading.

It is wonderful when I run into people from the parishes where my family lived. (We lived in two parishes in Pennsylvania.) Greetings to everyone, and someday I’ll get back there, but no plans right now.

Your Eminence,

Thank you for taking the time to write the blog. I pray that you and your staff take time to rest for you have a very busy schedule. I have a question about St. Dymphna. Do you think her intercession to relieve Depression is appropriate or do you have a “favorite” prayer that you recommend for those seeking relief?

Yours in Christ,

- Mary

St. Dymphna is an Irish saint who was martyred by her father who was mentally imbalanced. Therefore, she is invoked as an intercessor in the case of mental health. This whole area of mental illness is one that I do not think the Church gives enough attention to. We are very aware of people’s physical illnesses, and yet there are so many people who have mental and emotional problems, which are often every bit as painful – if not more so – than physical ailments. It is wonderful that we have saints in the Church like St. Dymphna, who remind us of God’s loving providence, care and mercy for those who have mental problems.

Could you please pray for me, Your Eminence, as I discern whether I am called to devoted service of the Church and more specifically the Franciscan order.

- David

Be assured that I, and many people throughout the Archdiocese of Boston, are keeping you – and others discerning a vocation – in our prayers. We pray and trust that the Lord will lead you where He wants you to be.

Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ!

This week I made several visits marking Catholic Schools Week. Also this week, I had the privilege of ordaining seven men to the transitional diaconate at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

The new transitional deacons

The ordination on Saturday was a great joy, and we were happy to see so many priests, permanent deacons, family members and friends accompany the new deacons at this very important moment in their lives. It was an opportunity for all of us to recommit ourselves to working for vocations and praying for vocations.

I want to share my homily from the ordination with you:

As I look at our seven candidates for orders, I ask are we to say the Magnificent Seven, the Seven Wonders of the World, or the Seven Dwarfs.

‘The seven’

Today they are called as the Deacons in the Acts of the Apostles: simply the Seven. In the New Testament the Apostles are called the Twelve. The Twelve ordained the Seven. The Apostles ordained the Deacons. Those expressions, the Twelve and the Seven, imply a solidarity, being a team, being part of group, a fraternity, sharing a ministry and vocation.

Delivering my homily

The Apostles recruited the seven men filled with wisdom and the spirit in order to have more time themselves for prayer and preaching. Those are the privileged activities of the twelve and the seven. As ordained ministers, deacons and soon priests you must jealously guard the hours needed for prayer and preaching. Make that commitment today for the rest of your life. Nothing else that you do should eclipse these two activities. Be men of prayer and then share the fruits of that prayer life with God�s people. Many other things will crowd into your life, never lose sight of the example of the Apostles who delegated some of their responsibility so as to have time for prayer and preaching.

I am sure if we took a survey among Catholics and asked what priorities our newly ordained, indeed all of our ordained, should have, I feel sure that the overwhelming consensus would be that we need our ordained to be men of prayer and men who share their faith life with God�s people � preaching the hard words of the Gospel, in season and out of season, preaching about a God who is not a stranger to them, preaching with words and without words, knowing that a holy life is more eloquent than all the rhetoric in the word. More than teachers our people need witnesses.

Deacon Dzengeleski promises obedience to me and my successors

The Levites are the Old Testament counterparts of the deacons. In the distribution of the Land of Canaan after the conquest, Joshua, acting according to the instructions received by Moses, excluded the tribe of Levi from sharing like the other eleven tribes in the territory. The Levites were given no land because �the Lord the God of Israel is Himself their portion.� That same God is your portion as His Levites, His ordained deacons.

The first reading describes the Levites who are �set aside and dedicated to the Lord.� They are put in charge of the furnishings in the meeting tent, the altar and sacred vessels. The meeting tent was the place of God�s presence. For us the meeting tent is the Eucharistic Lord in the Tabernacle. The word �tabernacle� means tent, and the veil on the tabernacle is a reminder of the Old Testament meeting tent where Moses and the Israelites went to be in God�s presence, to pray to Him and to hold up God�s people in prayer.

I impose hands on Deacon Blaney

As ordained deacons, and soon to be priests, your life is tied to the Eucharist, the abiding, loving presence of Christ, our divine Master. Make the sacrifice of the Mass the spiritual center of the day, and in daily adoration, visit the meeting tent where Christ awaits. I have always loved the quote from St. John�s Gospel which I saw on an altar in Tegucigalpa: Magister adest et vocat te. �The Master is present and He is calling you.� In the Meeting Tent the Lord beckons you and strengthens your vocation.

Presenting the Book of Gospels to Deacon Westcott

As a Deacon your service is of the word, of the altar and of charity. You do what you do for the love of God and love of God�s people. The Levite in the Story of the Good Samaritan is on the way to the Temple and rushes by the man left half dead on the road to Jericho.
As a Deacon, as one of the seven, you are entrusted with a special mission to serve the widows and orphans, the sick and downtrodden. In doing this ministry of charity, yours is a special role to be a bridge builder helping the various groups to be one with the Lord and one another. Yours is a ministry of reconciliation and healing whenever there are divisions in the Church. Do not be like the Levite in a hurry who rushed passed the wounded man to put on his liturgical robes.

Know that your portion is the Lord, that is where your treasure must be. When the deacon Lawrence was asked to bring the Churches� treasures to the Emperor, the Good deacon took the poor, the sick, the widows, the homeless and presented them as the Church�s treasures. They must be your treasure � God�s little ones. They are the protagonists of the Gospel.

The stoles and dalmatics that will presented to the new deacons

Deacon means servant. It is one of the titles of Jesus who is the Good Shepherd, the Bridegroom, the Suffering Servant. Jesus said: �I have come to serve and not to be served.� He washes the feet of His disciples to leave us an example. The service Jesus expects of His deacons is humble and loving and joyful. That must characterize all that we do. Service with a smile is our ideal. Service that is born of love, of friendship with the Lord. Your presence here today presupposes a call. �Many are called,� but many put God on �call waiting.�

Today�s Gospel contrasts with other vocation stories where the Apostles left their boats, nets, families behind to follow Jesus, or like Levi who left money and tax collections to follow Jesus, or Paul whose vocation story is repeated various times in the New Testament because it betokens such a dramatic change that people could not believe that he had been called.

The Congolese Community Choir

Today�s Gospel on the other hand is a stark reminder that not everyone who receives a vocation ends up following Jesus. We are free to say no. But just as Mary�s �yes� at the Annunciation changed the course of history, every time we say yes to God we are opening the door a little wider for God�s light to shine in our world. When we say no the door closes a little bit and the world is impoverished, left a little darker, a little colder. The rich young man is asking the right question: �What must I do to achieve salvation?� Unfortunately, today not enough people are asking this most important question. Too many are unaware of the true purpose of life. Here is a man who is seeking. He is asking the right question, and he is asking the right person. He was not entirely prepared, however, for the answer or for the invitation that he would receive. Jesus tells him to live the commandments and then mentions the commandments on the second tablet of Moses, the ones that have to do with our relations with our fellow human beings.

Jesus knew that sometimes love of neighbor is harder and can only be achieved if we truly love God. I am sure that there was a little pride and satisfaction in his voice as the rich young man replied: �Teacher, all of these things I have observed from my youth.� Then the Gospel tells us something very important. Jesus knows what the young man lacks. What he lacks is what he has. Jesus looks at him with love and says: �One thing is lacking. Go sell what you have, give to the poor, you will have treasure in heaven; then come, and follow me.�

Jesus displays His affection for the rich man almost as if to give this man the courage he will need. The rich young man averts his eyes from Jesus� loving gaze. He closes himself in, in the fortress of his ego, isolated by his wealth, his face is clouded over and his soul is filled with sadness. He turns his back on Jesus and walks away.

I give the Kiss of Peace to Deacon Casey

The story is a tragedy � an opportunity lost. He turned his back on God and on all the people who could have been the beneficiaries of his ministry. The world became a little darker and a little colder because he said no to his vocation. He disappears into the night.

Today the same Master, Jesus Christ, is inviting you: Follow me.

The permanent deacons of the archdiocese, like the priests, are
given a special place in the cathedral

Jesus is looking at you with love. He sees your sins and He sees your virtues. He loves you more than you can imagine. In His loving gaze you will find the strength to make the renunciations that ministry requires, the wealth you could have had, the family, the freedom. If you lose sight of the Lord�s loving gaze you will be at risk of turning your back on love. Your treasure must be the pearl of the great price that inspires you to be willing to sacrifice everything to acquire it. For those whom Christ calls any other treasure is fools� gold and will only bring sadness.

In today�s world too many are worshiping the golden calf. No wonder Jesus said: �It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.� Chesterton�s droll commentary was that since Jesus said these words scientists have been trying to breed smaller camels and engineers trying to build smaller needles.

Your treasure must be Christ and His call to you. All that you do must be for love of the Master who for love of us became a servant.

Like Peter you stand before God�s people and say: �We have given up everything and followed Christ.� Your life is no longer your own. And yet Jesus tells us that He has given us a bigger family, a hundred fold, the Family of the Church and the reward of everlasting life. Somewhere in fine print Jesus mentions �persecutions.� We are always the Church of Martyrs, and the blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church. Persecution should not surprise us; it is still another way to experience the power of the Cross.

The new deacons are greeted with the sign of peace

There will be moments of trial, temptation and persecution. Never forget that Jesus is looking at you with love. In his loving gaze you will find the strength to be faithful, to be pure, to be obedient, to serve with joy.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

The rich young man withdrew from Jesus� loving gaze and went away sad. May you remain with our Risen Savior and be filled with His joy. May the Mother of the Divine Shepherd ever protect and bless you. Thank you for saying yes to Christ�s invitation, thank you for saying yes to God�s people.

There were many happy moments
with family and friends following the ordination

- – -

I visited two schools for Catholic Schools Week � St. Agatha in Milton and St. Agnes in Arlington. Both schools are very strong, and they are doing wonderful work. Much of that comes from the dedication of their principals, Maureen Simmons and Sister Patricia Randall, RSM, respectively.

A banner that was hanging
at the reception in Milton

On Sunday, I visited St. Agatha Parish where I celebrated Mass followed by a reception with the children at the school. After the Mass, a young man named Ken McGrath, who is now in high school, gave a witness about what Catholic education meant to him, and he ended with this beautiful prayer. It was very touching.

Lord Jesus teach me to be generous

Teach me to serve you as you deserve

To give and not to count the cost

To fight and not to heed the wounds

To toil and not to seek for rest

To labor and not to ask for reward

Except that of knowing that I do your will,

Amen.

Meeting families after the Mass

These children were welcoming people to the school

At the reception, which was held at St. Agatha School, they had a number of tables with exhibits on Catholic schools and also on vocations.

Meeting some the children and teachers

St. Agatha’s pastor, Father Peter Casey and the principal, Maureen Simmons

- – -

On Tuesday, I traveled to Arlington where they have 1,200 students in their schools. I celebrated Mass for the grade school children, and then afterwards I visited the high school because the church is not big enough to hold all of the students at once. There are 800 students in their high school, Arlington Catholic High. It was just an incredible experience!

Greeting students after the Mass

The 5th grade choir

Everyone at the school has done a wonderful job � their Catholic identity is so important to them. Father Flatley and the other priests there are very much involved in the life of the school. I also visited the parish�s social service center, Fidelity House.

Looking in on the 1st grade classroom

Father Flatley and Sister Patricia Randall
accompany me visiting the 5th grade class

- – -

I also spent some time at St. Edward School in Brockton, where we announced the first implementation of the 2010 Initiative, whereby we are trying to strengthen our Catholic schools. Students from all three Brockton Catholic schools gathered in St. Edward�s auditorium to hear that their schools will become one school on two campuses by the start of the next academic year.

Addressing the assembly

Through the 2010 initiative, we are renewing the Church�s commitment to education. Catholic education is a very important ministry of the Church. It is not just the concern of those who have school-aged children but of all Catholics. Catholic schools are an important way for us to evangelize, to give a spiritual formation to our young people, to mentor them in the faith as well as prepare them to be good citizens and good members of our society.

The 2010 Initiative began over a year ago with a study of the entire Catholic school system, done by Meitler Consultants Inc., a leading national consulting organization. Catholic schools are under a lot of stress. We knew that we needed a very carefully thought-out response for the future to guarantee that Catholic schools would survive. We want our schools to continue to provide a quality education and, at the same time, ensure that the Catholic identity of all of our Catholic institutions will be safeguarded.

Following the assembly, I had an opportunity
to speak with some of the children

We have a wonderful strategic committee with Jack Connors as the chairperson. The committee is working very closely with principals and pastors and the Archdiocese�s Catholic Schools Office. They are all trying to be very attentive to the needs of our schools and to make sure that we are able to muster enough resources to strengthen those schools, to promote them and to have the kind of staff development that is required.

Father Mark Cregan, president of Stonehill College
speaks to the children

In Brockton, John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction, has been very much a part of the planning. He has generously committed his company to help us with the necessary reconstruction and renovation of buildings. The Catholic colleges are also becoming more involved in Catholic education at the archdiocesan level. Boston College is helping us at St. Columbkille School in Brighton and now Stonehill College is becoming involved in Brockton. The other Catholic colleges � Merrimack, Emmanuel and Regis � are also helping in different parts of the Archdiocese.

John Fish of Suffolk Construction

- – -

On Tuesday evening, I visited with about 50 students at Boston College as part of the Church in the 21st Century program there. We had a very good conversation. I gave about a 20-minute talk on the Church and what the meaning of the Church is, referring to the Holy Father�s new encyclical. I also spoke about the role of the laity and our vocation. Following my remarks, I took questions for about an hour.

Tim Muldoon, director of BC’s
Church in the 21st Century program introduces my talk

The students posed very thoughtful questions, and it was obvious they are taking their faith very seriously. They asked questions about a whole gamut of things: from spirituality to the care of AIDS patients to the challenges posed by secularization to the Latin Mass � quite a variety!

Answering one of the many questions

One student, who was Greek Orthodox, was very interested in the relationship between our Churches. The other students all seemed to be Catholic, and you could tell that these were students whose faith and the Church are a very important part of their lives. I found it a very encouraging dialogue.

Even afterwards there were still many questions

- – -

This week, the Archdiocese also announced the appointment of a new rector of St. John�s Seminary in Brighton.

After consulting with the board of trustees, members of the Presbyteral Council, auxiliary bishops and neighboring bishops, we have made the appointment of Father Arthur Kennedy as the new rector of St. John�s, beginning July 1.

Father Kennedy will be in Rome this semester, teaching at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (commonly known as the Angelicum) and working with the Catholic Studies Program there. Father Kennedy brings a wealth of talent and experience to his new role. He has many years of experience in seminary work. He also worked at the ecumenical office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops � he is very interested in ecumenism, particularly with the Eastern Orthodox churches. In addition, the fact that he taught at St. John�s Seminary for a time and he is a priest of the Archdiocese I believe will be an advantage for him and enable him to hit the ground running.

The seminary community has been aware that Father Farren�s term is ending, and he has been elected to a position in his Dominican province. He will be leaving the position on June 30. We�re very grateful to Father Farren for coming to St. John�s at a very difficult time in our history. He has worked very hard and the atmosphere in the seminary is most positive. We know the seminarians are truly going to miss him yet we also know that his community will be very happy to have him back, and that he will continue to do great and important things for the Church.

- – -

Our picture of the week is the logo for the Bicentennial celebration of the Archdiocese. The logo, which was presented to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council last week, was unveiled on the front page of our diocesan newspaper, The Pilot, which also premiered its own new look this week.

The logo is a reminder that the bicentennial is drawing close. We will continue to see more announcements about the activities and the programs that are planned to mark this important anniversary in the life of the archdiocese.

Yours in Christ,

Cardinal Se�n