Cardinal Seán's Blog

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day. As we continue in the Christmas season, today the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Innocents. It is a striking reminder of the opposition to Christ even from the time of his birth, but also of the forces of the culture of death which are operatives even on our own day, particularly in the terrible massacre of innocents through abortion.

We must all raise our lament with that of Rachel. Our prayers and efforts must be directed to bring about a society that will protect all children, making it safe for women to have their babies with the support and services that they need to raise their family rather than being cajoled or pressured into murdering their own child.

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On New Year’s eve I will be celebrating Mass at St. Mary Parish in Waltham. The evening will start with a time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 10:30 PM. The Mass is scheduled to start at 11:30 PM. The event is organized by the Pro-Life Office and is geared toward young adults and families. In fact, this year we will hear some testimonies of married couples during the evening. If you live in the Boston area, I encourage you to come and join us on Monday evening. I cannot think of a better way to start the new year than celebrating the Eucharist together.

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I was very pleased with the December 18 United Nations vote that ratified a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions. The resolution was approved 104-54, with 29 abstentions. It states that “there is no conclusive evidence of the death penalty’s deterrent value and that any miscarriage or failure of justice in the death penalty’s implementation is irreversible and irreparable.”

Most of the industrialized western nations have already abolished capital punishment but there are still parts of the world where this is practiced, sadly including the United States.

As Pope John Paul II clearly stated, in our modern times we should be able to find other solutions to punish the criminals without going to the extreme of extinguishing a human life.

I think that Church’s concern about abortion, euthanasia and for all human life is what has led the Church to this conclusion about capital punishment. Historically there could have been momentous justification for the death penalty but in our modern times, with the resources and the technology that we have to incarcerate people, it is no longer necessary, and therefore, no longer acceptable.

I was very pleased that the Community of Saint Egidio, a Catholic ecclesial community, was so instrumental in promoting this resolution of the United Nations. They collected millions of signatures and promoted a campaign of prayer and education worldwide to bring this issue to the consciences of the leaders of so many nations. It is a great milestone and we all pray and look forward to the day when capital punishment will be abolished in our own country.

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Last Sunday we ordained two Puerto Rican — Jose Fajardo and Alfredo Nieves —as permanent deacons at the Cathedral.

We will be having a large ordination of permanent deacons in the spring but for special circumstances these men’s ordination was carried out in December. We are delighted to have two more Hispanic ordained ministers to help in the ministry of our growing Hispanic population.

From left: Alfredo Nieves and Jose Fajardo

Rev. Mr. Alfredo Nieves with his family

Rev. Mr. Jose Fajardo with his family

For many people in the Cathedral it was the first time they experienced an ordination, and doing it in the Christmas season added much to the joy and festivities of the day.

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On Monday, I went to Pine Street Inn. I visited the staff, volunteers and the residents there.

Setting the table

Serving a meal…

… a delicious meal

We sang some Christmas carols with different groups who were singing to the residents. We served the meals.

Father Walter Waldron, Msgr. Francis Kelley and other members of our Catholic community were instrumental in establishing the Pine Street Inn, which does so much to address the very serious problem of homelessness in our community. We are grateful to the president, Lyndia Downie for all that is done for the homeless.

Chatting with Msgr. Kelley and a volunteer

They have two shelters, one for men and another for women, and each night they shelter 700 homeless people. But they also reach out to the homeless in the streets of Boston — around 200 of them sleep in the streets. The Inns’ vans travel through the city providing food, clothing, blankets, medical help to those sleeping in the streets. It is an extraordinary outreach.

Meals are prepared with great care

It is wonderful to see that our youth are also willing to help out

This year we had the added pleasure during my visit of meeting Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts who joined some of his parishioners who were volunteers at the Pine Street Inn. It was a nice opportunity to wish him a very Merry Christmas.

With Bishop Shaw

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At midnight, we celebrated the traditional Christmas Mass at the Cathedral.

Blessing the crèche

The Cathedral was very nicely decorated

How grateful we were to the volunteers Ted Fiori and Sal and Marie DiDomenico who did so much to decorate the Church.

The choir was superb, they sang Christmas carols in many different languages because we are such a multi ethnic Church. The cathedral was filled. There were carols sung before Mass and then we began by singing the Martyrology.

I want to share my homily with you:

In the Gospel St. Philip the Apostle says to Jesus: “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” Jesus’ reply is: “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Throughout the ages people have desired to see God. In some cases people created idols so as to be able to see God. In the Old Testament Moses speaks with God and asks in the book of Exodus: “Show me your Glory.” Moses hears the answer: “You cannot see my face, for no one can see my face and live…Behold there is a place by me where you shall stand upon the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by, then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33: 18-23).

At Bethlehem God shows us His face. The transcended God of the Burning Bush is now present to us without the splendor but in poverty allowing us to glimpse the merciful face of our God. He is the Word made flesh and comes in the silence of Bethlehem and the muteness of a baby. But God is speaking. In the starkness of the manger: the Word made Flesh is Emmanuel God-with-us. In His muteness of a child born in a stable. The word is I love you. I forgive you. Follow me.

The Missionaries of Charity are often present at the cathedral liturgies

The phrase that is a mantra repeated again and again in the Infancy narratives of the Gospel is: “Do not be afraid.” To Joseph, to Mary, to Zachariah, to the shepherds and to us God is saying: “Don’t be afraid.”

I love you. I forgive you. Follow me.

Christmas is meant to be a feast of Faith and Joy. We have made it a celebration of sentimentality and fantasy. It takes a great effort to rescue the Christ Child from the commercialism and the hype of the season. To sentimentality and fantasy we need to add Political Correctness the latest Grinch to try and steal Christmas. Just look at the “seasons greetings” on our Christmas cards. It is like sending a Birthday card addressed: “Occupant” or “To whom it may concern.”

During the homily

Christmas is Christ’s birthday. And we have received the greatest present of all — Christ the Lord came as a little child so as to be completely approachable, so that he could be one of us, so that God’s love would be visible and have a face, and so we could be freed from our sins.

That reminds me of a story Cardinal Spellman of New York once shared about being in his office. The phone rang and the new receptionist in the Chancery lobby said, “Cardinal, there is a man here in the lobby claiming to be Jesus Christ. What should I do?” The Cardinal responded, “Look busy!” It was good advice — especially since that homeless schizophrenic man off his meds is Christ in our midst and has a claim on our love.

At the first Christmas Christ truly came into our world. Many people were too busy with the census, with the activity in the inn, parties, business, studies. The first ones to receive the news were the shepherds. They heard the first Christmas carol sung by the angels calling for Glory to God and peace on earth. The first reaction of the shepherds was fear, but the angels consoled them saying: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people… a savior has been born who is Christ the Lord.” The shepherds said to one another — Let us go to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place. The shepherds saw the manger and the baby and they were filled with amazement. They also found Mary there pondering these things in her heart. The reaction of the shepherds was one of joy and wonder before the mystery of God’s love made visible in the face of a little child to assure us that God’s love for us is ever young, ever new, that His love for us never tires, of forgiving us, of giving us another chance.

Today the Church invites us to gather at the manger. There the Good Shepherd is waiting to gather the scattered, to feed us with the manna come down from heaven, the medicine that makes us strong so that we can live His Gospel and be witnesses of His love.

A few months ago I was asked to write the forward of a book called Priestblock 25487 — it is a memoir of Dachau written by Father Jean Bernard, a priest of Luxemburg who was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp with almost 3000 Catholic priests and Bishops. I was quite moved by his account of Christmas 1941 in Dachau. The author describes the horrors of the camp and lamented that the priests were not allowed to celebrate Mass. Then Father Jean is approached by a Bavarian capuchin, Father Heinrich Zöhren, who tells him he has a surprise for him. Some one had smuggled in some consecrated hosts in a folded piece of paper. He was told it was ichthys — the Greek word for fish. In the early Church it was a code for the Eucharist since the first letters from the phrase “Jesus Christ Son of God, Savior” spell out the Greek word for fish, ichthys. A group of priests gathered inconspicuously in front of their barracks and divided the precious pieces into as many particles as humanly possible. And Father Jean Bernard writes: “Then the Christ Child entered our hearts.”

The food from the manger in Bethlehem fed that group of prisoners in the most hellish place on earth. Jesus came to bring light to the darkness, forgiveness of sins, then He invites us to follow Him.

God calls us to experience His love and then to share that love with as many people as possible. Like the priests in Dachau breaking the hosts into little pieces so that more people could receive communion in the concentration camp on Christmas.

The shepherds left the manger only to tell everyone what they had seen. If we truly celebrate Christ’s coming into our world, it is not something we can just walk away from. God has come into our world. He calls us to friendship and to share a mission of making His Kingdom more present, more visible.

At Christmas our God comes to us as a humble pilgrim in search of hospitality. Nourished by the bread of life that comes to us from the manger, let us open our hearts in welcome to this Divine Humble Pilgrim, to the Lord Jesus. By reaching out with compassion and loving care we can give Him hospitality as he comes to us disguised in the hungry, the homeless, the mentally ill, the imprisoned, the stranger, the immigrant. Jesus came to reveal the merciful face of the father: the poor, the sick, the marginalized were the protagonists of His Gospel. It is our task to be the merciful face of Christ — as the Father sent me, so I send you Jesus tells us.

Struggling to remain awake

He does not send us alone but with our brothers and sisters whose faith and solidarity sustains us. And He gives us the spiritual food of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. At Christmas we come to the manger to see the Baby Pictures and rejoice as we look at our Family Album. But our faith tells us that Christ born at Bethlehem 2000 years ago is still God with us. He comes to offer us His friendship and love and to invite us to a life of discipleship in His Church.

At Bethlehem the Shepherds were filled with joy and wonder and were anxious to share that joy with others. Knowing the Lord, carries with it an obligation to make Him known and loved.

Christmas is the feast of the Child, the Christ child, our God who made Himself small to be close to us. Jesus says in the Gospel — Unless you become like a little child you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God came to us in the humility and simplicity of a little baby — we can go to Him only in the humility and simplicity of a child. Children have a sense of trust in their parents — God wants us to have that trust in Him — to pray the Lord’s prayer — Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done — we don’t need to say my kingdom come, my will be done because we trust in the Father’s love for us.

Children have a sense of wonder in seeing the magical and the miraculous in what to others seems commonplace and trite. A child never tires of hearing the same familiar stories over and over without being bored or disillusioned. Bethlehem means drawing near the manger with the same sense of wonder and awe like a child, like those shepherds to ponder the story anew.

Mary pondered all this in her heart, the miracle of the Virgin birth, the message of the angels in the stark setting of a stable.

Our God became a little child to enter our world and invites us to become like a little child full of trust and wonder to enter into heaven.

At Bethlehem if we have the trust and faith of a child we will discover the treasure, the pearl of great price and our lives will be changed.

Let me conclude with a couple of excerpts from a beautiful Christmas prayer written by Robert Louis Stevenson, author of “Treasure Island”:

“Give us, Lord Jesus the eyes of children

To see your birth with Christian wonder.

Help us to share in the song of the angels,

The gladness of the shepherds,

And the worship of the wise men.

Close the door on hate,

And open the door of love, all over the world.”

“May Christmas morning

Make us happy to be your children

And Christmas evening

Bring us to rest with grateful thought,

Forgiving and forgiven. Amen.”

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The next day I celebrated Mass at Channel 7 — WHDH — studios.

Getting ready for Mass in a peculiar “sacristy”

A large group of Daughters of St. Paul were there
helping and participating in the Mass.

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After celebrating Mass at Channel 7, I went to Saint Francis House, which in its origins back in 1984 was tied to Saint Anthony shrine. It is an agency that serves over 800 homeless people each day giving them shelter and some auxiliary services that they need, such as a place to wash their clothes, showers, and a place to get their mail.

It was a pleasure to spend time talking with the residents

It was edifying to see that among the volunteering there, beside our own Catholic volunteers, there were a number of Jewish men who were helping out at Christmas

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For the photo of the week, here it is a picture of the baby Jesus displayed in the crèche at the Cathedral.

Unto us a Child is given,

Christ our savior bring release;

Counselor, Eternal Father, God made man, and Prince of Peace

(From the evening prayer hymn for Christmas Eve)

Hello again and welcome back to my blog.

My week was a little less full than I had expected. You see, December is turning out to be a very snowy month this year. In fact, it has been — to date — the second snowiest December in history here in Boston. Because of that, some events planned for last Sunday had to be canceled.

Nevertheless, the advent season is rapidly leading us into Christmas.

In Luke’s Gospel the evangelist shares with us that one starry night on a hillside outside of Bethlehem choirs of angels proclaimed the Good News of the savior’s birth to shepherds tending their flocks. After proceeding in haste to find Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus, the shepherds shared their discovery with the people of the surrounding area and went forth giving praise and glory to God. The belief of the shepherds and of the people who heard their witness set in motion a sharing of faith that has endured for over two millennia and has spread to all corners of the world.

Following the example of those present for the first Christmas, we must share our faith with our families, friends and communities. The world needs us to proclaim the truth that our savior Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, the truth that God is with us. Increasingly the darkness of oppression, persecution and lack of respect for human dignity threatens us. In too many ways the truth that each and every person is created in the image and likeness of God is denied. We must work together to help each other to live the call to holiness and realize our potential as members of God’s family. We must let the light of Christ that is present in each one of us shine forth. In doing so we give the greatest and most enduring gift, the love of God.

Please be assured of my prayers and remembrance during the Christmas season and throughout the year.

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We receive the news of Professor Mary Ann Glendon having been confirmed as the United States ambassador to the Holy See with great joy. Dr. Glendon will be an extraordinary representative of the United States and her service will be a particular source of pride in the Archdiocese of Boston, as she is a member of our local church. We are grateful to the U.S. Senate for the expeditious handling of the confirmation hearings and the unanimous vote for Dr. Glendon’s appointment.

The United States’ Ambassador to the Vatican assumes very significant responsibilities on behalf of our country and the Church. Dr. Glendon’s achievements in the legal, academic and religious communities provide an outstanding resource to fulfill this important role.

A highly respected and legal scholar with a distinguished teaching and research career, Dr. Glendon is magnificently prepared for this assignment. She has been an articulate and engaged Catholic intellectual with a background in both Catholic and university settings (most notably with her present appointment at Harvard) and has published extensively on Catholic social teaching. Having previously served as head of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Holy Father’s representative to the United Nations 1995 Beijing Conference on Women, Dr. Glendon is well established as an international leader on behalf of the Church. We assure her of our prayers and pledge our support for her ambassadorship.

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After over two years of waiting since the terrible fire that destroyed their church, the parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Weymouth gathered for the very beautiful celebration of the dedication of their new church building.

The seven-alarm fire completely destroyed the original building in June 2005, and only a few items were saved.

Firefighters were able to go in and bring out the tabernacle, which is now in the new church building. The wooden cross from the original steeple survived the flames and was found in the ruble. It is now in the new church’s parish center.

In this photo taken in 2005, you can see Father Dan Riley and the saved tabernacle

The original church was designed by Patrick C. Keely and was a very beautiful structure, with a very traditional look. Keely, an Irish born architect who came to America at age 25, was commissioned to build over 600 churches throughout the country, including 20 cathedrals in cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Hartford, Newark, Providence, and, of course, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

The steeple of the new church was placed back in January of this year

One of the parish’s goals was to recreate a church that would capture many of the architectural features of the original church, and that certainly was accomplished. When you drive through Weymouth and you see the new church, it looks as though it has always been there. All the stained glass windows, beautiful statues, altar and other furnishings continue the traditional feel.

The stained-glass windows actually came from other churches in the archdiocese, including Blessed Sacrament in Jamaica Plain, St. Joseph’s in Lowell, St. Peter’s in Lowell, St. Joseph’s in Gloucester and Sacred Heart in Lawrence. The light fixtures in the main church, which have symbols of the Sacred Heart on them, are also from Sacred Heart. The Stations of the Cross are from St. Augustine’s in South Boston; the altar relics are from Holy Trinity German Church in the South End.

This rose window was originally placed at
the former Blessed Sacrament Church in Jamaica Plain

Now Sacred Heart has a church with a traditional air but also some modern amenities such as a sprinkler system, a parish hall downstairs, an elevator, an air conditioning system and so many features which of course not present in their original church. The pastor, Father Dan Riley, and the assistant, Father Harry Kaufman, have worked very hard with their parish council building committee. They did a wonderful job of planning and executing those plans.

Before the Mass of Dedication began, the parish gave me the keys and the building plans as a symbol of handing over their new church to the archdiocese.

The ceremony was very beautiful. Most Catholics never have the opportunity to experience the dedication of a church, and I believe that both the ordination of a priest and the dedication of a church are two of the most beautiful liturgical celebrations that we have in the Catholic Church. At the beginning of the celebration, the church is sprinkled with holy water, the altar is anointed with sacred chrism, as are the walls, the church is incensed and there are beautiful prayers that are very, very scriptural and draw heavily from the history of salvation.

Anointing the altar

I anointed candles in the four corners of the new church

Many, many parishioners were there, and they truly seemed to enjoy the celebration. I want share with you my homily at the Mass of Dedication:

The first lesson from today’s Mass speaks to us about Nehemiah, the man who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and together with Ezra reestablished the temple after the period of exile. Today’s reading describes how these two great leaders assembled God’s people for the reading of the law. The people wept with emotion.

We too gather with great emotion to dedicate this Church after the disruptive exile occasioned by the devastating fire.

We are so thankful to Father Dan Riley, Father Harry Kaufman, Deacon Ken Ryan and Deacon Hank Welch, the Parish Council and leadership for all of the hard work that has resulted in this magnificent temple.

The Gospel of Zacchaeus is often used for the blessing or the anniversary of a Church. It is wonderful story of a man who, from an economic point of view, is a great success. Not only is he a tax collector, he is the chief tax collector, the head of the IRS. The tax collectors were very rich, but they were hated. They worked for the Roman government collecting taxes and exploiting the poor. Zacchaeus was physically small, socially insignificant, rejected by his countrymen as a traitor. He was rich but isolated, alone, unsatisfied with riches and power. He had heard about Jesus and wanted to see him.

Jesus was passing through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem — it was Zacchaeus’ chance. He was vertically challenged and the crowd prevented Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus. He ran ahead and climbed up the sycamore, a tree, to see Jesus.

The grace in Zacchaeus’ life came in his desire to see Jesus. There were obstacles. Sometimes people are the obstacles. Zacchaeus climbed a tree showing lack of dignity. What could look sillier than an old man climbing a tree like a child? “If you do not become like little children…”

The crowd passes beneath the tree, and Jesus calls him by name, Zacchaeus, “come down quickly, I must stay at your house.” Zacchaeus almost fell out of the tree. The Gospel describes Zacchaeus’ conversion. He gave money to the poor, and makes restitution to those he defrauded — His love of God immediately blossoms in love of neighbor. His change came because he realized that Jesus loves him. Then Zacchaeus wants to change his life to be worthy of that love. The crowd sees him with human eyes with all his defects and sins, but Jesus sees what Zacchaeus can become — a new creation, a disciple, a son of God.

We had a nice gathering after the Mass

As a Church we are called to be a community, a family — not a crowd which pushes people away from Jesus. The crowd in today’s Gospel kept Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus. When we realize how much Jesus loves us — we are anxious to be changed, converted, to do penance for our sins. Zacchaeus gives his fortune away. Jesus did not even ask for this. It was spontaneous.

This is a contrast with the rich young man who lived a virtuous life and could not give up his wealth. He went away sad. Zacchaeus is filled with joy as he gives his fortune away. Zacchaeus is free because he knows how much he is loved.

Being a parish is about turning a crowd into a community, reaching out to Zacchaeus, not pushing him away, helping people to know that they are loved by God so that they will experience that joy and be transformed. A parish is a place where we can be forgiven, loved and fed because of the life of Christ. The people in the crowd did not want Jesus to go to Zacchaeus’ house. But Jesus is telling us that going to the house of a sinner is his mission. “The Son of Man came to seek what was lost.”

Now the same mission is ours — to seek out the Zacchaeuses and tell them that Jesus loves them too.

Zacchaeus is not the only tax collector who follows Jesus. The famous tax collector is Levi who heard the words “Follow me” — He followed and became St. Matthew, the writer of the first Gospel.

Jesus is calling all of us to discipleship, to community, to embrace a mission to experience the joy of Zacchaeus who hears Jesus’ words, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly for I must stay at your house today.” Jesus wants to dwell in our hearts and teach us how to love, to live the Great Commandment and the New Commandment.

We are like Zacchaeus, overwhelmed by Jesus’ love. Despite all our faults, he wants to be our guest. That crowd of strangers becomes a community, a family when we gather around the altar that we are about to dedicate. In the Bible, there are over 450 references, mentions of altars. It is not just a piece of furniture.

The altar is the table where we gather as the extended family with Christ, the head of our family. The altar is also the place of sacrifice where Christ makes a gift of Himself.

The first generations of Catholics celebrated the Mass in the catacombs on the tombs of the martyrs. For that reason we have a tradition of putting relics of saints in the altar so that we can be inspired by the faith and example of the saints who have gone before us.

The Old Testament describes how Judas, Macabees and his men rebelled against the conquerors of God’s people and immediately rededicated the altar. Each year the anniversary of the rededication was to be observed by the people of Israel as a festival of light day and has continued as the celebration of Hanukkah. Today is our Hanukkah, our rededication of the altar.

At the Last Supper the Apostles gathered with Jesus around the dinner table that became an altar for the first Eucharist. Even as Jesus was saying farewell, He was assuring us of His abiding presence. At the Last Supper Jesus gives us a command and a gift. The command is called the new commandment, “Love one another as I love you.” This command came as part of the dramatic gesture of washing the feet of the disciples. The love we must have for our brothers and sisters in the Church must be like Jesus’ love for us. Jesus loves us first, while we are still in sin, he loves us to the end, to the point of giving His life for us. Jesus commands us to love each other in the Church as members of His family, not as a crowd but as a community. Then Jesus gives us the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, His Body and Blood to give us the strength for the mission He has entrusted to us, to repair the world, to care for the poor, the weak, the little ones, to build a civilization of love, to live as his disciples and to invite others to follow Him.

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On Wednesday, we had a wonderful Advent celebration for all of our employees who work so hard at Chancery. I celebrated a Mass, and then we had a reception and dinner. It is very good for the employees to gather, and it gives the archdiocese the chance to thank them for so faithfully serving the Church.

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For the photo of the week, here it is a photo of the groundbreaking ceremony at Sacred Heart that took place in September 2006. Mission accomplished!