Cardinal Seán's Blog

Summer is going fast and now is the time to start focusing on our big plans for this fall. And so, I would like to say a brief word about our bicentennial renewal program, “ARISE Together in Christ.”

Many parishes will host Arise Sign Up Sunday on Sept. 13 and 14. It will be an opportunity for parishioners to sign up for their small faith sharing communities. The small group leaders have been preparing for this day and we are blessed with the dedication and commitment that so many bring to the work of building up the Church.

The first season of ARISE focuses on Christ, inviting us to explore the theme of “Encountering Christ Today,” and it promises to be very interesting.

Parishes which have not signed up yet but are still interested in participating in the program, can contact Mary Ann McLaughlin or Ann Cussen at our Office for Worship and Spiritual Life at ariseinchrist@rcab.org or at 617-779-3640.

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My classmate Archbishop Charles Chaput just sent me a copy of his new book “Render unto Caesar,” in which he talks about Catholics and their political responsibilities. I am very eager to read it. I am sure that this very timely work will help form our Catholic readership as they prepare for the national election.

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Last Thursday, I attended a reception with supporters of the archdiocese’s 2010 Initiative for our Catholic schools. We gathered on Cape Cod, at the Oyster Harbors Club in Osterville with about 100 benefactors and potential benefactors of the Catholic schools.

We wanted to help them to become aware of the need for financial help, especially at this very critical moment in the ministry of our Catholic schools, in light of the very hopeful signs from our experiences in Brockton and now in Dorchester.

Kathleen Driscoll

Each of us spoke about Catholic education from a different perspective, including John Fish, Jack Connors Jr., Kathleen Driscoll and Peter Lynch, who gave an amazing talk on how important the success of these schools is for our children.

I was amazed that for such a long speakers program, everyone in the audience was so attentive and engaged, which I took as a very hopeful sign.

The current effort is trying to raise $68 million to establish the 1,500 student Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy. We have raised $21.8 million toward this goal. We are extremely grateful fo Kathleen, Jack, John and Peter for their strong leadership in this most important initiative.

Peter Lynch

John introduced a video of our progress at Pope John Paul II Academy in Dorchester which is scheduled to open Sept. 8. Of the schools that we combined to form the new academy, we have gone from 1,300 students last year to the 1,500 students we expect when the doors open. At the Trinity Academy in Brockton we’ve seen a similar increase, they went from 400 students last year to 525 and with some grades having a modest waiting list.

John Fish

After the talks and short video, John and Jack led a questions and answers period, so everybody had a chance to get involved in the discussion.

 

Jack Connors

We want to make a Catholic education available to the largest number of children possible and to ensure it is truly Catholic and truly be one of excellence — those are really the only two reasons to justify having Catholic schools. But, they are very noble and important reasons for us as a Catholic community. Of course, we are always happy to accept children from other faiths who are looking for a sound moral education and also looking for one that will prepare them for life.

 

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Saturday, I went to the Proud2BCatholic concert and festival which was the official bicentennial event for the youth of the archdiocese at the Marist Retreat House in Framingham. This year we joined forces with Peter Campbell, who runs Proud2BCatholic.

There had been threats of thunder showers all day, but it turned out to be a lovely day.

We were joined by 800 to 900 young people and a nice group of priests, who came out to concelebrate from the Marist community: Father Roland Lajoie, the Boston provincial of the Society of Mary with Fathers Raymond Arsenault, Robert Champagne and John Granato. Also concelebrating were Father Bob Connors and many of priests from around the archdiocese, who came with young people from their parishes.

Father Michael Harrington, who works in our vocations office, led the evening’s Adoration of the Eucharist. Father Matt Williams, who works in our Faith Formation and Youth Evangelization Office, gave a very challenging talk about vocations, urging the young people to have a sense of vocation in their own lives.

There were a number of university students there, some of them had been with us in Sydney for World Youth Day. Proud2BCatholic is always a great celebration. We are so grateful to Peter Campbell and all the musicians: Tony Melendez, Martin Doman, Kelly Pease, Zealous, and Straggler’s Plea.

 

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The next day, on Sunday morning, I celebrated the closing Mass of the 2008 Courage Conference at the Marian Spritual Center in Medway. Courage is an organization for individuals who struggle with same-sex attraction, but seek to live their lives consistent with the teachings of the Church.

I was very happy to be a part of it and it was also a chance for me to acknowledge publicly the service to the Church of Father John F. Harvey, OSFS, who has given so many years to this ministry.

I met him for the first time in Washington, 30 years ago, I was a young priest and he was already involved in this ministry doing wonderful work. Now, at 90 years-old, he is still serving God’s people with the same zeal and affection.

There were almost 200 participants at the conference and Dale O’Leary, who is always so good, gave her keynote address at the conference on “Attachment Disorders and the Need for Love.” I also got a chance to speak with Father Paul Check, a priest in the Bridgeport Diocese and former military chaplain, who will be taking over for Father Harvey as director. Father Harvey is going to retire and take a more ancillary role. Father John Sullivan, who is the chaplain for the archdiocese for Courage and Father Al Sylvia, who is the archdiocese’s chaplain for Encourage, the group that works with the families, were both among the concelebrants with me at the Mass.

The ministry of Courage is a very important one. You can find out more about them visitng their web site.

There are many people who disagree with the Church’s teachings on chastity and living the Ten Commandments. For that reason, I was very happy that the Gospel reading was the one where Jesus is walking on the water and Peter walks on water to join him. When Peter begins to sink, Jesus takes his hand and says, “Take courage.” We need courage to be faithful disciples of the Lord. Faithful discipleship is not a cheap grace. It is a costly grace. Following the Lord and embracing his teachings in this secularized society telling us to do something else takes great courage.

We are naturally so grateful to all of those who support this ministry. They are helping people to live their faith and they need to be reaffirmed in their desire to follow the teachings of the Church.

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That evening, there was Mass and barbeque at the St. John’s Seminary for current and incoming seminarians and their families. At the Eucharistic Prayer there was a dramatic thunder at the elevation and then at the end of the prayer fire alarms went off. It was quite a racket with lights blinking and sirens going. After communion, everyone was ushered outside, while we waited for Boston’s bravest to come over and shut off the alarms.

The rain was torrential, so we ate inside the refectory. I don’t think anyone minded. It has been so rainy this summer. Other years, we have had the cookouts for the priests and the seminarians outside and the weather has been often fine.

I really want to thank Father Dan Hennessey, the director of the vocations office and Father Art Kennedy, the rector of the seminary for sponsoring this event. Everyone enjoyed themselves.

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Monday we had a wonderful visit to Camp Sunset Point in Hull.

The Catholic Charities camp “for the little ones” was founded by Cardinal Cushing. Cardinal Cushing had such a great love for all children. We know how much he loved special needs children, but he was also concerned for the needs of our inner-city children and that they would have good summers.

Beth Chambers is a social worker at Catholic Charities and she organized my visit and oversees the camp. Beth told me, it was amazing to me to hear it, that for many of these kids, some of them living in Dorchester, it was the first time in their lives they had ever seen the ocean.

 

There were a number of Cape Verdean children there, as well as Hispanics and Vietnamese. Many of them did not speak English, but they had a little singing program they put together to greet me.

After I spoke to them, they gave me sandals on sand framed with a large “Thank you” signed by all the children.

I also had a chance to thank the women from a group called Proparvulis, which for many years has raised money for the camp. The camp brings in almost 400 children during the course of the summer.

Part of this is to give the children beautiful memories of their childhoods and to give them a chance to step outside the confines of their city neighborhoods.

 

A beautiful memory in the making… I hope

I really enjoyed spending time with all these wonderful kids

I was happy to hear that there are even some children who come back as counselors when they are older. There are also a number of Catholic college students who work there.

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On Thursday I was visited by Bishop designate Herbert Bevard who is a pastor in Philadelphia and has been named bishop in the U.S. Virgin Islands, together with bishop Eliott Thomas who like myself is a former bishop of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 

Bishop designate Herbert  Bevard, center

I was glad to have a chance to meet the new bishop and, together with Bishop Eliott, to give him our impressions and share with him some of our experiences of being bishops there.

I was a bishop in the Virgin Islands for nine years and it was an extraordinary opportunity to serve in a wonderful Catholic community in the West Indies. We had many blessings and many challenges and I hope that our thoughts will be able to give encouragement to the new bishop as he prepares for his ordination Sept. 3. Bishop Eliott and I will go down to Charlotte Amalie for the ordination.

Until next week,

In Christ,

Cardinal Seán.

To start off this week, I’d like to say thank you to all my regular blog readers. I enjoy putting it together every week and I enjoy even more hearing from all of you, not only through your comments, but especially when I visit parishes and schools. I want to say a special hello to all the young people in Sydney who kept coming to me on the streets to tell me that they read and enjoy this blog.  Keep reading!

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Saturday, I was at St. John the Evangelist in Chelmsford to watch Alma Bella Solis enter the life of a consecrated virgin.

The consecration was held at a regular parish Mass, so many of Alma’s fellow parishioners as well as members of her extended family and other consecrated virgins from our archdiocese and other dioceses were all able to attend. The celebration was hosted by Father Paul Ritt and the women of the parish provided a lovely wonderful reception in the parish hall to mark the event afterwards.

For most of the Catholics there, it was the first opportunity they had to witness the consecration of a virgin or even to become aware that this vocation exits in the Church. I tried to explain that like the permanent diaconate, consecrated virgins were very much a part of the early Church. This has simply been a restoration of this vocation to the Church. It is wonderful that these individuals who have embraced this vocation are witnessing to their faith and at the same time serving the Church in many different ways, as well as by their constant prayers for the people of God.

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Once again on Monday, I was back in Quebec City, this time with the Massachusetts delegation to the 2008 Knights of Columbus convention. As those who follow this blog may remember, I attended the International Eucharistic Congress there last June.

The group attending the Convention was so large that we were spread out into four different hotels. At at the Hilton hotel, the Knights had a corner hospitality suite on the 17^th floor with a stunning view of the city.

Although it is not clearly visible in the photos below, from that room we were able to see the whole wall that surrounds the city. Quebec is a walled city included in the Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO.

The view was absolutely breathtaking and from that view I really appreciated what a gorgeous city Quebec is. I could see the Plains of Abraham, the towers of St. Ann de Beauprey across the river, the parliament building, the Chateau Frontenac and the cathedral. It really was a spectacular spot.

The parliament building

The Chateau Frontenac

That night I had dinner with my very dear friend of many, many years, Bishop Octavio Cisneros, the auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn. He is a Cuban-American, and this year there were a number of Cuban American bishops in attendance with a delegation from Cuba.

There is a great effort to try and rekindle the Knights in Cuba, where they had a tremendous presence before the revolution. There were also large delegations from Poland, the Philippines and Mexico.

Tuesday morning, Quebec Cardinal Marc Oulette presided over and preached at the opening Mass, which was a beautiful celebration with many priests and bishops, magnificent choirs and many Fourth Degree Knights in their full regalia.

 

I think there were over 2,000 participants. He spoke very beautifully on the Church’s magisterium and on life issues and commented on the anniversary of Humanae Vitae. It was a very moving talk, especially when he shared with us some of the fruits of the Eucharistic Congress held there earlier in the year and the impact it has made on the Church of Quebec.

In his annual report, the Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said there are almost 1.8 million members worldwide in more than 13,000 councils.

In the report, Anderson said the Knights had given $144 million to charities, donated 400,000 pints of blood and volunteered more than 68 million hours of community service. Last year, Carl spoke at Harvard about his book, “The Civilization of Love.” He has given outstanding leadership to the Knights and he is a great gift to the Church. In addition to all their good works, they are poised to improve the spiritual formation of their members.

I was pleased to see that the Knights have hired a recent Harvard graduate, Michael V. Brewer, to lead their outreach to college students, a program called “College Knights.” Michael is very bright and very involved in campus ministry. Every time I went to Harvard he would be there with his identical twin brother helping out at the Mass, doing the reading and helping out anyway they could.

You can see Michael to the right of the photo,
leading a group of 35 college Knights who attended WYD in Sydney.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson is on the opposite side of the photo

On Tuesday we also had the reception with the Massachusetts crowd.

At that event, I was presented with an autographed photo of Miss Dolly Parton, who I understand to be a good woman of faith.

It was a real surprise!

At last year’s convention in Nashville, I had mentioned, “Oh, maybe we will get to see Dolly Parton.” It turns out, a determined group of Massachusetts Knights took my light comment seriously enough to try and book her for the state convention. I had no idea what was coming, but I appreciate the spirit of the gift.

The Knights of Columbus are the world’s largest organization of Catholic men and they are responsible for so many works of charity. I am grateful the knights are active here in the archdiocese and I will do anything I can to help them grow here.  I would like to see a council in every parish in the archdiocese. They do so much both locally and universally.

After the reception, there was the States Dinner, where all 72 jurisdictions of the Knights were represented. The dinner had an amazing roster of speakers, too.

After Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, who is the Supreme Chaplain of the Knight of Columbus, gave the invocation, Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg, the president of the Canadian Conference of Bishops welcomed us and we also heard from Cardinal Egan, who gave his report of the Holy Father’s visit to the America. Cardinal John Patrick Foley, the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, gave the keynote address.

At the beginning of the banquet, they played the national anthems of Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan. Then, during the course of dinner, we sang the theme song for each of the 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and all of the provinces of Canada.

Bishop Hennessey at the dinner, wearing the Massachusetts colonial hat

When it was time for their song, each delegation stood and waved flags. I can say the people there really enjoyed the evening.

It was also great to have Jay Fadden from our Catholic TV there, interviewing people and reporting on what was going on.  Jay also interviewed me and I want to share that interview with you.

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The next day, Wednesday, we celebrated Mass for the Feast of the Transfiguration, which was presided over by Cardinal Justin Regali, the archbishop of Philadelphia and celebrated by Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, the archbishop of Montreal, who preached on the theme of the Transfiguration.

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After Mass, we made our way to the airport and flew to Montreal, where we expected to catch a 2:20 p.m. flight home to Boston that was cancelled.

That flight would have gotten us back in time for the celebration with the priests at St. John’s Seminary for our annual holy hour and cookout for the priests at the seminary that we hold around August 4, the Feast Day of St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, who is the patron saint of parish priests. We ended up waiting until 7:30 in the evening before we were able to catch a plane back, and so we were not able to attend.

Some seminarians also attended the gathering

Everyone I talked to about it said it was a great success and that 120 priests came out in the rain to be a part of it.

I also heard that Father Bill Schmidt gave a very insightful and entertaining lecture of the history of the priesthood in the archdiocese. At the holy hour, Father Arthur Kennedy, the rector of the seminary gave a commentary on the life of the priest, who experiences both the suffering and the glory of the Lord and his people. I wish I had been there.

Until my next post.

In Christ.

Cardinal Seán.