Comments on: A week of significant events

By: Katie Irish

Katie Irish — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:26:53 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,
I hope and will pray that the political decisions and agreements made help all people in need and protect lives. You have had a busy week! I think it’s great that lay people are being trained to get involved in their faith. I think it is a great opportunity especially for those who are married and would like to become more involved in the ministry. I think I have read about and/or heard about the sad story of Archbishop Oscar Romero. He was a great and caring man and I hope you and all his loved ones find comfort in God about his death. I hope people were touched and helped by your visit to Haiti, and I think that was a wonderful thing to do. Until next week,
God Bless
Katie Irish Grade 7
Saint Paul School

By: Luisito Sheng

Luisito Sheng — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:25:12 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,
Browsing for blogsites on neocatechumenate, I found yours great to follow and read. Primarily because I use to be an active member of the neocatechumenate. One of the communities I transferred to was St. Francis Assisi here in Mandaluyong(Philippines) run by the Capuchin Friars. The last one where I’ve been was in Mary the Queen run by Jesuits which is just a few kilometers away from St. Francis.
Anyway, the reason I wrote/commented is really to ask permission from you if I could copy the excerpts of the letter of the Pope you shared here. I am thinking of sharing it with some of my highschool batchmates.
Waiting for your reply.
And with your blessings,

Respectfully,
luisito

By: Francisco Lopez

Francisco Lopez — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:54:30 +0000

Hi Cardinal Sean it is a honor to see your dedication and efforts you put to help others. Let us keep praying for our Church to to get more bless people as yourself . May the Lord be your strength in this life.

Peace and Good. Your Brother Francisco Lopez

By: Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:18:53 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,

My name is Ryan Miller and I am a Freshmen at Boston College High School. Within your most recent blog you included a letter to the Church in Ireland, addressing the of abuse of minors by clergy. After reading the letter, and discussing the topic in Religion class, I too was moved by the Holy Father’s letter, and I strongly believe that the church is taking a very important step in solving this problem.

Thank You for all of your hard work,
-Ryan Miller

By: Krystal Rheinwald

Krystal Rheinwald — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:28:54 +0000

I echo the comments of John Stewart above. As a Social Worker trained at Boston College I find it dispiriting to say the least that the Church would not, first and foremost, champion the needs of the poor and underserved to receive health care.

I must also comment on your quote in today’s Globe, regarding priests. You say, “Holiness is the most important part of our ministry.” Forgive me, Cardinal, I realize that this is only one sentence but it seems so misguided. Christian service with all that it means is the most important part of anyone’s ministry. Being Christ-like would seem to have little to do with “holiness” and everything to do with loving God and your neighbor. Aspiring to holiness as an end in itself, seems to be a quest that could lead one to the sanctimony of the Pharisees, rather than to being a disciple of Christ’s teachings.

By: Hans Overbeek

Hans Overbeek — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:03:32 +0000

Hello Cardinal Sean, As the media tell us,the Catholic Church continues to be plagued by sex scandals.These phenomena can be seen as symptoms, which are indications of a change in conditions or signs of an underlying disorder.
It is not up to me to present a definite solution, but in my historical work I have often come across a proposition by the famous English historian Arnold Toybbee (189-1975: The Study of History,12 vols) who has argued that many historical
situations can be seen in terms of “Challenge and Response”
Civilizations,nations,churches, institutions of all sorts , necessarily meet challenges on their way. Then the question arises”how will they respond?” If they find a positive answer they will continue to evolve. If they don’t they will stagnate. If the stagnation lasts long enough they will decline like the Roman Empire . The chances that I will ever be elected pope are somewhat limited, but if it were me, I would try to get the best possible advice from sociologists,psychologists and other people with expert knowledge.

I think I should stop here.Needless to say we would all be most happy if you could spend a few days here in the VI. Chantal Join me to wish you a Blessed Easter.
With my warmest regards. Hans

By: Alex Hickey

Alex Hickey — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:03:13 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,

My name is Alex Hickey and I am a Freshmen at Boston College High School. I read your blog and I liked how you mentioned how you meet newly ordained priests. This must give them a true feeling of welcoming and it really must show them how great it is to be a priest.
Keep up the wonderful work,

Alex Hickey BCH ’13

By: Alex Bachman

Alex Bachman — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:59:58 +0000

Hi Cardinal,
Im also a freshman at Boston College High School. I find it great you can find time to do all these great things in only a single week. In my religion class we learned about Oscar Romero and its nice you acknowledged the anniversary of his death.
Keep up the good work!
-Alex Bachman

By: John Michael

John Michael — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:52:35 +0000

Dear Cardianal O’Malley.
It was made clear at he Medical Staff meeting at one of the Caritas hospitals that the Cerberus (named after the mythical dog that guards the gates of hell) is only guaranteeing Catholic oversight of the health care system for three years after which time the for profit will likely be sold to another entity. It was also mentioned by the Caritas attorney that the laws and the Catholic interests may no longer be aligned and therefore the entity would no longer be influenced by the Catholic Church and be run as a profit generating business. Despite the financial challenges which will improve for hospitals with Health care Reform I urge you not to sell out our pride and heritage to a for profit that may very well perform any procedures including abortions at our hospitals if you no longer have any influence after three years. I think when the public finds out about this loss of Catholic influence it will be viewed as another outrage of
the Catholic Church. Please hang on a little longer and let health care reform settle out and then find a Catholic based heath care organization to partner with. Obviously Cerberus and Ralph De La Torre see a promising financial future ( in the short term for themselves) with the private equity money while in the end they may be the only ones that profit from this deal.

Respectfully Yours,
A saddened Catholic

By: Bernabe Rodriguez

Bernabe Rodriguez — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:27:53 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,

My name is Bernabe Rodriguez and I am a freshman at Boston College High School. My mother is from El Salvador and she was raised in the time of oppression in El Salvador. She has told me about the difficult times she experienced ad how Archbishop Oscar Romero was a symbol of hope. I also learned more about him through my Christian Thought class. I believe he deserves the acknowledgment of being a very holy man.

Bernabe Rodriguez

By: Pat Sheehan

Pat Sheehan — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:13:30 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,
My name is Patrick Sheehan and I go to Boston College High School. We have been learning about Archbishop Romero in religion class. He is an amazing role model to all people for his courage and honor to stand up to the Salvadoran government for his people and his faith.
Also Thank You for all the great work you are doing in the archdiocese with the Reconciliation campaign for Lent.
Thank You,
Patrick Sheehan

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:15:29 +0000

Dear Cardinal Sean,
I am a student at Boston College High School and i think what you do is great. I am always amazed at how well you manage your schedule to do good works.
Keep it up,
Kevin Coulter

By: Chris Littlehale

Chris Littlehale — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:51:05 +0000

Hi Cardinal,

My name is Chris Littlehale and I am a freshman at Boston College High School. I really liked the video and pictures you posted about Caritas and the other events and I would like to thank you for all you do and for this blog.Thank you again.

Chris Littlehale

By: Liam Whalen

Liam Whalen — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:53:09 +0000

Dear Cardinal,

Hi it’s Liam W. from Boston College High School. I am in ninth grade and for Christian Thought class we learned about the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero. While learning about him I came to understand how one man seeking to do all things for the glory of God can change a country. It is good that we remember Archbishop Romero because he is an example to us of how we can work to create a just society.

Sincerely,

Liam W.

By: john stewart

john stewart — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:16:27 +0000

I continue to be amazed and gravely disappointed that the American bishops (at least most of them) would be willing to turn their backs on achieving health insurance for millions of people in need because of their insistence on important but far less critical provisions relating to abortion.