Recently, I attended a reception at the UMass Club in Boston given in honor of my good friend, Jim Karam. It was held in recognition of Jim’s years of service to the University of Massachusetts’ board, including two terms as chairman.

With Jim Karam

I have known Jim and his family for more than 20 years, dating back to my time as Bishop of Fall River. In particular, Jim provided great assistance to St. Ann Hospital, the Caritas Christi Health Care System and now he assists with the management of our Catholic hospitals within Steward Health Care System.

Many of Jim’s family, friends and colleagues gathered to show their appreciation for his dedication to advancing quality higher education.

Jim with Dr. Ralph de la Torre and Senate president Therese Murray

UMass president Robert Caret

Jim with his brothers, Skip and Bob

At the event, the UMass announced the establishment of the Jim Karam Scholarship Fund, to benefit college bound students from South Eastern Massachusetts. The university also announced that Jim has made a very generous contribution to the fund.

Through the years Jim has always made himself available to assist the Church and the wider community, we are deeply appreciative for his always being willing to help others.

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Friday I traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the American Cardinals Dinner, which is held to raise funds for scholarships to the Catholic University of America. Each year, the dinner is held in a different city, and this year was hosted by Cardinal Wuerl.

We began with Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral and followed by the dinner itself at the Washington Hilton.

There is always a great presence of the students at the dinner.

I am always happy to support this event, which does so much to allow more students to experience the superior Catholic education provided by CUA. This year, I am pleased to say, we raised almost $1.7 million to support scholarships.

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The following day, Saturday, I was back in Boston to speak at the commencement at Regis College.

At the commencement, they presented me with an honorary doctorate in law. I have received many honorary degrees, but this is my first degree in law — so now I’m ready to hang out my shingle!

After experiencing some challenges, the school is doing very well. This was their largest graduating class to date.

The school is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph. What strikes me is how the sisters and the board there have gone to great lengths to remain very faithful to the mission of providing an excellent education to working-class people, many of them minorities. They give many scholarships and I would not be surprised if many of the graduating class where the first in their family to finish college.

You can read my address to the graduates here.

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That evening, I attended the Boston Press Photographers Association’s annual dinner at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge. I was one of three people honored during the evening.

Each year, the BPPA honors a Person of the Year and a Sports Personality of the Year. I was Man of the Year and two local Olympic gold medalists, Aly Raisman and Kayla Harrison, were co-winners of the Sports Personality award.

Aly, who was a member of the 2012 Women’s gymnastics team, couldn’t be with us because she is in California for “Dancing with the Stars.”

Kayla is a 2012 gold medalist in judo. It turns out that she is Catholic and was there with her boyfriend, who is also Catholic. It was nice to meet them both.

Many of the members of the Association work for local media outlets and I recognized several of them from different events where they have been covering me, such as visiting the shelters around Christmastime. It was nice to see them in a more casual setting.

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On Sunday, I joined St. Patrick’s Parish in Roxbury for their Mass and procession honoring Our Lady of Fatima.

This is a very important feast for the Cape Verdean community at St. Patrick’s. They do such a wonderful job decorating the Church and the streets and the houses where the procession passes.

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Monday, I returned to St. Patrick’s to take part in the archdiocese’s Parish Service Week.

Over the last couple years the staff at the Pastoral Center have been participating in a service week, wherein staff members volunteer to help out at a local inner-city parish for one or more days, doing things such as landscaping, painting, maintenance and general beautification. I always like to take an opportunity to join them.

I understand people like the picture of me mowing the lawn.

As part of my visit, I also stopped by the parish school.

I particularly wanted to visit the classmates of Barry Brinson, a seventh grader at the school who was killed in a traffic accident just last week.

I spoke to them about what God tries to show us through events such as this and then gave them my blessing.

I am so grateful to Father Walter Waldron, the principal and the staff there for this great atmosphere that the school has.

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Tuesday, I returned to Washington for the baccalaureate Mass of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Catholic University of America. This is an institute that was originally established by Pope John Paul II in Rome and a number of satellite institutions have grown up around the world.

The president and faculty, including the former head of the Institute, Professor David Schindler, were all there for the Mass, which was held in the crypt of the National Shrine.

Father Antonio Lopez, who formerly worked here in Boston, is now the head of the institution. The vice president is Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

The Knights of Columbus have been wonderful supporters of the Institute, which is such a wonderful resource for Catholic schools, dioceses and family life offices.

I have been involved with the John Paul II Institute since its earliest days so it is nice to come back years later to see how they have developed and progressed. They originally started at the Dominican house of studies and now they have become a part of the Catholic University of America. The founding president was Carl Anderson and Father Lorenzo Albacete was very involved with the institute in the beginning, along with Monsignor Caffarra, who is now Cardinal Caffarra, the Archbishop of Bologna.

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While in Washington I also met with Tom Grenchik, Executive Director of the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. Tom has been dedicated to the work of the Pro Life Office for more many years and is a great help to me in my role as Chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Among the many initiatives he is currently working on is a national expansion of the Project Rachel Program, with the assistance of Marianne Luthin of the Archdiocesan Respect Life Office, who is recognized as a leader in this important ministry.

In these days, there have been a number of important developments relating to life issues. I would like to share with you the statements I issued on two of these matters.

First, in reaction to the announcement of human cloning:

The news that researchers have developed a technique for human cloning is deeply troubling on many levels. Over 120 human embryos were created and destroyed, to produce six embryonic stem cell lines. Creating the embryos involved subjecting healthy women to procedures that put their health and fertility at risk. And the researchers’ alleged goal, producing genetically matched stem cells for research and possible therapies, is already being addressed by scientific advances that do not pose these grave moral wrongs.

Creating new human lives in the laboratory solely to destroy them is an abuse denounced even by many who do not share the Catholic Church’s convictions on human life. Also, this means of making embryos for research will be taken up by those who want to produce cloned children as “copies” of other people. Whether used for one purpose or the other, human cloning treats human beings as products, manufactured to order to suit other people’s wishes. It is inconsistent with our moral responsibility to treat each member of the human family as a unique gift of God, as a person with his or her own inherent dignity. A technical advance in human cloning is not progress for humanity but its opposite.

And, of course, this week we also saw the verdict in the Gosnell trial:

Dr. Gosnell’s trial brought much-needed attention to the tragedy of abortion. His murder convictions of newly delivered infants have caused many people to reexamine their positions on abortion.

In addition to the violence against defenseless unborn and newborn children, women’s lives were endangered by his unethical practices. I hope and pray that Dr. Gosnell will come to regret and repent for his many crimes. Our nation needs great healing from the culture of death, of which this sad story is only one example. Let us pray for the children who have been lost and the many mothers and families who silently grieve their loss. Our Lord longs to heal every person affected by the tragedy of abortion and other violence.

I was pleased, and even relieved, that the court found this man guilty of these very heinous crimes. What I find difficult to understand is how some people who are horrified by these crimes somehow think that if he would have killed these babies a few minutes earlier, it would have been all right. But, thank God, at least these acts of direct infanticide are being condemned by a court of law.

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Tuesday, I met with Karen Clifton, Executive Director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), a group formed several years ago in support of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops campaign to end the death penalty.

Among CMN’s many activities are diocesan and parish programs designed to educate the lay community about the Church’s teachings on the death penalty and facilitating respectful and informed discourse within the Catholic community and the community at large. CMN works closely with the USCCB Pro-Life Committee and provides an important service for the Church in sharing the message that the death penalty is a Respect Life issue.

Karen’s personal dedication and commitment to this mission are inspiring and a great help to the Church’s work of promoting a culture of life.

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On Wednesday evening we joined the Catholic Charities Spring Celebration. During the evening, we honored Marshall and Barbara Sloane, a couple who have been involved with Catholic Charities for almost 40 years, both on the board and through supporting different programs.

The Sloanes are Jewish and Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner shared the invocation with Father Hehir. He gave a very beautiful prayer and spoke very movingly about the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish community.

The Sloane’s have a very beautiful family and many of them offered remarks during the evening. One of their grandsons greeted me in Latin; I understand he is a student at Milton Academy.

Another of the family members who spoke, I believe Linda was her name, told a wonderful story. She said that she was having her nails done in Newton, and she told the woman doing them that she wanted them to look nice because she was going to big event. When the woman who was doing her nails asked what the big event was, Linda said she was going to a fundraiser for Catholic Charities. When the woman heard that, she told Linda her story: She said she was 19 years old, pregnant and a refugee from Vietnam when she went to Catholic Charities for help. She said they helped her find a program to learn English, got her clothing, and helped her apply for a scholarship to become a beautician. Now, the woman said, she has her own business and has been able to send her children to college.

Also, during the evening we heard from a young Brazilian woman, Maria Navarro. She told us her immigrant parents were helped by Catholic Charities, and now she is going to be a student at West Point in the fall.

Maria Navarro with Barbara and Marshall Sloane

Stories such as these help us to understand the vital, life-changing work that goes on at Catholic Charities. We’re so proud of the work Debbie Rambo and her staff are doing at Catholic Charities, especially in these days in the aftermath of the economic crisis that have placed such great demands on all charities.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

Because the Gospel of Life is the centerpiece of the Church’s social doctrine and because we consider abortion a crime against humanity, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have asked that Catholic institutions not honor government officials or politicians who promote abortion with their laws and policies.

Recently I learned that the Prime Minister of Ireland, the Hon. Mr. Enda Kenny was slated to receive an honorary degree at Boston College’s graduation this year. I am sure that the invitation was made in good faith, long before it came to the attention of the leadership of Boston College that Mr. Kenny is aggressively promoting abortion legislation.  The Irish Bishops have responded to that development by affirming the Church’s teaching that  “the deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of life is always morally wrong” and expressed serious concern that the proposed legislation “represents a dramatic and morally unacceptable change to Irish law.” 

Since the university has not withdrawn the invitation and because the Taoiseach has not seen fit to decline, I shall not attend the graduation. It is my ardent hope that Boston College will work to redress the confusion, disappointment and harm caused by not adhering to the Bishops’ directives.  Although I shall not be present to impart the final benediction, I assure the graduates that they are in my prayers on this important day in their lives, and I pray that their studies will prepare them to be heralds of the Church’s Social Gospel and “men and women for others,” especially for the most vulnerable in our midst.

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This year I was invited by Bishop Antonio de Sousa Braga to preside at the Santo Cristo Feast on the island of San Miguel in the Azores.

I was accompanied by Father Walter Carriero of Saint Anthony’s in Cambridge, my priest secretary Father Jonathan Gaspar, and Father Kevin O’Leary the rector of the Cathedral.

We were there with hundreds of Portuguese and Portuguese-Americans from Cambridge, Hudson, Stoughton, Fall River and New Bedford who make the pilgrimage every year to Ponta Delgada for the magnificent celebration of Santo Cristo.

Friday, we arrived in time for the lighting of the city, which is just stunning.

The procession, which lasts for about four hours, goes for miles through the city. The whole way, there are beautiful carpets of flowers and colored sawdust.

This is a picture of the Pope Paul III who sent the original statue to the people.

It was given to the Poor Clare nuns who visited him to seek his permission to establish the first convent on the island. He granted it, and gave them this statue of the Ecce Homo (“Behold the man”) as a gift.

It is kept in the convent of Nossa Senhora da Esperança that was once a convent of Poor Clares with over 100 nuns. Now, another order, the Concepcionistas, runs it and holds beautiful retreats and other events in the convent. It is a very beautiful place.

The devotion began when there were terrible earthquakes on the island in the early 1700s. The people made a procession with the statue, asking for God’s protection. During the procession, another earthquake hit causing the statue to fall down, but when it hit the ground the earthquake stopped and the people proclaimed it a miracle. This feast has been celebrated every year since. It draws many thousands of people from the Portuguese-speaking world who travel to the Azores to participate.

There are number of Masses, all night vigils and processions that involve virtually the entire population of the island. As I mentioned, the procession stretched for miles and, on that entire route, there were crowds on both sides of the street.

Of course, there were many, many bands.

It was notable to see how people dressed up to attend the procession – the way that people used to dress up to go to Mass. It was also impressive to see the quiet respect that they had. This is not a parade where you see people holding drinks in their hands and eating hotdogs. The people are there to pray.

There is also a penitential aspect to the feast. Many people make “promesas”, pledges to the Lord, and many of them pass in front of the image on their knees or carry large candles.

It really is an extraordinary demonstration of the religious fervor of the Azorean people, and is celebrated by them wherever they are in the world. For example, this weekend St. Anthony in Cambridge will hold their own Santo Cristo Festival.

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On the way back, we traveled through Lisbon and visited the home of Saint Anthony of Padua.

This is a baptismal font where he was baptized.

This is the Chapel where he was born.

This statue of Saint Anthony stands in front of the church that was built over his house.

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Every year, our Office for the New Evangelization for Youth and Young Adults holds their annual awards banquet to honor those who work in this important ministry.

Since I was unable to attend the banquet this year, I have asked Father Matt Williams, the director of the ONE office, to share some of his reflections with you on the awards and other works of his ministry.

I leave you with the reflections of Father Matt:

Thank you, Cardinal Seán, for the invitation to share about our current events on behalf of the ONE Team.

On Tuesday April 30^th we were privileged to host the 22^nd Annual Archdiocesan Awards Banquet (5^th Banquet hosted by ONE). This year sixty-four Awards were given to middle school and high school teens, young adults, adult leaders and two priests, representing over thirty communities throughout the Archdiocese of Boston. It was a great night that showed forth the diversity of cultures, ages and ministries within the Archdiocese, and how each member, when they take the call to follow Jesus seriously, can make a difference in building up the Body of Christ.

We were blessed to have a number of invited guests from the Pastoral Center in attendance at our celebration. We are especially grateful for the presence of Bishop Robert Deeley and the insights he shared with us as our guest speaker. Drawing on the wisdom of Pope Francis, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and his own experience, he emphasized the importance of ministry to young people and of the New Evangelization.

Bishop Deeley spoke about his involvement in CYO as a boy and how it gave him a solid foundation for life, rooting him in the faith of the Catholic Church. We pray that many vocations will come forth from our youth ministry programs! After Bishop Deeley spoke, he and Mr. John Straub, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, presented the awards to the recipients.

This Banquet is an important part of our year as it gives us an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the grace of our Lord at work in the lives of our young people and their leaders. It is vital for them to know that we see Jesus Christ alive in them, and that their lives are making a difference in our communities. By naming and affirming the light of Christ shining through them, it encourages our young people and leaders to continue to live their Christian witness in service to the Lord and neighbor. We could say that this event, and others like it, fans the flame of faith that is burning within.

At the end of the gathering, I had the privilege of being able to address our honored guests, and their families and friends.

I shared that as Catholics we are very familiar with stain glass windows and how they are beautifully crafted to communicate to us some aspect about our faith in the Lord and to point us to heaven. The effectiveness of the stained glass windows relies upon the sun; the more brilliant the sun, the greater the beauty of the stained-glass window. Each of these honored guests, uniquely and wonderfully proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ because they have drawn close to the SON. It is His rays that illuminate their lives and shines forth so powerfully through them, drawing others to seek Christ, the Light of the World. May all of us be inspired by their witness and seek to draw closer to Christ, our Light.

On another note, we are very excited about our upcoming pilgrimage to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day (WYD) with Pope Francis.

The WYD Committee is expecting over three million pilgrims to attend from all over the world. This international gathering of young people is a Catholic experience of a lifetime. At World Youth Day young people encounter the Gospel of Jesus Christ in many varied ways: the presence and witness of our Holy Father, Holy Mass, Confession, dynamic catechesis, festivals, concerts, shows, diverse cultural expressions of the faith, the size of the universal Church gathered, and the lived witness of Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Married Couples, Leaders, and peers. All of these components create a dynamic recipe, a marinade of the faith, in which our young people are immersed. Through these experiences our young people come to understand the personal love of Christ, the importance of being part of the Church, that God has a special plan for their lives, and that He has created them for greatness.

We are so blessed in the Archdiocese of Boston because Cardinal Seán is a strong supporter and advocate of World Youth Day. He not only encourages us to go, but he comes with us! Or rather, we go with him. He is also a great blessing to pilgrims from around the world as he is always in high demand to offer catechesis, in different languages, at different sites during the WYD week. We always try to find out where the Cardinal is speaking and take the young people there to both support him and to be fed by him. After the recent conclave, I am sure demand for him will be even greater! Our young people always look forward to spending meaningful time with their shepherd, and the Cardinal makes it a priority to be with them!

We are happy to say that we have over 162 pilgrims going to WYD with Cardinal Seán this year. Given there are so many factors that make attending difficult; we are delighted to have such a great turnout. We have a diverse representation going to WYD from Boston consisting of high school teens and their leaders, young adults, the deaf apostolate and different ethnic communities. The diversity of our group is but a small sample of the millions we will encounter. The excitement continues to build! Little did we know when we began this process two years ago that we would have a new Pope; and how exciting it is that our pilgrimage is to Brazil now that we have our first pope from the Americas! Please pray for us and for all the pilgrims; for our safety, and for special graces to receive all that the Lord has prepared for us.

Once again, I would like to thank Cardinal Seán for this opportunity to share with you what is happening in ONE. Thank you for all that you do to help mentor our young people in the faith.

God bless you+

He was the long-time president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston and throughout his life he has been very active in many Church activities.

Judge Nolan receiving the Knights of Columbus’ Lantern Award in 1993

He was a great lover of the Latin liturgy, and every time he saw me, he greeted me with the Latin phrase “Nos cum prole pia”. An my response would be, “benedicat Virgo Maria”. This was a favorite blessing of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, a Capuchin Doctor of the Church. I am sure that Judge Joseph Nolan was the only lay person in Massachusetts who knew that!

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Saturday I went to St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Norwood to celebrate confirmations. It was a very large confirmation class, in two groups.

One of the first confirmations I ever did in Boston was almost 30 years ago at St. Catherine’s, when I was still Bishop of the West Indies. They still have very large religious education classes and a wonderful Catholic school. It was a delight to be able to celebrate confirmations there.

Msgr. Garrity is now the pastor there and he is assisted by the retired pastor, Msgr. Paul Ryan, and they make a great team. Father Tony Luongo is also assigned there, however, he was unable to be at the confirmations because his mother’s funeral also took place on Saturday morning and at the confirmation Masses we offered prayers for him.

With Deacon John Brent, Msgr. Garrity and Msgr. Ryan

Msgr. Garrity, who did such an extraordinary job at St. Mary’s in Lynn, is very focused on promoting Catholic education in Norwood and we are very grateful that it is one of our larger schools, a very important center for Catholic education.

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Saturday afternoon I made hospital visits. I went to see Father Brian Smith who has been diagnosed with cancer and is in the cancer unit at Dana-Farber.

We also went to visit Jane Richard, the younger sister of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who was killed in the Marathon Bombings. She survived the bombings, but lost a foot and was severely burned. It was very impressive to see how wonderful the doctors and nurses were with her and her family.

Her parents and uncle were there with her. I was accompanied by Father Sean Connor, their pastor, who has been working very closely with the family and providing pastoral support. We are very grateful for all that he has done.

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Saturday, I went to St. Benedict’s in Somerville to celebrate their Spanish Mass.

Father Oscar Martín is the pastor there and he is doing an excellent job.

It was very encouraging to see how vibrant the parish is, with such great enthusiasm and many young people.

During the Mass we welcomed a new priest, Father Adriano Albino de Castro, who is from the Archdiocese of Brasilia in Brazil and has just arrived. He will be working with the Portuguese speaking community in the archdiocese.

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From Somerville, I went immediately to the Cathedral to join the Catechetical Leadership Awards Vespers Service that was being led by Bishop Deeley. I was able to address them and thank them for the important work they do for the archdiocese.

Three catechetical leaders were recognized with special awards. Donna Lee McIntosh and Maribelle Ortiz Millan received the Sister Marian O’Connor Award for Excellence in Catechetical Leadership and Amy Chapman received the Gaudium et Spes Service Recognition Award.

With Maribelle Ortiz Millan, Donna Lee McIntosh Bishop Deeley and Amy Chapman

Also, 75 catechists were recognized for their faithful service.

We are so grateful to Susan Abbott, Susan Kay, and Janet Benestad who organized this event to recognize our catechists.

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Monday, I visited the Boston Pre-Release Center in Roslindale, which is run by the Mass. Department of Corrections. I celebrated Mass for them and we had two confirmations.

I had not been to that particular institution before, but I was very impressed by how clean and well run it is. The men there work in the community at various jobs. The center provides a kind of transition, preparing them for when they are released from prison so they have job skills and a little money.

I told them that I was so happy to see that they have this kind of program. I said that when I was a prison chaplain 40 years ago, this type of program did not exist, at least where I was. There, the men were kept in prison and could not get parole unless they had a job, but no one would hire them sight unseen. As a result, hardly any of them were paroled.

To solve this problem, I had the brilliant idea to start a painting company to hire the men and get them at a prison— but I knew nothing about painting companies! I got some money from my father, and bought all the equipment that I thought we would need. Then it occurred to me that we would need a vehicle, but I had already spent most all the money I had on supplies.

It turned out that the only vehicle I could buy with the money that we had left was an old red station wagon that only went in reverse. So, we got to our first job driving in reverse the whole way! Thankfully, once we painted our first house, we had the money to get the car repaired.

So I told them I was glad that they had a prerelease program such as this because running a painting company is such a challenge!

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On Wednesday I attended the Catholic Charities reception for the Labouré Center where Bob Sheridan was honored. He is the former president of SBLI and is very generous in supporting many causes including several Catholic organizations such as Labouré Center.

With Catholic Charities President Debbie Rambo, Laboure Center Director Sister Maryadele Robinson and Bob Sheridan

It was a wonderful event in a lovely venue.

They do wonderful work at the Labouré Center. A whole panoply of activities are carried on there, providing services for families, children and new immigrants.

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Thursday, I was happy to host our annual gathering of the superiors of men’s religious orders in the archdiocese here at the Pastoral Center.

There were presentations by Father Paul Soper and Sister Pat Boyle from the Pastoral Planning Office.

As we did with the women religious superiors last week, we spoke to them about the pastoral planning process and evangelization efforts, and asked for their input and ideas.

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Then, later in the afternoon, I was very happy to be visited by Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey and his wife, Marie, who are very active in the pro-life movement both in the United States and internationally.

They came to speak with me about some of their ideas and proposals for the pro-life movement. It is always a pleasure to see them.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

This week we continue our focus on the aftermath of the Marathon Day Bombings.

Friday, Governor Patrick called residents of a number of cities and towns including Boston to “shelter in place” as the manhunt for one of the suspects in the attack was taking place.

So, because we were locked down, we had to change our plans. That day we had anticipated to bless new bells at Newton Country Day School. I was looking forward to that. It is not often you get to bless new bells.

Historically in the Church, the blessing of bells was a very important event. We used to consecrate them with Sacred Chrism oils, and the bells were often given the names of saints. I grew up in a Catholic culture where the ringing of the bells was very important to us, for the Angelus and to call people to Mass. It was the “Vox Dei,” the voice of God, calling people. In all of my years in the seminary — besides the Angelus at six o’clock in the morning, at noon, and six o’clock at night — at three o’clock on Friday afternoons we would always toll the bells 33 times. Unfortunately in today’s world, a lot of parishes don’t have the bells and sometimes neighbors complain when the bells are rung.

Even in our Cathedral of the Holy Cross where there were plans to have twin bell towers, problems of engineering led to the abandonment of the plans, which meant that even the bells at the cathedral are electronic.

So, I was looking forward to this event at Newton Country Day. The religious of the Sacred Heart run a very fine school there. A number of my cousins were teachers at their school in Miami, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. My sister in law studied with them as well as a lot of my cousins, and so I have had a long relationship with the religious of the Sacred Heart. We are very aware of the excellent education that they impart.

Church bells are an interesting part of our Catholic tradition.

Unfortunately, I had to spend the day at the cathedral rectory working from my desk.

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On Saturday, I celebrated the Ordination Mass of Father Jurgen W. Liias, a former Episcopalian priest of 40 years, to the Roman Catholic priesthood on April 20 at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in Beverly. He was being ordained for the Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, which is the second Anglican ordinariate that was founded.

In the homily that day, I explained the whole history and rationale for the ordinariate. I talked about how after the Second Vatican Council there was a great enthusiasm for the ecumenical movement. There was a great optimism about the possibility of corporate reunion with historical churches; particularly the Anglican church was seen as the Protestant church that was closest to us.

However, over the years we have seen how doctrinal positions have changed in the Anglican community and have taken a much more realistic view on that kind of corporate reunion. However many Anglicans had been in touch with the Holy See asking to come into the Church. So, Pope Benedict XVI initiated this new system that would allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church, and to maintain some of their Anglican identity and some of the features of their Anglican liturgy.

The first of these ordinariates was founded in England, and now we have one in the United States. Father Liias was the first one ordained in our area.

The head of this ordinariate, Msgr. Jeffrey N. Steenson, was himself an Episcopal Bishop before he entered the Church.

Msgr. Steenson

There were many people from the ordinariate there. There was quite an ecumenical gathering. There were many Protestant ministers who also came to this Mass. A number of people who have come into the Church in the past couple of years came as well, and there was great singing.

Father Liias’ parish will be St. Gregory the Great Catholic Ordinariate Community at St. Margaret Parish in Beverly Farms.

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Later that evening I went to the sixth annual Archdiocese of Boston Eucharistic Congress for College Students and Young Adults in the North End, which was supposed to begin Friday, but was cancelled because of the lockdown.

Saturday, it began again when I offered Mass for a full church at St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church.

We then went to Sacred Heart Church in North Square for the dinner that the merchants of the North End offer for the young people.

There was a talk by Susan Conroy, who had spent many years with Blessed Mother Teresa in Calcutta.

Then there was Eucharistic adoration and a Eucharistic procession through the streets.

The North End is a neighborhood that has many processions because of the popular religiosity of the Italian Catholics who are residents there. But, this one is kind of unique in that it is late at night on a Saturday evening, which is in one of the busiest areas of Boston at night because of the extraordinary number of Italian restaurants that are there. This year, I am told that many people just joined the procession from the passersby. I think in light of everything that happened, people were looking for an opportunity to pray.

People are always very respectful, and they rang the church bells during the procession even though the procession is after ten o’clock at night. The North End on weekends is a bustling place filled with tourists, restaurant-goers, and people out for a walk looking for Italian pastries and coffee. It is an ideal spot for that kind of a public witness. We have monthly activities there for that reason. The people who live in the North End are very supportive and very enthusiastic about the Eucharistic Congress and the other activities. Father Antonio and the people of St. Leonard’s Parish are also wonderfully generous in hosting us and facilitating all the aspects of it.

- – -

The next morning, we had a Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for those who were killed during the course of the week, victims of the bombing attack and the police officer killed later, and to pray for all of the wounded and their families.

The Mass was very well attended, and I could not help but notice that many people when they came to receive communion were crying. My presumption is that they were relatives of people who had been seriously injured in the attack. There was a very large media presence there, so I was happy to be able to communicate our message to the wider community as well.

As I mentioned in the homily, a week before at the same 11:30 a.m. Mass is when Father O’leary gave the blessing for the runners. There were many runners and people who were going to the Marathon, including spectators.

Here is an excerpt of the homily, for those who prefer reading to watching:

Jesus said “they will strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter”; that is what happened to His disciples after the Crucifixion, as they scattered in fear, doubt and panic.

On Easter the Good Shepherd returns to gather the scattered;   Mary Magdalene in grief, Thomas in doubt, Peter in betrayal.  We too are scattered and need the assurance of the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for us, who comes to gather us in our scattered in our brokenness and pain, scattered by failed marriages, lost employment, estranged children, illness, the death of a loved one, soured relationships, disappointments and frustrations.

This week we are all scattered by the pain and horror of the senseless violence perpetrated on Patriots Day.  Last Sunday at the 11:30 Mass here at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Fr. O’Leary led a special blessing for the many runners who participated in the Mass.  Some people here were among those injured and those who witnessed the terrible events that unfolded at the finish line  of the Marathon, but everyone was profoundly affected by the wanton violence and destruction inflicted upon our community by two young men unknown to all of us.

It is very difficult to understand what was going on in the young men’s minds, what demons were operative, what ideologies or politics or the perversion of their religion.  It was amazing to witness, however, how much goodness and generosity were evidenced in our community as a result of the tragic events they perpetrated.

It reminds me of a passage in Dorothy Day’s autobiography where she speaks about experiencing a serious earthquake in California when she was a young girl.  Suddenly neighbors that never spoke were helping each other, sharing their food and water, caring for children and the elderly.  She was amazed and delighted, but a few weeks later people retreated to their former individualism and indifference.

Dorothy Day spent the rest of her life looking to recapture the spirit of community.  That led her to the Communist Party and eventually it led her into the Catholic Church and to found the Catholic Worker Movement, dedicating herself to the care of the homeless, the drug addict.

This past week we have experienced a surge in civic awareness and sense of community.   It has been inspiring to see the generous and at times heroic responses to the Patriots Day violence.  Our challenge is to keep this spirit of community alive going forward.  As people of faith, we must commit ourselves to the task of community building.

Jesus teaches us in the Gospel that we must care for each other, especially the most vulnerable; the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the foreigner; all have a special claim on our love.  We must be a people of reconciliation, not revenge.  The crimes of the two young men must not be the justification for prejudice against Muslims and against immigrants.

The Gospel is the antidote to the “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” mentality.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is the story about helping one’s neighbor when that neighbor was from an enemy tribe, a foreign religion, a hostile group.  The Samaritan cuts through centuries of antipathy by seeing in the Jewish man who had been beaten and left for dead not a stranger or an enemy, but a fellow human being who has a claim of his humanity and compassion.

We know so little about the two young men who perpetrated these heinous acts of violence.  One said he had no friends in this country, the other said his chief interests were money and his career.  People need to be part of a community to lead a fully human life.  As believers one of our tasks is to build community, to value people more than money or things, to recognize in each person a child of God, made in the image and likeness of our Creator.

The individualism and alienation of our age has spawned a culture of death.  Over a million abortions a year is one indication of how human life has been devalued.  Violent entertainment, films and video games have coarsened us and made us more insensitive to the pain and suffering of others.  The inability of the Congress to enact laws that control access to automatic weapons is emblematic of the pathology of our violent culture. 

When Pope John Paul II visited Madrid in 2003, addressing one million young people, he told them; “Respond to the blind violence and inhuman hatred with the fascinating power of love.”  We all know that evil has its fascination and attraction but too often we lose sight of the fact that love and goodness also have the power to attract and that virtue is winsome.  Passing on the faith means helping people to lead a good life, a moral life, a just life.  Thus part of our task as believers is to help our people become virtuous.

Plato thought that virtue was knowledge.  As Chain Ginott, the concentration camp survivor, reminds us, doctors, nurses, scientists and soldiers were part of the Holocaust machinery, showing that knowledge is not virtue, and often science and technology have been put at the service of evil.  It is only a culture of life and an ethic of love that can rescue us from the senseless violence that inflicts so much suffering on our society.

Like Christ our Good Shepherd, we who aspire to be Jesus’ disciples and to follow His way of life, we too must work to gather the scattered, to draw people into Christ’s community.  It is in His Gospel that we find the answers to the questions of life and the challenging ideals that are part of discipleship; mercy, forgiveness, self sacrifice, service, justice and truth.

John Lennon once said, ‘Everything will be OK in the end.  If it’s not OK, it’s not the end.’  Our faith goes beyond that optimism.  Love is stronger than death.  We are going to live forever in the Resurrection Christ won for us on the Cross.   The innocent victims who perished this week; Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell,  Lu Lingzi, Officer Sean Collier, will live in eternity.  Life is not ended, merely changed – that is the message of Easter.  As Martin Luther King expressed, ‘Death is a comma, not a period at the end of a sentence.’

Although the culture of death looms large, our Good Shepherd rose from the grave on Easter and His light can expel the darkness and illuminate for us a path that leads to life, to a civilization of solidarity and love.  I hope that the events of this past week have taught us how high the stakes are.  We must build a civilization of love, or there will be no civilization at all.

- – -

From the cathedral I went to West Roxbury to celebrate Mass with the Filipino community at Holy Name Parish. Fr. Cyriac Mattathilanickal, MS, an Indian priest that is the spiritual director for the Filipino community and who speaks Tagalog, put together the event.

We had a full church. It was a beautiful celebration. The Filipino people are extraordinary Catholics, and as they have immigrated around the world have carried their faith and their traditions with them. We are very blessed to have a community here.

There were a couple of Filipino priests with us. Fr. Francis Alvarez, SJ, a Filipino Jesuit from Boston College and Fr. Joshua Mary, OFM. Of course, the pastor, Father Carlson, was there as well as Father Michael Harrington who is the head of our Ethnic Apostolate Office.

After the Mass there was a beautiful gathering that included popular singing and dancing.

- – -

This week I presided at the Funeral Masses for Krystle Campbell at St. Joseph’s in Medford Monday and Officer Sean Collier at St. Patrick’s in Stoneham, Tuesday. The governor attended both of those Masses, and at Krystle’s there was a huge crowd outside the church just waiting there respectfully to accompany the ceremony.

Tuesday, there were many police there with the Collier family for the Funeral Mass. There was also a huge police presence at MIT where they had a memorial service, on Wednesday.

When a police officer dies in the line of duty, there is always a huge police presence at the Mass or the memorial service and they come from as far away as Canada. That was the case for Sean Collier, but the massive police presence was actually at the memorial service at MIT.

Of the four people that died as a result of this attack, the three who were from Boston were all Catholic. While we were celebrating the Mass for Officer Collier, Father Sean Connors and Father John Connolly were celebrating a Mass at the cemetery with the immediate family members of the Richard family. There will be a public service for Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who died as a result of the blast, at some time in the future, but his mother and sister are still recuperating from their injuries as the result of the same blast that killed the little boy.

The little boy’s picture has been seen everywhere. He had just made his first communion recently, but the picture that touched everyone was the picture of him with a sign that he was carrying that said, “No more hurting people.” Hopefully his death will carry that message forward, and inspire people to overcome the kinds of hatreds and prejudices that lead to these violent acts.

- – -

On Monday, I also had a meeting with Carl Landwehr of the Vitae Foundation. The foundation is an educational organization that uses the media and scientific polling and data to present the pro-life message and work to reduce the number of abortions.

I am very interested in working with them and learning more about their approach, particularly around the whole issue of adoption. I have come to the conclusion that we will never be able to make a dent in abortions until we can change people’s attitudes toward adoption. I have already begun to reach out to people around this issue, and the Vitae Foundation was very interested in collaborating with us.

- – -

On Tuesday, we had the annual meeting of the Society of St. James at St. Stephen’s in the North End where I met the new director Father David Costello, who is doing a very fine job.

Father Costello at a recent interview on The Good Catholic Life
radio program

We are very proud of the work that is being done. At the meeting it is always very interesting to learn about what is happening in the society. We are grateful to all the people in our parishes that support the missionary work of St. James by their prayers and by their financial support.

In the last fifty years, we have sent 300 priests to Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador to provide pastoral services in those countries.

Many of those priests who have returned have been the backbone of Hispanic ministry here in the archdiocese. It has been mutually beneficial in that sense. It also keeps before our eyes the fact that we are a missionary Church and that, despite the great challenges we have at home, we also have an obligation to be promoting evangelization around the world.

- – -

On Wednesday, I had another important meeting. A couple of times a year we get together with the bishops of our ecclesiastical province, which comprises the four dioceses of Massachusetts plus the states that each have one diocese, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. It is a time for us to encourage each other and to share information.

We have a wonderful rapport among the bishops of the region. It is always a very enjoyable, as well as enriching, experience to bring them together to talk about the issues that the bishops are facing in the various dioceses of the province, and how we can collaborate and work together.

- – -

That afternoon I went to a gathering of the Regina Cleri Friends, a new initiative that Joe D’Arrigo is spearheading to involve laypeople in a supportive role to our retired priests.

Although it is called the Friends of Regina Cleri, the scope is really to be outreach to all our retired priests who are also living on their own or in other nursing homes. The initiative was very well received. We had a wonderful group there.

- – -

Yesterday, as we do periodically we had a meeting with the superiors of the women religious arranged by Sister Marian Batho. I gave them a report on the recent activities that I have been involved in, the conclave, the priest retreat in the Holy Land, and our outreach to the victims of the violence on Patriot’s Day.

Two of the sisters gave us a report on the Josephine Bakhita House, a house for women who are victims of human trafficking here in Boston. The religious congregations of women particularly sponsor and support it.

Father Paul Soper and Sister Pat Boyle, also gave a report on pastoral planning efforts in the archdiocese and there was a conversation as to how the religious communities could be supportive and part of this.

- – -

Then I went to Providence where I celebrated Mass for the seminarians studying there at Our Lady of Providence House, where we have five seminarians studying for Boston. Bishop Bob Evans concelebrated along with the Rector Father Chris Mahar and the spiritual director Father Michael Najim.

The seminarians sang at the Mass. They have a wonderful Scola and sang beautifully in polyphonic and plainchant. Afterward we had dinner with the seminarians. We are so grateful to Bishop Tobin who has expanded the seminary program there to allow more seminarians from other dioceses in the region.

Until my next post.

In Christ

Cardinal Seán

We issued a statement that same afternoon, expressing our deep sorrow, that I want to share with you:

The Archdiocese of Boston joins all people of good will in expressing deep sorrow following the senseless acts of violence perpetrated at the Boston Marathon today.  Our prayers and concern are with so many who experienced the trauma of these acts, most especially the loved ones of those who lives were lost and those who were injured, and the injured themselves.

The citizens of the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are blessed by the bravery and heroism of many, particularly the men and women of the police and fire departments and emergency services who responded within moments of these tragic events.  Governor Patrick, Mayor Menino and Police Commissioner Davis are providing the leadership that will see us through this most difficult time and ensure that proper procedures are followed to protect the public safety.

In the midst of the darkness of this tragedy we turn to the light of Jesus Christ, the light that was evident in the lives of people who immediately turned to help those in need today.  We stand in solidarity with our ecumenical and interfaith colleagues in the commitment to witness the greater power of good in our society and to work together for healing.

The next morning I spoke with the governor, who proposed the idea of an ecumenical service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. I told him we would be very pleased to host it.

My staff worked with his staff and the White House staff in preparing an interfaith service involving Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims and Orthodox Christians, with the presence of the President.

Around 2,000 people came into the cathedral and many others remained outside.

There was long line of people outside the cathedral
waiting for the chance to enter

The whole region has been moved by this tragedy and people were anxious to be a part of this interreligious service. Of course CatholicTV broadcasted live the service and you can watch it in its entirety here:

The Boston Children’s Choir was there participating as well as the Cathedral Choir.

Yo-yo Ma also contributed to the musical selection, and played a cello solo.

The former governors were there, Romney, Dukakis, Weld and Swift as well as some members of congress.

I think it was an important moment to show solidarity in our community and to commit ourselves to healing and to promoting a culture of life, by showing regard for every human being and having a sense of shared destiny in the need to promote the common good and to overcome the individualism and the ideological polarization that leads to this kind of violence in society.

Mayor Menino, who came in a wheelchair because he had fractured his leg near the ankle, stood as he addressed those attending the service.

In my talk, I expressed the message the Holy Father asked that I communicate to the people of Boston. I also reflected on the gospel reading from the Sermon on the Mount. I ended with the Prayer of St. Francis.

These were my remarks:

My dear brothers, sisters and friends.

On behalf of our Catholic community, I wish to welcome all of you here to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. It is an honor to have our President, the Governor, and our Mayor here with us this morning. We are grateful to Governor Patrick for initiating this ecumenical and interfaith prayer service. We are delighted that Metropolitan Methodius and so many leaders from the various churches and faith communities could join us here today.

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has asked me to communicate to you his sentiments of love and support. The Holy Father invokes God’s peace upon our dead, consolation upon the suffering and God’s strength upon all those engaged in the continuing work of relief and response. The Holy Father prays that we will be united in the resolve not to be overcome by evil, but to combat evil with good, working together to build an ever more just, free and secure society for generations to come.

This year’s Patriots’ Day celebrations were marred by an act of senseless violence that has caused all of us great shock and pain. It made us relive the horror of the September 11^th terrorist attack and is a stark reminder of the darkness that can lurk in the human heart and produce such evil. And yet the same tragedy brought us together as a community like nothing else ever could. The generous and courageous response of so many assures us that there resides in people’s hearts a goodness that is incredibly selfless. We saw that when summoned by great events we can be remarkably committed to the well-being of others, even total strangers. We become a stronger people, a more courageous people, and a more noble people. The police, emergency workers and even bystanders and passers-by did not hesitate to put themselves in harm’s way to help the injured and the frightened.

Our presence here is an act of solidarity with those who lost their lives or were injured in the explosions and an expression of our desire to support them and their families and loved ones.

This Patriots’ Day shakes us out of our complacency and indifference and calls us to focus on the task of building a civilization that is based on love, justice, truth and service. We do not want to risk losing the legacy of those first patriots who were willing to lay down their lives for the common good. We must overcome the culture of death by promoting a culture of life, a profound respect for each and every human being made in the image and likeness of God, and we must cultivate a desire to give our lives in the service of others.

Last week, I was in Galilee on the Mount of the Beatitudes with 30 priests from Boston. There we prayed together and listened to the very Gospel that was read for us here this morning. The Sermon on the Mount is a description of the life of the people gathered by and around the Lord. Often in the Gospels, we can see the contrast between the crowd and the community. The crowd is made up of self-absorbed individuals, each one focused on his or her own interests in competition with the conflicting projects of others. A community is where people come to value each other, and find their own identity in being part of something bigger than themselves, working together for the common good.

The Sermon on the Mount, in many ways, is the Constitution of the people called to live a new life. Jesus gives us a new way to deal with offenses, by reconciliation. Jesus gives us a new way to deal with violence, by nonviolence. He gives us a new way to deal with money, by sharing and providing for those in need. Jesus gives us a new way to deal with leadership, by drawing upon the gift of every person, each one a child of God.

In the face of the present tragedy, we must ask ourselves what kind of a community do we want to be, what are the ideals that we want to pass on to the next generation. It cannot be violence, hatred and fear. The Jewish people speak of Tikkun Olam, “repairing the world.” God has entrusted us with precisely that task, to repair our broken world. We cannot do it as a collection of individuals; we can only do it together, as a community, as a family. Like every tragedy, Monday’s events are a challenge and an opportunity for us to work together with a renewed spirit of determination and solidarity and with the firm conviction that love is stronger than death.

May ours be the sentiments of St. Francis of Assisi, who prayed:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

CatholicTV has prepared a playlist of the service in YouTube so you can watch every moment here.

- – -

In last week’s post, I chronicled the first part of the retreat with priests in the Holy Land, that took place in northern Israel, around the Sea of Galilee.

Thursday evening we arrived in Jerusalem and stayed in the Notre Dame House, a retreat center entrusted to the Legionaries of Christ.

Our first stop on Friday was to visit the Latin Patriarchate. The patriarch, Fouad Twal, was in Rome to meet with the Holy Father so we met with one of his auxiliary bishops, Bishop William Shomali.

He spoke to us about the situation in the Holy Land and afterward bestowed the Pilgrim’s Shell on five of the priests who are members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and were making their first trip to Jerusalem.

Then we spent the rest of the day visiting Holy Sites around Jerusalem, including the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of St. Peter Gallicantu, the Chapel of Dominus Flevit, and the Church of the Pater Noster.

There we ran into this group of Capuchins and a group of Polish pilgrims.

We had Mass at the Gallicantu, and visited the cistern there, where it is believed that Christ was held overnight during his trial. Father Bob Reed told me once that when he was a seminarian, he spent a night in that cistern!

Saturday, very early in the morning, we had Mass at the Holy Sepulchre. I was so moved by it. I did not realize that it was possible even to celebrate Mass there. When they told me the day before I was very excited.

The whole group of priests were able to go into the antechamber, and then we did the liturgy of the Word there and then went into the small room where the Holy Sepulchre is. On top of the Holy Sepulchre was actually the altar where we celebrated the Mass and it was a very moving experience.

I want to share with you the audio of my homily there:

From there we went to meet Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who is the Franciscan custodian of the Holy Land. He is the head of all Franciscans in the Holy Land.

Currently there are around 300 friars and around 100 sisters in the territory of the custody which includes Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and the islands of Cyprus and Rhodes.

He gave us a history of the presence of the friars there for 800 years, and the work that they do in the Holy Land.

He also talked about the importance of the Good Friday collection, which is taken up throughout the whole world, which began to be taken up in the 1400s. It is one of the oldest collections that we have. Two thirds of it is used for works of mercy, education and healthcare, and one third of that collection is used to support the holy places and the different shrines. It is a very important source of revenue for the Church in the Holy Land as it has been for several centuries.

After that, the priests went to Bethlehem, to visit the holy places there, including the manger, which is at the Basilica of the Nativity.

I, instead, spent some time with the lay people from Boston who had been with us in Galilee and were in Jerusalem at the same time we were.

We celebrated Morning Prayer at Domus Mamre, a beautiful location across from the walls of Jerusalem that belongs to the Syrian Catholic Church and is currently being used by the Neocatechumenal Way as a house of studies for seminarians and priests.

The venue is an extraordinary place that goes back to the time of Abraham. It is said of this place that Abraham, on his way to sacrifice his son Isaac, stopped there and told the servants to wait for them to get back from Mount Moria.

This is the site for the future Domus Jerusalem, a new retreat and conference center that will welcome pilgrims on their visit to Jerusalem.

Father Rino explained to the group that, like Domus Galilee, Domus Jerusalem will also serve as a center to promote interreligious dialogue, particularly with the Jewish world and we were able to show the group the plans that had been made.

It will be a wonderful site for the center and will also have accommodations for about 170 guests.

There is an ancient tomb from the first century on the property, and perhaps the most spectacular thing is the entire panorama of the temple and the Old City.

- – -

The next day, we went to Ein Karem where Mary’s cousin Elizabeth lived and the place of the visitation.

Outside the church, the Magnificat is written on all the walls in many different languages. We prayed and visited the church, then we went to another church nearby, St. John Ba-Harim, the site of the birth of John the Baptist.

At that church the Benedictus is also displayed in many different languages. I took a picture of the Latin version.

On the way back, we had a Holy Hour with the Blessed Sacrament at the garden of Gethsemane.

- – -

We had the Stations of the Cross on Monday and ended in the Holy Sepulchre.

Many of the stations are right through the streets of Jerusalem, surrounded by shops and the bustling of people and it gives the impression that that is what it would have been like at the time of Jesus.

Monday afternoon we went to hear the Dominican Friar Jerome Murphy O’Connor who is a famous scripture scholar. We went to the Ecole Biblique de Jerusalem, and he gave us a very interesting lecture.

The next day, I went to visit my brother Capuchins in the Holy Land, to the house they have in the new city, in the Talbiye neighborhood. The house was built in 1933 because at the time there was a Christian population in the area. It is currently in a Jewish neighborhood. The house was abandoned during the second world war, but it was given back in the 1990s. In 2010 the new center was inaugurated. The theme of the house is “Christ, the light of the world.”

While I was there I took some photos.

A picture of the altar

Mary, “a woman clothed with the sun,”
as described in the Book of Revelation

This is the tabernacle. It looks like a burning bush under the meeting tent

That is the first word of the Shema on the pulpit, “listen”

This is Father Benoit a Capuchin who is a righteous gentile and saved 4,000 Jews from the Nazis

This is Blessed James Haddad, the Capuchin who started the house. He has just been beatified

As we publish this post, law enforcement officials are trying to apprehend an individual in relation with the Marathon bombings. One police officer was killed yesterday evening and another is in critical condition. Our prayers are with the victims and their families as well as with those who are risking their lives to keep our community safe.

Until my next post,

Cardinal Seán

Though we have been planning this retreat for over a year, it comes at an unusual time for me, because I had not been expecting to be out of the archdiocese for three weeks participating in the conclave. However, I think this has been a very important opportunity for me to be together with our priests and to share this experience with them.

Many of them are coming to the Holy Land for the first time and so it is an important moment to support them and encourage their spirituality and fraternity. We are so glad that so many could come.

Coming to the Holy Land is an extraordinary experience, which opens up the Scriptures in a very powerful way for people to understand what we read about in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. It provides an opportunity to actually visit the places where Jesus walked and experience the culture, geography and history of the people that inhabit this part of the world that is such an important place for Christians, Jews and Muslims. For us it is an extraordinary way to appreciate the Gospels and Jesus’s life and works.

- – -

We began our pilgrimage arriving on Monday night at the Domus Galilaeae, a Catholic center of the Neocatechumenal Way on the Mount of Beatitudes. It overlooks Sea of Galilee and is very close to Capernaum, the ancient ruins of Korazim and the place where Jesus performed the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes.

- – -

Just as the Gospel begins with a call to conversion, our retreat began Tuesday morning with a penance service with all of our priests as well as several lay people who were there, many of them from Boston, on another pilgrimage.

After the Penance Service, we had a “scrutatio” or “scrutiny of the Word of God”, which is a Lectio Divina, within Domus Galilaeae.

The Domus Galilaeae has become quite a point of contact with the Jewish faith, in great part because Kiko Arguello, one of the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way, has always emphasized the Jewish roots of Catholicism. Therefore, the Jewish people have found themselves at home there.

One example of this would be the room where the scrutatio takes place, which very much like a yeshiva, the Jewish monastic setting to study the Scriptures.

Then, in the afternoon, we went to Nazareth where we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation.

While the priests were visiting the Basilica, I walked over to the nearby Poor Clare monastery where Blessed Charles de Foucauld had lived for three years at the turn of the 20th Century. There is still one nun there who knew him personally.

This is the original Poor Clare monastery where he actually lived. Now the sisters live in a modern building and the Brothers live in the old building. There is also a school there because this was much too large for the present community.

This is a place that they keep a number of the relics of Blessed Charles.

This is a painting that he made himself of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

This is a picture of the little hut that he used to live in.

Then, I went to the original monastery where the nuns were at the time.

This is the Chapel where he would pray for hours each day.

A photograph of Blessed Charles:

This is the little room in the monastery that he used as an office.

This is a painting that was done of him, indicating very early on that his great desire was to be a martyr.

- – -

From Nazareth we went to Mount Carmel.

Here, under the high altar, it says “The prophet, leader and father, Elias the Great, lived in this cave for some time.”

Here is the altar above with the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and they have representations of different Carmelite spiritualties.

At Mount Carmel, we had a Mass together with the priests at the Stella Maris Monastery.

- – -

On Wednesday, at Caesarea Philippi, we visited the pagan temples where Christ asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter says, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” and Jesus said response to him, “You are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my Church”. So, this is certainly a very important place for Catholics, as well as the place where the Jordan River actually begins.

In a number of the photos, you will see Father Francesco, who is a Scripture scholar and a professor at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Domus Galilaeae. He has given a number of conferences to the priests on the different aspects of the holy places that we have been visiting.

Visiting the springs that feed the Jordan

We were also blessed to be able to visit Capernaum.

Capernaum is where St. Peter lived and also the site of the synagogue were Jesus gave the sermon that appears in Chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel in which he says “I am the bread that came down from heaven”.

In each place we gathered, we would read a passage from the Gospel related to that site.

Here, Father Jonathan is reading from the gospel passage relating to that synagogue.

There were many homes around the house of St. Peter, but this one I thought was very interesting because it gave the street address!

We also visited the church called the Mensa Christi, Latin for the “Table of Christ”. Here is where Jesus prepared breakfast for the apostles in the shores of the lake and he asked Peter, “Do you love me?” and told him to “Feed my sheep”.

We ended the day with Mass back at the Church of the Beatitudes. The theme of the Mass was, of course, the Beatitudes but I related the Beatitudes to the Year of Faith in the faith life of the priest.

This is a picture of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, which is on the Mount of Beatitudes.

Below this statue of Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, which is the fulfillment of Blessed Charles de Foucauld’s wish that there be a chapel built on the Mount of Beatitudes where there would be perpetual adoration.

  I was happy to spend time with the Boston pilgrims

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Thursday, we had a tour of the library at Domus Galilaeae.

Here, Father Francesco is speaking about the Torah kept in the library, which was a gift from the Archbishop of Brussels. It is over 300 years old.

Also, on the walls of the library is an inscription of the Sermon on the Mount in Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic.

I also couldn’t help but take notice of this — I think every library should have one of these signs. It says, “There is excommunication reserved for the Holy See for anyone who takes a book from this library without permission.”

I have one of these my own personal library, it was a gift from my sister. My theory is that the first two hours of Judgment Day are going to be dedicated to having people return borrowed books!

The also introduced us to the community of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary that is hosted at the Domus.

And some of our priests crawled through a representation of the “narrow gate” of Scripture

Fr. Charles Madi Okin

Father Rino Rossi, the head of Domus Galilee took very good care of us

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From Domus Galilaeae, we went to Mt. Tabor, where we celebrated Mass with the priests at the Church of Transfiguration. The church there, in a way, embodies the humanity and divinity of Christ that is revealed in the Transfiguration.

These are the words of Peter, “How good it is for us to be here.”

In the upper church there is a beautiful mosaic of Jesus appearing with Elijah and Moses.

From Mount Tabor, we went to the place in the Jordan where Jesus was baptized and we had an opportunity to renew our baptismal vows there.

On the way back from Mt. Tabor, we passed the desert and that is where the local Bedouin merchants sell camel rides.

At another stop they were selling these spiffy headdresses.

There, in the desert where Jesus fasted for forty days, we met the Boston pilgrims.

On the way through Jericho, we took this picture of the Sycamore tree, which is what Zacchaeus would have climbed to see Jesus.

The next stage of our trip takes us to Jerusalem.

I look forward to sharing my reflections on the remainder of our pilgrimage next week. In the meantime, you can read reflections by some of the priests on the trip and see more photos at TheGoodCatholicLife.com

- Cardinal Seán

It was an opportunity to congratulate them on the feast day of the priesthood and visit some of the sick priests there as well.

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From the dinner, I went to the Cathedral for a bilingual celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

After the Mass, the Eucharist is brought to an altar of repose where people may come for a Eucharistic Vigil. As always, there was a very large contingent there from the local colleges, including many from Boston University.

We ended the vigil at midnight with prayers and compline.

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On the morning of Good Friday, two different groups making the Way of the Cross made a stop at the Cathedral, the Way of the Cross for Life and the group from Communion and Liberation. Both were very large groups.

Those participating in the Pro-Life Way of the Cross offer their stations on behalf of life and the unborn. They always end at the Cathedral, where I pray the last stations with them and they consecrate themselves to the Blessed Mother. Each year, I conclude the consecration by blessing them with the relic of the True Cross.

Immediately after that, I met with the group from Communion and Liberation, where I gave them a meditation on one of the stations.

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Then, later in the day, we had the regular Good Friday services at the Cathedral. I presided and Bishop Hennessey was the homilist at the 3 p.m. liturgy in English and I presided and preached at the 7 p.m. liturgy in Spanish.

The evening service in Spanish was followed by a reenactment of the Stations of the Cross throughout the neighborhood of the South End around the Cathedral. Sister Belinda and her committee did a wonderful job of preparing it, with all the costumes and even reenacting the crucifixion inside the Cathedral.

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On Holy Saturday, I went for lunch with the Memores Domini, consecrated laymen of the Communion and Liberation movement. It was very nice to be with them and a chance to see their new residence in Cambridge.

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In the late afternoon I celebrated a rite in the lower church of the Cathedral for those from the Archdiocese of Boston who have completed the stages of the Neocatechumenal Way this year.

The Neocatechumenate is, in many ways, similar to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. However, the Neocatechumenate is mainly intended for those who are already baptized, providing them with formation to rediscover the full meaning of their baptism and come to a mature faith. Also, rather than lasting only a few weeks, as the RCIA does, completing all the stages of the Neocatechumenal Way takes many years. Many of those at the rite on Saturday have been participating in the Neocatechumenate for between 20 and 30 years.

When a group finishes the stages of the Neocatechumenal way, they receive from their bishop a white garment, recalling the baptismal gowns they received as infants.

Then, after the rite of receiving the white garment, they attend the Easter Vigil to join us as we renew our baptismal promises.

I was also very happy to welcome a group from the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut for the rite because there has not been a new bishop appointed there since the departure of Archbishop Lori.

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At 8 p.m., we began the celebration of the Easter Vigil with the Blessing of the Fire. I always like to be able to do the blessing outside because it is a great sign, not only to those attending the vigil, but also to the whole neighborhood.

Though the Easter Vigil is always a very beautiful liturgy with many inspiring aspects, one of the particular highlights for me is to be able to welcome those who are becoming new members of our Church. This year I was very pleased to be able to celebrate a number of adult baptisms and confirmations.

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On Easter morning, I celebrated the television Mass and then the 11:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral, which was standing room only. We were thrilled to have such a wonderful response.

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On Tuesday I welcomed Sheriff Peter Koutoujian to the Cathedral. Regular readers will remember that I visited and celebrated Mass at the jail in Cambridge a few months ago and we wanted to present the sheriff with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the chapel there.

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On Wednesday, I attended the New England Province of Jesuits Gala to support their retired priests and their formation programs. We have over 300 Jesuits here in Boston. It is a very large and important presence and the people have responded very generously to the needs of the province.

At the gala, the New England Province presented the Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Award to John and Rose Mahoney for their support of many local arts and civic activities as well as many important works of the Jesuits including a monthly prayer breakfast for business leaders, Ignatian Conversations for Women, and the Jesuit Connection program for young adults.

New England Provincial Father Myles Sheehan presenting the award to the Mahoneys

The Mahoney’s also have a brother, Tom Mahoney, who is a diocesan priest and is the pastor at St. Joseph’s in Belmont.

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Wednesday, I attended the annual board meeting of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs. The work of the Planning Office in creating housing for the homeless and low to moderate income families is a wonderful ministry of the archdiocese. We are so fortunate to have Lisa Alberghini and her excellent staff doing this for us. A constant reminder for me of the good work that they do is the Rollins Square development, which is less than a block away from the Cathedral in the South End.

I always enjoy the meetings because it is an opportunity for me look at the recent projects that they have undertaken to hear what is being planned. They have just completed a project in conjunction with the Pine Street Inn for the homeless there and we are now working on a project with St. Francis House.

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Then, on Wednesday evening, I went to Immaculate Conception in Revere to give a blessing to the groups of the Neocatechumenal Way who, as a part of the Year of Faith, will be doing public missions at different places on Sundays during the Easter season.  This is being done in a number of dioceses throughout the world.

I am very pleased this is being done during Eastertime because I feel that we become so focused on Lent, that the Easter season is often sorely neglected. In fact, however, the Easter Season is important for us because these are the days during which Christ really establishes the Church by teaching us the new way that he is going to be present to us through the sacraments, the community and his word and promises to send the Holy Spirit.

It is a wonderful time to be evangelizing and I am grateful for all the communities of the Neocatechumenal Way who will be supporting the teams that will be undertaking these missions throughout the archdiocese.

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On Thursday morning, I was happy to celebrate the Eucharist in the Lower Chapel of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for about 125 friends who are supporters of the Catholic Appeal, the Campaign for Catholic Schools, and Catholic Charities.

Father Antonio Nardoianni, the pastor of St. Leonard’s in the North End, concelebrated with me.

After Mass, I greeted guests over breakfast and made a few remarks about the Conclave and our newly-elected Pope Francis. Everyone was very interested to learn more about the process, my impressions of the new Holy Father, and what his papacy may be like for our Church.  As I have written previously, I believe Pope Francis’s commitment to the social gospel of the Church will be a central theme moving forward.

There were good questions from the audience and I was gratified by their response when I said I was happy to be back in Boston.  I am grateful to these benefactors who attended, and to everyone whose generosity supports our efforts to strengthen the Archdiocese of Boston.

Among those at the Mass were Terry and Susan Ragon who later in the day invited me to tour facility that they support in Cambridge that is conducting research on the human immune system with the goal of finding a cure for HIV/AIDS.

About 1,000 people attended the gala, which raised over $3 million to support Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Boston. We are very grateful to all who attended and to Peter and Carolyn Lynch who, over the last 20 years, have contributed over $100 million in scholarships to the inner-city schools in the archdiocese.

John Fish was the chairperson for the dinner and Mary Richardson was the emcee of the evening. We were also very fortunate to hear a performance by Ronin Tynan.

During the dinner, Boston College and its president, Father William Leahy, were honored for their work forming a partnership with St. Columbkille School that has been very successful in keeping the school, not only operating, but thriving.

There were two student speakers during the evening: one, a graduate of St. Columbkille’s who is now in college and the other was Carlos Tamayo, an eighth grader at the school, an immigrant from Colombia. He did a wonderful job talking about his experience of Catholic education.

He thanked his parents who have worked so hard — seven days a week under very difficult circumstances— so that he can have a Catholic school education. He repeated several times that a Catholic school education is the best education anyone could get. I think that is a sentiment we can all agree with.

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Last Friday, we held one of our periodic gatherings with seminarians at the Cathedral.

We had Vespers and a dinner followed by our usual conversation. I was able to share with them some of my experiences of the conclave in Rome and we had a very uplifting dialogue about the conclave and the new Holy Father.

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Sunday, of course, was Palm Sunday. As I pointed out in my homily, it was also the anniversary of Archbishop Romero’s death. Strangely enough, his funeral was on Palm Sunday and this year the date of his funeral and Palm Sunday coincided.

For much of my 20 years in Washington I was working, in great part, with refugees from El Salvador. Priests from the Washington Archdiocese were also working in El Salvador itself — including one who was sort of a shirttail relative of mine — so I was very in tune what was happening in El Salvador.

Then, I spent a month at the 1979 Pueblo Conference in Mexico and there I got to know Archbishop Romero well. Then in the years at the Centro Catolico I had a great deal of contact with him.

He was an extraordinary figure in the history of El Salvador. I was always so impressed that every week he would say Sunday morning Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador. This Mass was a radio Mass and throughout El Salvador even the poorest campesinos had their transistor radios and were listening to his sermon.

As I mentioned in my homily, the day before he was assassinated he had called on the Salvadoran military to obey God rather than their superiors and to stop killing innocent people and to end their oppression of the populace. The next day he was shot at Mass at the divine providence Catholic hospital there. I have celebrated Mass at that altar since and it is always very moving for me.

His cause has been introduced for canonization. On Palm Sunday, I talked about his Palm Sunday Funeral Mass, to which thousands and thousands of Salvadorans came. The army threw teargas at them and shot into the crowd killing 40 people. It was just a horrific moment. But Pope John Paul II introduced his cause and I understand that Pope Francis is very interested in moving the cause along. This would be a great thing for the people of El Salvador, who have a great devotion to him. His tomb at the Cathedral has always been revered by the people of El Salvador.

For us, Palm Sunday is always very important because it marks the beginning of Holy Week and, this year, it also comes just after the election of our new Holy Father.

There is a real sense of excitement and enthusiasm for Pope Francis and for his great simplicity and his devotion to the social gospel of the Church — that same gospel that Archbishop Romero died defending.

I would like to share my homily with you here:

As a child, I remember my Nana talking about the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, which turned out to be the A&P Supermarket.
Our parish priest sometimes talked about A&P Catholics.  I thought he meant people that shopped at the A&P supermarkets; actually, he meant “Ashes & Palms” Catholics.  These are the Catholics that come to Church on Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday.  It occurs to me that some of you might be A&P Catholics, but even if you are, I am so happy that you are here.  I want to ask you to join our frequent flier program – every Sunday, the rewards are out of this world, and we promise you an upgrade!
Actually, we are all A&P Catholics, all touched by these powerful symbols.
Here, gathered at the altar, we are Christ’s family.  It’s not about being entertained, but about entertaining angels.  Here, like at our Thanksgiving Day meal, we discover our identity as members of this family.  The Word of God, the Bread of Life, and the witness of our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ, the Church.
The ashes and palms are important symbols for us Catholics.  The ashes on our forehead as we begin the 40 days of Lent are a sign of our mortality, that we are pilgrims, that life, the time we have here, is precious and we must use it well.  The ashes are given in the sign of the cross, because although we are dust, as the words of Genesis remind us, the dust has been redeemed.  The ashes are a sign of conversion, the need to grow in the faith and overcome our selfishness, sinfulness and learn to love God and neighbor.
An important part of our conversion is the discovery that we are all loved by God.  We are not orphans, free agents, or lone rangers.  God loves us even when we are in sin like the Father of the Prodigal Son, who loved his son even when he left home.
Palm Sunday means Lent is drawing to a close, and Holy Week is beginning.  Today’s first Gospel describes the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.  St. Luke organizes his whole Gospel around a trip, Jesus’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  The goal of Jesus’ life on earth is to go to Jerusalem, and there to die on a cross to pay for our sins, simply because He loves us.
Jesus’ entrance into the Holy City is marked by enthusiasm and joy.  The people wave palm branches and pave the street before Jesus with their cloaks, St. Luke in today’s Gospel tells us that as Jesus approached the Mount of Olives, “the whole multitude of His disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen.  They proclaimed “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.  Peace in heaven, glory in the highest.”
The Pharisees were unhappy with all this and said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  Jesus told them that if the disciples were to keep silence, the very stones would cry out.  Palm Sunday offers us a glimpse of Jesus’ glory that places Him above all creation.  Even the stones will praise him.  There are stones everywhere in the Holy Land.
That phrase, “the stones would cry out,” always captures my imagination. This Gospel as mentioned takes place as Jesus passes by the Mount of Olives.  The Jews believed that the Last Judgment will take place there in the Kidron Valley.  For that reason, Jewish people have wanted to be buried there.  Visiting the Mount of Olives, you see so many graves, all covered with little stones.  When a Jew visits a grave, he places a stone or a pebble on the tombstone.
In the last scene on Spielberg’s film, Schindler’s List, the Jews saved by Oskar Schindler are filing by his grave on the Mount of Olives, each placing a small stone on it.  They put the stones to create the shape of the cross.
Those are the same stones that Jesus knew would cry out Hosanna and which glorify the humble Messiah entering the Holy City on a donkey.
These could also have been the stones that St. Paul before his conversion along with his confederates may have used to stone to death the holy deacon, Stephen, the first martyr of the Church.
The human heart is even more fickle than those stones on the road by the Mount of Olives.  For the same people who shouted, “Hosanna, long live Jesus our King,” five days later were shouting, “Crucify Him.  We have no king but Caesar!”
In these Gospels, we see the costly grace of discipleship in the face of persecution and the Cross.  We see a huge throng of fair-weather friends who joyfully celebrate the triumphal entrance of their king, but dump him a few days later because of expediency or fear of Christ’s enemies who call for Jesus’ death.
There were also some who joyfully accompanied Jesus on Palm Sunday like the Apostles who, filled with shame and fear, fled for their lives.  Among them was Simon Peter, the first Pope.
We heard in today’s Gospel how Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him.  Peter was so sure of himself, he replied, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.”
Jesus told Peter that He was praying for Peter so that his faith would not fail, and so that once Peter recovered from his fall that he would strengthen his brethren.
This is one of the principal tasks of Peter’s ministry: to strengthen our faith, and to unite us in one body, one family.
The Gospel accounts do not try to disguise St. Peter’s humanity and his shortcomings.  When Jesus first called him to be an Apostle, after the miraculous catch of fishes, Peter threw himself at Jesus’ feet and said, “Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.”  Jesus does not depart from this simple and sinful man, but chooses him to be the head of his Church.
I am enthralled by Peter’s humanity.  He is a combination of Ralph Kramden and Archie Bunker.  Even today’s Gospel reminds us of his shortcomings.
Having boasted that he was prepared to go to prison and even death for Jesus, Peter eventually denies even knowing Jesus – and not to a soldier with a long knife, but to a waitress with an attitude.  Today’s Gospel shows us that same vacillations between reckless abandon and sheer cowardice that evidenced itself when Peter jumped out of the boat to walk on the water toward Jesus, lost his nerve and began to sink in the waves.
In Luke’s Passion, when Judas and the soldiers arrive at Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, Peter brandishes his machete to defend Jesus and chop off a servant’s ear.  Peter wasn’t even a good aim.  And he runs and he hides.  He then tries to follow Jesus at a safe distance.  We can follow Him only up close.  Peter wept because of his cowardice and learned to follow Jesus up close.  Peter ended up in Rome, the capital of the world, and there on Vatican Hill, he was crucified in Nero’s Circus, upside down.  Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he was unworthy to die like Christ, his Master.
Peter is buried under the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, but his ministry continues.  The keys that St. Peter received form Christ are passed on to a new fisherman.
That is what the whole world was watching when the white smoke issued forth from Sistine Chapel.  The keys of spiritual authority that Christ gave to Peter have been passed to a new Peter, an Argentine Jesuit who has taken the name Pope Francis and has captured the imagination of the world.  He is not the Christ.  He is the fisherman, like Peter he will have his liabilities and shortcomings, but like Peter he is the Vicar of Christ and has come to confirm us in our faith and lead God’s people in the path of faithful discipleship.

The last 150 years have brought the Church some extraordinary Popes.  Each one is different from the one before him.  The Italians have a proverb they say: “After a fat Pope, a thin Pope.”  Our new Pope has chosen the name Francis.  I am, of course, delighted.  It is very exciting that this new name suggests some very important themes for the new Pope’s ministry.  St. Francis received a call to rebuild the Church in a moment of crisis.  St. Francis was a peacemaker, a bridge-builder.  When other Christians were fighting the Muslims, and fighting the Crusades, Francis walked into the Sultan’s camp and joyfully announced the Gospel.  Francis had such a profound sense of God’s Fatherhood that he saw himself as a brother to every human being and even a brother to Creation, which Francis addressed in terms of “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon.”
Francis had a love for the poor.  He marks his conversion from the moment he encountered a leper.  Francis’ first impulse was to run, but God’s grace changed Francis’ heart and he rushed over to kiss the leper.  For Francis, the poor person, the sick, outcast, were all a sacrament, a sign of the crucified Christ.  They are as Mother Teresa used to say about the poor: Christ in a distressing disguise.  Our new Holy Father is an eloquent exponent of the Church’s social Gospel and will help all of us to refocus on our mission to serve the poor, the sick and the abandoned.
Pope Francis comes from Latin America, where almost half of the world’s Catholics reside.  Indeed, almost half of the Catholics in the United States are Hispanic.  I am confident that God in His providence has given us an Hispanic Pope for a purpose.

This Year of Faith is going to be a time of surprises.  The images of the Conclave and the Mass of Inauguration should remind us that we are a world-wide family, over a billion strong.  We have a mission to make God’s Kingdom more present, to build a civilization of love, where the Gospel is preached to the poor and to all.
To follow Jesus up close is not easy.  The world will ridicule us and try to trivialize our faith.  We must not be surprised.
We began our Lenten Season with ashes on our foreheads and now we draw near Jerusalem, Holy Week, with palms in our hands.  Look at the stained-glass windows.  Many of our brothers and sisters depicted there are ashes and palms Catholics.  The ashes of repentance and the palm is for victory.  In our iconography, when a saint is a martyr, he or she is depicted carrying a palm branch of victory.  The word martyr is the Greek word for witness.  We are all called to be witnesses for our faith, willing to suffer inconvenience, embarrassment, or event persecution to stand up and be counted as one of Jesus’ disciples, brave enough to follow him up close.
Today is an emotional day, the anniversary of the murder of a man whose friendship I cherished, and whose life fills me with admiration.  On March 24, 1980, while celebrating the Mass at the Catholic Hospital “La Divina Providenca” Monsignor Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, was murdered, one day after a sermon broadcast throughout the whole country in which he called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God’s laws and stop carrying out the government’s brutal repression.
Archbishop Romero’s funeral was held at the Cathedral on Palm Sunday – the largest event in the history of that country.  The Army opened fire on the crowd.  40 people died, many were injured in the panic that ensued.  When the plaza emptied and the smoke lifted, all you could see was shoes and sandals that fell off people’s feet as they fled and stepped on each other’s feet.  Shoes, sandals and palm branches.
Let us carry these palm branches with the courage and the joy of those who have gone before us in our 2000 year history of our Church, built by Christ of living stones on the Rock of Peter.
Another wonderful symbol of this great feast of Palm Sunday is that the palms blessed here today will be burned to make the ashes for next Ash Wednesday.  We are always on a journey, struggling like Peter, with our own weakness, often having to start all over again on the journey toward Jerusalem.  But we are not alone; we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses waving the palm branch of victory.
In this Holy Week, we shall relive the great events of Jesus’ last supper, where he gives us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist.  We relive the sacrifice of Calvary, where Jesus saves us from sin and death, and finally the joy of Easter, the most important day of the year.  We celebrate Jesus’ victory over death.  Our Redeemer lives and we can live forever in His love.
This is the Year of Faith.  Let us recommit ourselves as Christ’s disciples, let us learn more about our Catholic Faith, so that we can live it more generously, more faithfully, more joyfully – and so that we can be witnesses, inviters, evangelizers, sharing the treasure with those who do not yet know Christ, so that others will discover the joy of being part of Christ’s motley family, the Church, with ashes on our foreheads and palm branches in our hands.

You can listen to my homily here:

Palm Sunday 2013

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Tuesday, we had a wonderful turnout for the Chrism Mass.

During the Mass, we bless the oils that are used as the tools for the administration of the sacred mysteries and the Sacraments during the year and it is also the time when we renew our commitment to our priestly promises and service to God’s people.

For me, it is one of the most important celebrations of the year because it is an opportunity to be with our priests and to reflect with them on our vocation as Catholic priests. We also pray by name for each priest who has died in the last year and cannot be with us.

This year it was wonderful to have a full Cathedral, including so many students from our Catholic schools who joined us.

Very few Catholics ever get a chance to see a Chrism Mass since it is celebrated only once per year and only celebrated in one church. So, having the students come, and the fact that it is televised on the Catholic TV Network, allows more people to participate in this marvelous event, which is a celebration of the priesthood and the sacraments of the Church.

I want to share with you my homily here:

This year we were also very blessed to have the students from St. Paul’s Choir School sing at the Mass.

I was very happy that the other schoolchildren got to hear them, because I think many of the schoolchildren do not even realize there is a choir school in the archdiocese.

After the Mass, we have a lunch with the priests, during which we honor two men for their service.

As I said to the priests at the luncheon, so many of them deserve to be honored, the great difficulty is always selecting only two.

Father Sheridan

Father Coletti

This year, we honored Father Arnie Colletti and Father John Sheridan. They were presented with a gift of cufflinks with the seal of the archdiocese.

Both of them addressed their fellow priests after receiving the award.

Father Colletti, who is almost 80, was very funny in his remarks because he said “This is like one of those lifetime achievement award they give you at the end.” He also added that he had been hoping I would be elected pope so his award could have been being made Archbishop of Boston!

After the Mass the oils are distributed to the priests

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Holy Thursday is the day of the Eucharist, the day of the priesthood. The Chrism Mass is, in fact, a Holy Thursday Mass but we anticipate it to allow more priests to be able to attend. But this year, as part of Holy Thursday, I had dinner with our retired priests at Regina Cleri. It was an opportunity to be with them and to express our appreciation for their many years of faithful service to God’s people as Catholic priests.

This time with our retired priests is an opportunity to remind everyone in the archdiocese that the collections that are taken up in the parishes on Easter Sunday are precisely to support our retired priests.

We are happy to be able to present this video that explains the collection and the wonderful work that this collection promotes. I urge everyone to be generous in their support of our priests:

A blessed Triduum to you all!

Cardinal Seán

This is the view from my room at the North American College

During this past week we were able to appreciate how the Holy Father’s simplicity, his love for the poor and his accessibility are going to be hallmarks of his papacy. Even the way he celebrates the Mass is much more like the parish Masses that our Catholic people are used to experiencing in their local churches.

At Santa Anna, where he celebrated Mass on Sunday for the local parish of Vatican City, he greeted people at the door, the way that pastors have done in the United States since I was a young priest. Although, as many young priests here are amazed when I tell them this, when I was growing up a priest never greeted the people at the door.

I remember as a deacon being assigned to St. Matthew Cathedral and Msgr. Kuhn walked to the back of the church after Mass to greet the people. I remember being embarrassed at first, but now this has become a wonderful custom, that though it was begun by the Protestants, it does give people that moment to encounter their parish priest and begin to know him, and for the priest to begin to recognize his parishioners. The Holy Father did that at Santa Anna, which I think shocked the whole world.

Also, during the course of the week, I had written the Holy Father a note and asked my priest secretary, Father Jonathan Gaspar, to take it down to him at the Domus Santa Martha, since the Holy Father has not yet moved into the Apostolic Palace.

Father Jonathan Gaspar

And I said to Father Jonathan, “I want you to give this letter to someone who will put it into the Pope’s hands. I do not want it being passed from person to person.” So, when Father Jonathan got to the Domus, he spoke to the receptionist at the desk, who said that if he left to the note with her she would have to give it to someone else and then she did not know what route it would take before it got to the Holy Father, but she said that she would call the Pope’s secretary, Msgr. Alfred Xuereb.

So she called the Msgr. Xuereb and he said “Just bring the letter up.” So Father Jonathan took the letter up, and gave it to the Msgr. Xuereb but then the Pope appeared and started speaking with Father Jonathan. Father Jonathan spoke to him in Spanish, identified himself as my secretary, and they went on to have a wonderful conversation. Afterwards, Msgr. Xuereb told Father Jonathan that he had had one of the first private audiences with the new Holy Father!

That is just another indication of the directness, informality and warmth of the Holy Father which, for many, is very disarming and, at the same time, very refreshing. Of course, all of us are very concerned and we want him to be safe. We can understand that in today’s world someone in his position cannot be as available as perhaps he would like, but certainly we see the Holy Father’s intention is to be close to the people.

I have also heard that he is going to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday in a Rome prison and wash the feet of some of the young detainees, as an occasion to underscore the Church’s commitment and preferential love for the poor.

As a cardinal, Pope Francis used to do that in his archdiocese

Holy Thursday is a very fitting time for that and we have a very long history of that in the Church. For example, I recall that in England during the Middle Ages, on Maunday Thursday the king would actually wash the feet of beggars and give each one of them a gold coin.

One year, we did something similar here at the Cathedral, bringing people from Pine Street Inn to have their feet washed at the Holy Thursday liturgy.

In the Church, there has often been an association of Christ’s commandment that we love one another as directed in a very special way to the sick and to the poor. That was ritualized in Holy Thursday ceremonies, and I was very touched to hear that our Holy Father is going to emphasize that again.

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On Saturday, I went to have lunch with the Minister General of the Capuchins at the Collegio Internationale San Lorenzo da Brindisi where we have about 150 – 200 young Capuchin priests from all over the world who are studying in Rome. Our Minister General has moved our Curia there because they are renovating the monastery in Rome.

So, I went there to have lunch with him and Brother Mark Schenk, who is one of the General Definitors and is also from the United States. Our Minister General is Brother Mauro Jöhri, who is from Switzerland. So, it was kind of a Swiss–themed day, being with our Father General and then celebrating Mass with the Swiss Guards in the afternoon!

I have included pictures of the renovated Chapel at the collegio that was done by Father Mark Rupnik, a Jesuit who teaches at the Gregorian University.

He is a theologian and an artist who is famous for his iconography. He is the same person who did the tomb of St. Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo. In fact, when I was at a meeting last year with the 90 Capuchin bishops from throughout the world at San Giovanni, Father Rupnik was invited to give us an explanation of all the icons. It was like a retreat, it was such a beautiful experience. So, I was very happy to see that his work was also used at the Chapel in San Lorenzo.

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Then, as I mentioned, in the evening I went to celebrate Mass in the Chapel of the Swiss Guard within their barracks inside Vatican City. The chaplain is a French–Swiss priest, Father Alain de Raemy.

With Father Alain de Raemy

The Mass was celebrated in Italian, French and German. Most of the Swiss Guards are German-speaking, but there are also some Italians and French. Of course Italian would be the lingua franca that they all speak. Some of the Swiss Guards have visited us in Boston because we have our own former Swiss Guard here, Andreas Widmer, who makes sure that when Swiss Guards come to visit him that we have a chance to greet them also.

With Daniel Anrig, the Commandant of the Swiss Guard with his wife Maria

Also during my time in Rome, I was invited to dinner with the head of the Vatican Corpo della Gendarmeria, Dr. Domenico Gianni, the other group that is responsible for the protection of the Holy Father.

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During the weekend, though I could not be present, I was happy to be participate at least through Skype with two vocation discernment retreats that were going on in the archdiocese.

Friday and Saturday I gave a conference to the men at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary and to the men who are at the Marion Center as part of the vocation retreat sponsored by St. John’s Seminary. There were more than 60 young men who run these retreats. Msgr. Jim Moroney gave the talks that I had planned to give, and they also had a talk from the rector at Blessed John Seminary, Father Bill Palardy.

Father Dan Hennessey, our vocations director, tried to take a picture of me talking via Skype, but he took the photo just when I was showing them the coat of arms of Cardinal Bergoglio… you can see some of the prospective seminarians in the small screen watching the talk.

The motto, “Miserando atque Eligendo” means “because He saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him” or more simply, ‘having mercy, he called him”

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On Sunday we marked St. Patrick’s Day.

As you can see, the spirit of St. Patrick’s is alive and well in Rome

There was a large Mass at the North American college, presided by Cardinal George who gave a magnificent homily. I always enjoy his depth of analysis of different situations.

After the Mass there was a St. Patrick’s Day brunch.

At that Mass were present friends of mine, Sean Kennedy and his wife, Gina. Sean had been a lay missionary in the Virgin Islands and did a wonderful job running our homeless shelter, which we called called “Bethlehem House”, because there was no room at the inn.

He is a Georgetown graduate who was part of the Jesuit Volunteers in the Samoan islands and then came to the Virgin Islands. I performed his wedding there and then baptized his son, Declan, at St. Peter’s Basilica some years ago because he and Gina had been living in Rome working for the United Nations and for FAO, which is the food organization.

This is the photo of Declan’s baptism in 2006.

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That day, I also went to the Pontifical Irish College to mark St. Patrick’s Day.

Father Ciaran O’Carroll is the rector there.

Father O’Carroll welcomed the guests

There were many representatives from the Irish government there from Dublin as well as local ambassadors, many Irish ex-pats who live in Rome, and many of the Cardinals who are Irish.

It was a lovely celebration, though they did not serve the traditional Irish “Seder meal” of corned beef and cabbage. However, I was struck by the fact that the food of the plate was green and orange, the colors of the Irish flag.

I want to share with you some pictures of the chapel that has been renovated in the Irish College, done by the very same artist to who did the Chapel for the Capuchins, Father Marko Rupnik.

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On Monday, Congressman Chris Smith and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry and his wife Celeste came right from the airport to see me.

Both representatives are great champions of the pro-life cause in Congress. We had a wonderful meeting. They were part of the congressional delegation attending the Holy Father’s inauguration Mass, along with Congressman Lipinski who is the head of the Pro-Life Caucus in Congress. Marie Smith is also very involved nationally with the pro-life cause.

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The following day was the Inaugural Mass. It was a miraculously picture-perfect day that St. Joseph gave to us, because it was raining both before and after the Mass.

The night before, we went out to have pizza the seminarians and were walking back at around 10 o’clock at night to the seminary and we saw the young people streaming towards St. Peter’s Square with their backpacks to sleep overnight to get a spot at the Mass. It was like a World Youth Day!

The Mass was so beautiful to have on the Feast of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph has always been a very important part of my life and so during the Mass I remembered the Mosaic of St. Joseph with the two turtledoves that I had photographed at the Irish College the day before.

You do not often see that portrayal of St. Joseph, but I like it very much because, at the Presentation, our Blessed Mother would have been carrying Jesus, so Joseph would have been in charge of the doves. The beautiful thing about that is that the Jewish law said that when you brought your firstborn child for presentation (because the firstborn child was spared by the Passover of the Angel, you are giving your firstborn child to God) the Jewish family was supposed to sacrifice a lamb. But the law said, if you were poor, you could sacrifice two turtledoves. Mary and Joseph were poor people, so they were making the sacrifice of the turtledoves.

I thought the homily was so beautifully put, with the Holy Father calling upon us to be, like Joseph, guardians and to take care of creation, of each other, and in particular to care of the poor. He spoke about how parents take care of children and then, later, the children take care of their parents. I thought that was certainly a very beautiful pro-life theme. We are the people of life: we take care of the child in the womb, we take care of the newborn baby and then we take care of the elderly and those who have died.

Here is the text of Pope Francis’ homily:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church.  It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.

I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful.  I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence.  My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.

In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24).  These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector.  The protector of whom?  Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).

How does Joseph exercise his role as protector?  Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand.  From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care.  As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.

How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church?  By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own.  This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading.  God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan.  It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit.  Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions.  In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ!  Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!

The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone.  It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us.  It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about.  It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents.  It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness.  In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it.  Be protectors of God’s gifts!

Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened.   Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.

Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.  Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world!  But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves!  Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives!  Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down!  We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!

Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness.  In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.  We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!

Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power.  Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it?  Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep.  Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross.  He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46).  Only those who serve with love are able to protect!

In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, “hoping against hope, believed” (Rom 4:18).  Hoping against hope!  Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others.  To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!  For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ.  It is a hope built on the rock which is God.

To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly.  Let us protect with love all that God has given us!

I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me!  Amen.

The Cardinals celebrated the Mass with the Holy Father. It was reported that over 1 million people were in attendance. There were over 130 government representatives also there. It was just an extraordinary moment for the Church.

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Wednesday there was a reception at the US Embassy to Italy sponsored by the American University in Rome.

It was held to honor the American Cardinals and Vice President Joe Biden. There was a White House delegation and a congressional delegation. I was very pleased that the congressional delegation included so many champions of the pro-life cause in our government.

With Congressmen Lipinski and Smith

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Thank you for all your prayers and the large number of comments that were posted in these extraordinary days.

As he has requested, let us pray every day for the Holy Father and for the mission that the Holy Spirit has entrusted him.

Pope Francis gave us this photo as a present
when we met with him last Friday

As for me, I am very happy to be finally back in Boston and getting ready for Holy Week, even with snow on the ground!

Until my next post

In Christ

Cardinal Seán

This week we rejoice in the election of our new Holy Father, Pope Francis!

For us, the Holy Father is a great blessing, the first pope from the American hemisphere and, being Hispanic, he is from a part of the world where almost half of the Catholics reside. He is a man who has been very much dedicated to the poor and announcing the Gospel in difficult situations. We know he will be a great blessing for our Church.

It was my privilege to visit him a couple years ago. I had met him in different meetings over the years and when I had to make a trip to South America for the US Bishops Conference to visit projects in Paraguay that are funded by the collection for Latin America, I had to stop in Argentina on the way, where I was his guest and had a wonderful visit with him. On that occasion, he gave me a beautiful recording of the Missa Criolla, the Argentine Mass.

Looking at a picture of Pope John Paul II with Mother Teresa

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In the time leading up to the conclave, we had several days of meetings, which are called congregations, in which the Cardinals talk about the situation of the Church in their countries and our hopes for the new pontificate. Father Raniero Cantalamessa gave the first meditation to us during the congregations.

Sunday, before the conclave, each of the Cardinals went to celebrate Mass at their titular church, praying for God’s guidance in the conclave and so I went to my church, Santa Maria della Vittoria. Our seminarians and priests who are in Rome, including Father Salocks, Msgr. McRae, Msgr. Kelly and Father Eric Bennett joined us at the Mass.

Also with us was the Italian and international press en masse.

The Italian papers were all writing about the Archbishop of Boston being the next Pope and taking polls and surveys and the Italians were all voting for me because they liked St. Francis, I think. I don’t really know, but I was so amazed by the whole process.

The Carmelite Friars were very, very gracious, as always. Then, afterward, we had lunch with them.

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Monday, the congregations ended and Tuesday morning we had the Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice, the Mass for the election of the Pope, celebrated by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Sodano.

Then, in the afternoon, the conclave began. We all had to go to the Domus Sanctae Marthae where we were sequestered for the duration of the conclave. That afternoon, we went to the Pauline Chapel where we prayed and then went in procession to the Sistine Chapel, chanting the Litany of Saints.

When we arrived at the Sistine Chapel there were more prayers. We received a second meditation from Maltese Cardinal Prospero Grech. Then we had the first “scrutinium”, or scrutiny, as the vote is called. The first scrutiny was inconclusive so the ballots were burnt and the black smoke was visible Tuesday night.

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Then, Wednesday, we went once again from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Sistine Chapel where we had prayers and two scrutinies in the morning.

During the votations, each Cardinal went up by order of seniority, holding their ballot in their hand. Before placing the ballot in the receptacle on the altar, each cardinal took a vow — standing before Michelangelo’s scene of the Last Judgment — calling on Christ to be our witness in promising that we would only vote for the person we felt God really wanted for the office of Holy Father. It is a very moving experience.

Neither of those two scrutinies were conclusive.

Between the morning and afternoon gatherings we went back to the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Cardinal Bergoglio and I sat together for lunch. I could see he was under a lot of pressure at that point, and he did not eat much!

Then, in the afternoon, we returned to the Sistine Chapel for more prayers. We had two more scrutinies there and, on the second vote, the Holy Father was elected.

That was a very emotional and moving moment, when he accepted and announced that his name would be Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. He said very explicitly that he was taking it in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. As a Jesuit, he could have said he was taking the name in honor of St. Francis Xavier, who is one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church. In talking about evangelization, for example, it would have been very understandable, but he specified that he was taking the name of St. Francis of Assisi.

Without having discussed it with the Holy Father, I think that there are some themes from the life of St. Francis that he is trying to communicate by choosing this name.

One of the themes of Francis’s life is the call to rebuild the Church, which is a call to reform, to deepening our conversion to the Lord. And even in his homily yesterday, the themes he talked about were walking, building and confessing. This reinforces my belief that this is one of the aspects of Francis’s life that he wants to stress.

Another theme would be Francis’s theme of universal brotherhood. He talked about that in his comments from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: of making a world where we are brothers and sisters to each other. St. Francis, of course, saw himself as a brother to all of creation and to everyone.

St. Francis also had a special love for the poor, who are a sacrament of the crucified Christ. The Holy Father, in his ministry as archbishop has been so dedicated to the poorest of the poor. I think we will see a continuation of that in his pontificate.

Then, each of the Cardinals went up, kissed his ring and greeted him. Afterwards, we prayed the Te Deum, the traditional Catholic prayer of thanksgiving, and the Holy Father was taken away, vested in his white vestments, and went to the chapel to pray privately.

It was then that the ballots were burnt and the white smoke and bells and announced to the city of Rome and to the world that the new Holy Father had been elected.

We then went to the loggia overlooking the Piazza of St. Peter’s accompanying the Holy Father.

Being on the balcony looking out was just an impressive sight, with hundreds of thousands of people cheering, waving flags and taking pictures. The energy of the crowd was just incredible when they saw the Holy Father.

He gave a very warm and simple greeting to the people and asked for prayers for Pope Benedict and then asked for a moment of silence and asked for the people to pray for God’s blessing upon him. He led the people in the Hail Mary, the Our Father and the Glory Be. This, for me, was a very moving moment because it occurred to me that these very simple prayers are the ones that every Catholic knows, whether they be illiterate or a rocket scientist, whether they are children or elderly. These are the prayers that unite us as a Catholic people in our life of faith and worship of God.

Then, the Holy Father announced to the people that he was going to go the next day to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pay a visit to the famous icon there attributed to St. Luke, the Salus Populi Romani, the patroness of Rome. Then after giving his blessing Urbi et Orbi, he returned with us to the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where we had a festive meal with him.

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The following day he went to the Basilica and prayed before the image of Our Lady, placing a bouquet of flowers before her.

Then, in the afternoon, we had a Mass at the Sistine Chapel that the cardinal-electors concelebrated with the Holy Father. He preached a very spontaneous and lovely reflection.

Last night, I gathered with the seminarians here at the North American college to pray compline.

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Earlier today, we had an audience with all the cardinals together and the Holy Father.

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There seems to be a great deal of interest in the process of burning the ballots. After each scrutiny, they burned the ballots strung together a needle and thread, so that everything is destroyed. And they also burned all the papers that we used – for example anything you may have taken any notes on. It was interesting to enter the Sistine Chapel and see they had built this big contraption with all kinds of copper pipes going up to the ceiling that of course is never there otherwise.

One question I have been asked is if there was smoke in Sistine Chapel when they burned the ballots. During one of the scrutinies there was a little smoke. I understand that in the past it could be very smokey, but this time there was just a little bit that one time.

It certainly is an extraordinary venue. For 500 years this has been the venue the Cardinals have used to elect the new Holy Father overseen by the whole of salvation history, beginning with the famous Creation of Adam — which was right above where I was sitting — to the very dramatic depiction of the Last Judgment.

On any given day, between 20,000 and 30,000 people visit that Chapel. I know many of people say “Why does the Church have such great treasures,” but the Church holds these treasures as part of the patrimony of the Italian people and of the world.

Anyone at all can go in to St. Peter’s and enjoy the beauty of the Pieta which is there for all to see, free. The Church is a patron of the arts and supports these very beautiful works of art that help us to glimpse the beauty of God. It is a service that the Church provides to humanity.

You can see some of the mementos I was able to keep from the conclave here:

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Also, regular readers will know that I did not post a blog last week. This is because, in the spirit of confidentiality of the congregations leading up to the conclave, all the cardinals were asked not to make public statements.

However, there are a few events from last week I would like to share with you.

On Friday March 1, they had a reception in honor of the American Cardinals at the US Embassy to the Holy See. At this time there is no American ambassador to the Vatican but the Chargé d’Affaires’s Mario Mesquita from California gave us a very gracious welcome.

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On Sunday March 3, I concelebrated Mass with a number of other American Cardinals at the North American College. The main celebrant and homilist Archbishop DiNoia, vice president of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”.

At the Mass about 70 seminarians for dioceses around the country received the ministry of acolyte.

Also, as I always like to do, I took the occasion of being in Rome to meet with our seminarians studying there.

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I was happy to meet during the week a group of pilgrims from St. John’s Seminary’s Masters of Arts in Ministry program that in a happy coincidence were visiting Rome. The group, led by Father Chris O’Connor, vice rector of St. John’s Seminary and director of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization was visiting Poland and Rome in a pilgrimage on the footsteps of Pope John Paul II.

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For us, as Catholics, the selection of the Pope is something very, very important. The decision of Pope Benedict to retire was, in some ways, a crisis for us and so the election of the new Holy Father is a great consolation to the Catholic people with its sense of continuity in the Church.

We have been so blessed in the last century and a half with so many exceptional and holy men who have led us in the Catholic Church, though each of them was so different from the one who came before. I think that is what we see here. Someone told me the Italians have an expression, “After a fat Pope, a thin Pope” which shows that each one is different and each one has different gifts that they bring to their ministry in the Church. I am sure that Pope Francis, just as Pope Benedict, will share with us the wonderful gifts and talents that God has given him to be put at the service of God’s people.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

On Wednesday March 6th, the Cardinals agreed to enter a period of public silence about their discussions in their General Congregation meetings to prepare for the upcoming conclave.
Therefore Cardinal Seán is unable to Blog this week. Cardinal Sean’s staff has asked Scot Landry, secretary for Catholic media at the Archdiocese of Boston and host of The Good Catholic Life daily radio program, to write a guest post.
Scot is currently in Rome to cover these events for various Archdiocesan media organizations.  To read Scot’s post, please click HERE.

As I mentioned in my post last week, before I left for Rome I visited the Carmelite convent in Roxbury, particularly to ask for their prayers during this important time for the Church and for Pope Benedict XVI. I have been thinking about them during this time, and knowing that they are praying for me is a great consolation.

This week it has been my privilege to be present for many significant moments in the life of the Church, but before I reflect on those, I would like to share with you a few events that I participated in before my departure.

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Friday afternoon I celebrated a Mass at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary at which five Boston candidates and several others received the admission to candidacy.

Admission to candidacy is what replaced the former ceremony of tonsure, with which one entered the clerical state. Though now with admission to candidacy seminarians begin to dress in clerical attire, they are not technically clerics until they are ordained deacons.

This and the other ministries before ordination are sacramentals that help prepare the men spiritually and are markers as they move toward ordination. It is a time for a renewed commitment to the process of preparation for orders, and a sign of the seriousness with which the candidates must take the preparation for their vocation.

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Sunday, I went to New York for a Lenten Vespers service at St. Catherine of Siena parish where Father Jordan Kelly OP is the pastor.

I preached on mercy and forgiveness as part of their Lenten series.

They have some beautiful altars in the parish

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I returned immediately after that to Boston because the next day we had a Holy Hour with the staff to pray for the upcoming conclave and the Holy Father, at the Pastoral Center.

- – -

In the evening, I met with leaders of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston.

We discussed a number of issues including the planning of this year’s Red Mass for members of the legal profession and what some of my hopes are for them during this Year of Faith. We also discussed the pro bono work which is being done by the Lawyers Guild and ways that this may be expanded going forward.

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Tuesday, I departed for Rome. When we arrived at the airport, we learned there was a problem with the flight and there was a concern that we would not be able to make a connection in New York that would bring me into Rome in time to meet with the Holy Father.

The people at Logan Airport went to great lengths to find a flight more assured to arrive on time. They were very gracious to us and I am very grateful to them for all their help.

As I was waiting for my plane, I had an opportunity to greet several of the workers and law enforcement officers.

Finally they arranged for us to take  an Air France flight into Paris.

It was a nice surprise to see Cardinal Levada at the airport in Paris. He was on the same flight to Rome on the second leg of our journey.

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While in Rome awaiting the conclave, we are staying at the Pontifical North American College with the rest of the Cardinals from the United States.

Thursday morning we departed together for the meeting with the Holy Father in the Sala Clementina.

The Holy Father gave us a brief address and then each of us had an opportunity to speak with him personally to thank him and bid him farewell.

The Holy Father’s words to us were very touching. He told us that he is looking forward to the election of the new Pope and that he will put himself at the new Pope’s disposal with all obedience, respect and reverence. He also spoke to us about the mystery of the Church and the need for unity among the Cardinals, comparing us to an orchestra which is made up of different instruments but must be played in harmony.

While we were waiting for the Holy Father to arrive, I took these photos with my iPhone

When I spoke to the Holy Father, I assured him of the prayers of the people of Boston. I told him how much we love him and are grateful for all he has done for us, and I assured him of our prayers moving forward.

  – - -

In the afternoon I went to St. Peter’s Square to witness the Holy Father’s departure by helicopter. There were many thousands of people there waiting to see him take off.

There were many cries “Viva il Papa!” and, when he flew over, there were many flags laid on the ground so that the Holy Father would see them from the air.

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That evening we had a press conference back at the North American College where Cardinal George, Cardinal DiNardo and myself answered questions for the media, all of which I thought were good and very thought-provoking.

One in particular was a question by John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter. He asked us what we would be doing at 8pm, the time when the “sede vacante” actually began.

At the time we answered that we were probably be having dinner or meeting with friends. For most of us, I think, until he brought that to our attention, the meeting earlier with the Holy Father, and witnessing the takeoff of the helicopter had been so much of the focus of the day.

However, the question did make me think and as it turned out, at 8 p.m. we were watching television, witnessing the closing of the Apostolic Palace and we stopped and said a prayer for the Holy Father.

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Back in Boston churches rang their bells for the last eight minutes of Pope Benedict’s pontificate, one minute for each year of his papacy, as I requested before I left. The Pilot ran this story on their website that I want to share with you.

At the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, back in Boston, Bishop Deeley celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the Holy Father that evening at 7:30, Boston time.

I heard it was well attended, and it was an opportunity to mark the end of Pope Benedict’s pontificate and to pray for him as he begins, in his own beautiful words, the last leg of his pilgrimage on this earth.

We are living through very momentous times in the life of the Church, so I ask now for your prayers that the Holy Spirit will inspire us as we will gather soon in conclave to elect our new Holy Father.

Until my next post.

In Christ,

Cardinal Seán

Father Degnan was a beloved pastor in Hopkinton for over 25 years, and for the last several years had been helping out in his hometown of Lawrence. I was happy to see that many of his parishioners from Hopkinton came for the funeral.

He had a great love for his family. His nephew, Lenny, who was so close to him and so good to him, was there.

It was a very beautiful sendoff for Father Degnan. Everyone spoke about his great joy, his love for his faith and the priesthood and how he brought his good humor and his love of music to the people. He was gifted with a beautiful voice that he shared very generously with people.

Of course, being at St. Patrick’s is always an opportunity to see the wonderful work that is being done there by Father Paul O’Brien and his parishioners with their outreach to the poor. The Cor Unum Meal Center has made such an impact on the local community there and receives so much support, so many volunteers. It really answers a very pressing need and at the same time captures people’s imagination as a way of living out their faith and serving those who are less fortunate.

- – -

Last week I also joined many people from the Archdiocese, Boston College and the Greater Boston philanthropic and business communities in marking the passing of our dear friend Giles Mosher.

He was a steadfast supporter of the work of the Church and always concerned for the good of all people, especially those in need of assistance We extend our prayerful condolences to his beloved wife Thelma and all his family and friends.

- – -

Sunday morning, we had Mass with the Carmelite Community in Roxbury.

I told them that my titular church in Rome is a Carmelite church that I always wanted to bring back to Boston. But I told them I did not need to, because I have two cloistered Carmelite communities here.

The Gospel of the day was the story of Christ in the desert.

In my homily, I explained how the different scenes from Jesus’s life play themselves out in the charisms of the different religious communities: Jesus’s caring for the sick and healing is reflected in the nursing orders; Jesus’s blessing the children and teaching is seen in the teaching orders; but Jesus’s experience in the desert, on the mountain and in the Garden of Olives shows us the contemplative aspect of his life. This aspect is reflected in the religious life of the sisters whose witness to prayer is so valuable to all of us.

It is always inspiring to listen to the petitions that are part of the celebration of the Eucharist with the Carmelite Sisters. You see that they are lifting up in prayer so many people from around the world in their material and spiritual needs.

In fact, one of the reasons I wanted to be there during this time was to ask for the sisters’ prayers for the conclave, the Church in this time of transition and for our Holy Father as he steps aside from responsibilities of guiding the Church.

- – -

Then, in the afternoon, we celebrated two sessions of the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at the Cathedral the Holy Cross. This year, the number of people entering the Church is actually up, however, the bad weather that day kept some people from attending the ceremony.

The celebration is always an uplifting experience that I think is much appreciated by our new Catholics who catch a glimpse of the cross-section of the Church. Those participating in the Rite of Election represent such a wonderful cross-section of the archdiocese, coming from the Korean, Hispanic, Chinese and Brazilian communities, just to name a few.

Those who are taking this step of responding to the grace to enter the Church see that they are not alone and that the whole community is accompanying them on this Lenten retreat, which is a baptismal retreat of preparing ourselves to receive the Easter sacraments.

- – -

The Rite of Election is a wonderful way to begin Lent. It reminds all of us that Lent is a call to conversion and a call to deepen our own baptismal commitment. For that reason, we are once again running “The Light Is On For You” program throughout the archdiocese. In all of our chapels in parishes, confessions are available from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday evening during Lent.

We want to encourage everyone not only to take advantage of this opportunity for themselves, but also to spread the word, particularly to people who have been away from the sacraments. Lent is such a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the Lord and receive his healing grace.

- – -

On Tuesday, I was at Catholic TV studios recording a number of programs. One of them was for Catholic Extension, which does so much for the home missions.

Catholic Extension supported me when I was Bishop of the Virgin Islands. As always I tell people, when I was bishop of that mission diocese our entire diocesan budget was $30,000 and without their help I don’t know what we would have done. So, I was very happy to lend my support to them.

- – -

Wednesday, we celebrated the month’s mind Mass for Claire O’Malley in the Pastoral Center’s Bethany Chapel.

I was very grateful for all the priests, bishops and lay people who came together for the celebration. I know there were many people who were not able to come to Florida and it gave me an opportunity to publicly express my gratitude for the many expressions of sympathy, condolences and promises of prayers that my family received from people in the archdiocese.

- – -

Thursday morning we had one of our regular Presbyteral Council meetings.

Among the items at the meeting was a presentation by Dr. McGonagall who will be working with us implementing wellness programs for our priests. It is important, even with all they have to do, that our priests take the time to take proper care themselves.

For example, I was recently given this pedometer. So I will be measuring how many steps I make.

- – -

This afternoon, at the Pastoral Center we celebrated a Mass for the Feast of the Chair of Peter, praying for Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI giving thanks for the gift of his ministry and asking for God’s blessing upon him.

You can hear my homily here:

As I prepare to leave for Rome, I am very grateful for all the promises of prayers I have received.

I realize that there has been much speculation about who will succeed Pope Benedict. However, I deem that to be very fanciful. Instead, we should be concentrating on praying for the Holy Spirit to help and guide the cardinals so that we will elect the person the Church needs at this moment.

I know people like to root for the home team — who wouldn’t want the pope to come from their home diocese — and, of course, I am honored to participate in the conclave. But, I assure everyone, no cardinal goes to the conclave with ambitions to be elected the Holy Father. Our only ambition is to try to be open to God’s grace so that we can make the right decision.

- – -

I want to conclude this week inviting everyone to a Mass marking the last day of the Holy Father’s tenure on Thursday, February 28 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross at 7:30 p.m.

That Mass, which will be celebrated by Bishop Deeley, will be offered in thanksgiving for Pope Benedict’s ministry and to ask God to bless him as he begins his retirement.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

I was on my way to the chapel of Capuchin house in Washington, D.C. at 6:20 in the morning when the superior stopped me to tell me that there was a news flash. It had just been announced that the Holy Father was resigning.

So many things appear on the Internet that are just jokes or hoaxes to get a rise out of people that I said, “I don’t think that can be an accurate statement.” However, by the time we came out of our meditation, lauds and Mass at about 8 o’clock, it was being reported by all the mainstream news outlets. So, I realized it had to be true.

I immediately thought of the last consistory, which was held in November. At the time, I was intrigued that the Holy Father would have two consistories in one year (there had just been one in February) and have a consistory with only six new cardinals. Now we can see it as one of the indications that he was considering the possibility of stepping down for some time.

Obviously, like so many Catholics, I was shocked and saddened at the thought of losing Pope Benedict as our pope. I think that although there have been many challenges during his tenure, his great wisdom, theological acumen, and capacity to communicate the faith with confidence and joy have been such a treasure for the Church.

Many people are surprised to learn that the numbers attending the papal audiences and events in Rome have actually increased under his pontificate. Obviously, part of that is due to the fact that Pope John Paul II helped raise the worldwide visibility of the pope. However, people have come to appreciate just how great a pontiff Pope Benedict is. It is often said: The people went to Rome to see Pope John Paul II, but people come to Rome to hear Pope Benedict XVI. I must say that I relate to that statement.

Even before Benedict was elected pope, I was addicted to his books. I read everything that he wrote and always found him to be such an extraordinary teacher — a Doctor of the Church, really. So, it comes as quite a shock and disappointment to be losing him.

On the other hand, I trust in his wisdom. If it is his discernment that this action is for the good of the Church, then I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that everything that Pope Benedict does is from that prism.

So, the Holy Father has announced this and I think, in faith, we accept it.

When I think of the popes that we have had in the last century, every one of them has been a gift to the Church. We have been blessed with such holy and extraordinarily gifted popes. I know some people lament the loss of the Papal States in 1870, but relieving the pope of that dimension of his office — that was for so long one of being an Italian monarch — has been very good for the Church.

The proof of this is the wonderful popes that we have had – each one of them so different, but each one bringing his own gifts to bear in his ministry and teachings. It is amazing when you think how many popes in the last hundred years have had causes for canonization introduced. Obviously, they were human beings and had their shortcomings like everyone, but in them there was such holiness, learning, wisdom, and such a love for Christ and the Church. This has been a great blessing for the Church.

And so, in this time of transition we pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire the conclave to choose the person who will best fulfill God’s plan for the Church.

On Shrove Tuesday, the day following the announcement, we held a press conference here at the Pastoral Center to address this very issue of the pope’s resignation and the upcoming conclave.

I was joined by our Vicar General, Bishop Robert Deeley, and the Rector of St. John’s Seminary, Msgr. James Moroney.

I was very pleased to see the number of journalists who were there, representing most if not all of the major Boston news outlets.

I want to share with you the statement I made and also the video of the press conference, which went on for about half an hour with many questions from the media.

Good afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to join us for this briefing.

Yesterday morning the Church and the world learned that Pope Benedict XVI, following an extended period of prayer and reflection, discerned that he would resign the papacy at the end of this month.  This news certainly came as a great surprise to all of us. It would be reasonable to consider that the Holy Father’s advancing age and the responsibilities of being the leader for more than one billion Catholics, including the demands of extensive international travel, played a central role in his decision. We join the universal Church in offering prayerful gratitude for the Holy Father’s faith, courage and his leadership as the successor of Peter. 

At this time it is appropriate for the Church and all people of good faith to reflect on Pope Benedict’s legacy and achievements.  He brought unique capabilities to the papacy as a highly qualified scholar and teacher, and as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in service to Blessed John Paul II.  His fidelity to maintaining the truth and clarity of the Catholic faith, to cultivating ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and in reaching out to inspire the next generation of Catholics have been great gifts to us all.

During the course of the past eight years Pope Benedict embraced the papacy with the heart of a kind and caring shepherd, always holding the spiritual and pastoral care of the people of God to be the highest priority. The Holy Father also generously used his superior intellectual gifts, well established through his reputation as a renowned scholar, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church with people from all walks of life throughout the world. He guided the Church through unprecedented challenges, always finding strength in Jesus’ promise to be with us always, and led a world-wide renewal of evangelization that will influence the Catholicism for generations to come.

The Archdiocese of Boston in particular has been greatly blessed by Pope Benedict’s care and concern. In all of my conversations with him he has always asked me to assure this local Church of his prayers and encouragement. I will always hold the Holy Father’s 2008 meeting with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, and our presentation of the Book of Names of living and deceased survivors, as one of the most powerful experiences of my life and priesthood.

His overwhelming sorrow that such heinous crimes were perpetrated on the survivors and his heartfelt expression of love and concern were deeply moving, as was his absolute commitment that the abuse never be repeated and that the Church maintain her vigilance to do everything possible to insure the safety of children.

While there will be much speculation in the days and weeks ahead regarding who will follow the Holy Father to the Chair of Peter, at this moment we are called to reflect on Pope Benedict’s leadership; offering prayers of gratitude for this servant of Christ who so dearly loves all of God’s people. At this extraordinary moment in the life of the Church, we pray for the wisdom and grace of the Holy Spirit and the strength given by our Lord, who, assures us that he will be with us always.

- – -

Now, on to the events of my week…

With the resignation of the Holy Father, it is almost easy to forget that there was a blizzard here last weekend. I understand that some have given it the name “Nemo.” I suppose some people think of an orange and white striped fish when they hear that name, but I think of the Jules Vern character, Captain Nemo. Of course, in Latin, Nemo means “no one” but Nemo sure was something!

Digging out St. Malachy’s in Burlington

I think just about everyone had plans that were changed because of the storm.

Our plan was to have a wonderful vocations retreat that Father Dan Hennessey and the vocations team had been preparing assiduously. We were hoping to have as many as 50 or 60 college men or recent graduates attend. But the blizzard intervened, and that was canceled.

I was scheduled to speak at the Catholic Social Ministries Gathering in Washington, D.C. that brought together groups such as Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, pro-life offices and disabilities ministries. There were about 500 people from all over the country attending and I was scheduled to give the keynote address on Sunday. So, when I heard that the airports were going to be closed for two days, I left on one of the last planes to Washington.

This gave me a couple of days for a sort of pre-Lenten retreat at our Capuchin house in Washington and to assist any pre-chapter meeting of the Friars of our province.

It was a great joy for me to be able to do that.

Then, Sunday I had the keynote address at the Social Ministries Gathering, “Promoting Human Life and Dignity in the Year of Faith”.

After the conference we had a multi-cultural Mass, there at the Marriott Hotel.

Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, who is the chairman of the bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, gave the homily.

- – -

Monday, travel was still very difficult, but I was able to return to Boston in time for Mardi Gras. As I mentioned, earlier in the day we had the press conference.

Then, later in the day, Boston College High School hosted a Mardi Gras reception and dinner for priests to which the diocesan priests are invited.

- – -

Then, of course, this week we began Lent with Ash Wednesday.

I was very happy to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Bridget’s in South Boston with Father Casey and Father Blaney.

It was a full church with lots of young people, which is always very encouraging to see. From all reports of the Cathedral and other places, there were huge crowds who came to begin Lenten season by receiving the ashes.

We hope that people will live this Lent of the Year of Faith with a renewed intensity of their life of prayer, particularly in this very important time for the Church when we truly need the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in this conclave to discern God’s will to choose the right person to be our Holy Father.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

This past week, we saw the passing of Bishop John D’Arcy, the Bishop Emeritus of South Bend, Indiana and, of course, a former Auxiliary Bishop of Boston.

It was only two weeks ago that I was able to celebrate Mass with him at his family’s home. At that time, he was just preparing to return to South Bend. Of course, he realized the situation was terminal however it was much more accelerated than we expected. I was so pleased that I was able to celebrate Mass and spend the morning with him, having breakfast and a nice conversation.

We want to express our condolences to the D’Arcy family and the people of South Bend.

- – -

Last Friday, I went to the studios of CatholicTV Network to participate in the annual telethon to raise funds for this very important ministry.

I made a personal appeal to viewers and thanked them for their support.

It is always edifying to see how many volunteers from parishes, Knights of Columbus and different archdiocesan groups are always there to answer the phones and to help promote the telethon.

With Jay Fadden and Father Reed

We are all very encouraged by the wonderful progress that the network has made in its expansion into different parts of the country. Even the responses from the telethon indicate how widely viewed the Catholic television network is. There were people calling in from all over the country to pledge their support.

- – -

Sunday I was happy to join the parish of St. Francis in Dracut for the celebration of their 50th anniversary. It is a very active parish and they had a beautiful celebration to mark the 50th anniversary.

Father Brian Mahoney is the pastor there and we were joined by a number of other priests and former pastors, including Father Brian Kiely who was responsible for building the present church and rectory in 1996.

- – -

That evening, I departed for Dallas for the National Catholic Bioethics Center’s workshop for bishops. The National Catholic Bioethics Center was headquartered in Boston for a number of years and was called the Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center at the time. In recent years, they have been headquartered in Philadelphia.

Dr. John Haas is the president of the NCBC and Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans is the present chairman. I am also a member of the board.

This was the 24th workshop sponsored by the NCBC since they were initiated in 1980. At one point, the workshops were held every year now, however, they are only held every other year. It is a way of providing ongoing formation for bishops in the areas of medical moral ethics.

Pope Benedict addressed the group twice, in 1984 and 1991, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. This year we were addressed by Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the present Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

One of the very nice features of this workshop for bishops is that, in additional to the bishops from the United States, the Knights of Columbus invite the bishops from Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Canada to attend. So, it is one of the few meetings where we really have an opportunity to be with bishops from other parts of the hemisphere. All of us find this a very enriching experience.

I was very happy that two of my classmates were there: Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who has recovered so nicely from his recent knee surgery, and Bishop Paul Schmitz, who is the Bishop of Bluefields, Nicaragua.

The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Viganò, celebrated the Opening Mass and the opening address was given by Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who is the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and is also the president of Caritas Internationalis. Cardinal Rodriguez’s opening talk was on “Faith at Work Through Charity,” particularly drawing on his experience being the president of Caritas Internationalis.

During the course of the workshop, we discussed a number of topics. A very enlightening session was held by Dr. E. Christian Brugger on what is called POLST (Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment). He mentioned some of the dangers in the movement to promote this practice. His presentation was very, very interesting. Dr. Brugger said the safest thing is for people to have a medical proxy, someone whom they trust and who shares their beliefs and understandings. There was also a good deal of discussion about ethics committees for hospitals and Catholic institutions as well as an interesting session on studies concerning same-sex parenting.

Then, as I mentioned, Archbishop Müller, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith delivered the keynote address.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center has a very well-trained and articulate staff. Among those is, of course, Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk who has been so helpful in many areas, particularly in informing people of the Church’s position on stem cell research. Many of you will also remember that he joined us here in Boston for the Town Hall Meeting discussing the problem of physician assisted suicide.

- – -

On Thursday, I was happy to visit the offices of Combined Jewish Philanthropies for a lunch with Barry Shrage, the president of the CJP, and Jeremy Burton, the executive director of the Jewish Community Research Council.

It was an opportunity for me to thank them for all the support they provided in the campaign against physician assisted suicide in Massachusetts. It was interesting to see just how united all the different branches of Judaism are on this issue.

We also talked about other ways that our organizations, such as Catholic Charities and our Catholic schools, can collaborate with the activities of CJP and the JCRC.

- – -

Next week, of course, is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

It is my hope and prayer that, during this Year of Faith, Lent may be a very special time of spiritual renewal for the Church, particularly as we deepen our knowledge of the contents of our faith and our commitment to the new evangelization.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

As I often say, I have been privileged to attend the March for Life every year since its inception, and this year was no exception.

On Thursday afternoon I celebrated the Mass with a number of bishops and priests at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America in Washington D.C. for about 250 pro-life directors and leaders from throughout the country.

It was an opportunity for myself, the staff of the USCCB and the bishops to be able to personally thank the pro-life leaders for their work.

With Henry and Marianne Luthin and Tom Grenchik, executive director of the USCC Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities before the Mass

In that homily I tried to express our gratitude for the life and work of Nellie Gray. I thanked all leaders for the important work that they have done and are doing on behalf of the pro-life cause.

The monastery was a very beautiful venue for the Mass.

The monastery is run by the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land and so has a number of chapels devoted to special sites in the Holy Land.

After the Mass, there was a light reception.

- – -

Then, that evening, we gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the Opening Mass of the Prayer Vigil for Life with scores of bishops and priests, hundreds of seminarians and thousands of the faithful.

We celebrated the Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life, the new Mass that has been written and approved by the bishops conference for the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision.

This, of course, is the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, a very important moment to reflect on where we have been. In my homily, I tried to point out the positive developments that there have been over the years, and particularly the growing opposition to abortion in the country and the fact that more and more young people are becoming pro-life. It is always a very moving experience to be there with pilgrims for life from all over the United States.

At the end of Mass, I blessed the rosaries the people had received as the entered the Shrine.

The vigil continued all night long. Our seminarians participated in the various holy hours. I believe the seminarians from Blessed John XXIII National Seminary had the holy hour at midnight and the seminarians from St. John’s had the hour at 4 o’clock in the morning.

- – -

On Friday morning, we had a Mass for a standing-room-only crowd of pilgrims from Boston at Sacred Heart Church on 16th St. in Washington.

At times in the past, we have brought the Boston group to the Verizon Center for the Youth Mass and Rally that is held on the morning of the March. However, the number of those attending the March for Life has grown so great, that it has become increasingly difficult to get in to the rally. So, we have opted to have a special Mass for the Boston pilgrims at Sacred Heart.

This is the church where I celebrated Mass for the Haitian and Hispanic communities for many years. It is also the church where I lived in the basement with about 300 refugees during the riots in Washington following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Of course, most of the young people at the Mass are unaware of that very interesting and tragic period in American history, but it is an opportunity to talk to them a little bit about that.

Several of our Catholic schools had a record number of students come and we are very pleased that a record number of Boston priests also attended the March this year.

We are always so grateful to Father Matt Williams, Father Dan Hennessey and all the other volunteers and workers from Boston who organize the trip to Washington for so many of our young people.

It is always an extraordinary opportunity for them to participate in the March for Life and to share that experience with thousands and thousands of their peers. This is an experience which certainly affirms them in their faith and their commitment to the Gospel of Life.

- – -

From the Mass, we went to the rally on the National Mall. I was there to offer a prayer with the Catholic bishops.

It was also my privilege to present the Orthodox metropolitans, bishops and clergy who participated both at the Mass at the Shrine and the March for Life. After my introduction, they sang a beautiful funeral chant praying for Nellie gray. I know many people are very moved by that especially beautiful moment.

Our own Metropolitan from Boston, Metropolitan Methodios, was scheduled to attend the March but was ill and unable to join us. However, we know that he was with us in spirit.

I had the opportunity to announce a tweet of the Holy Father to the crowd saying that he was with us from afar, praying for all the pilgrims for life and praying that political leaders would do all their power to protect the sanctity of human life. A great cheer went up from the crowd as we read the Holy Father’s tweet.

- – -

Following the March, I went to the Virgin Islands where I had been invited to receive the Keys and Sword Award, which is an annual fundraiser they have to benefit renovations to Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral.

I was also there to attend a memorial Mass for Sister Louis Marie who my former chancellor who had passed away recently as well as celebrate a Filipino and Hispanic Mass.

However, I became ill and, unfortunately, the only event I was able to participate in was the Mass for Sister Louis Marie.

- – -

Then, yesterday, as many of you know, was the funeral for my stepmother, Claire O’Malley.

I was very touched by how many bishops and priests and relatives joined us for the occasion. Among them were Miami Archbishop Wenski, Miami Archbishop Emeritus Favalora, Bishop Barbarito of Palm Beach and some of our auxiliary bishops and priests who travelled to Florida to together with us at this important occasion.

It was a very beautiful funeral Mass and a great consolation to all the members of the family.

Until next week,

- Cardinal Seán

Sunday, my stepmother Claire O’Malley, surrounded by my cousins and aunts and Father Mario Castañeda, passed away in Boca Raton, Florida,  praying the Rosary with our family. Claire was anointed and received Holy Communion before she died.

A few months ago, she had an operation that was unsuccessful and caused a number of complications. However, she was a very healthy person for most of her 90 years and we are very grateful for the long and beautiful life that she had and the wonderful care that she gave to my father in his old age. She really was an integral part of our family and the extended family. She will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.

We are delaying the funeral Mass until next week to give time to some of our relatives who are abroad to be able to get back home for the funeral and burial.

I want to say that I am very grateful for all the expressions of condolences and the prayers that people have extended for Claire and my family.

Claire and my father during my installation as Archbishop of Boston

- – -

Saturday, as we do every year at this time, we ordained a new class of transitional deacons. This year, there were three men ordained: Deacons John Cassani, Gerald Souza and Christopher Wallace.

There are two other members of the class who are already deacons and will join them for the priestly ordination in June. Deacon Tom MacDonald, who is studying in Rome, has already been ordained to the diaconate over the summer and the other classmate is Deacon Jacques McGuffie, who was already a permanent deacon in the archdiocese and has been studying at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary.

- – -

Sunday I visited the campus of Northeastern University to celebrate Mass and visit the Catholic Center there, which is run by the Brotherhood of Hope.

We celebrated Mass at the former St. Ann’s Church. The students there have a wonderful musical group.

The Mass was very well attended by students, as well as some graduates who had returned to be with us.

After the Mass, there was a small reception and we visited the Catholic student Center which is just across the street from the church.

We are very blessed to have the Brotherhood of Hope working in the Archdiocese of Boston. They are faith filled men who witness with their lives and the ministry they do is a great blessing.

Their community has just elected a new superior, Brother Ken Apuzzo, who will replace Brother Rahl Bunsa, who was with us at the Mass. The new superior will come into office at Pentecost.

We want to express our gratitude to Brother Rahl who served three terms as superior and also to congratulate Brother Ken who was elected their recent chapter. We assure him of our prayers and support.

- – -

Monday was Inauguration Day.

There is great symbolism having the inauguration of the United States’ first black president on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If it not been for Martin Luther King, is impossible to imagine that an African-American could have been elected to the highest office in the land.

We pray for our country at this time and pray that administration will work with the Church to protect the religious freedom and conscience exemptions that have been part and parcel of the history of our country and that are so important to the Catholic community to be able to have space to live our faith and serve the common good in the way that we have always done.

- – -

Bishop John D’Arcy has been recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and will be soon returning to his old diocese. So, Monday morning, we took the opportunity to celebrate Mass with him and his family. It was wonderful to have a chance to visit with him and thank him for his ministry here in Boston where he was spiritual director at St. John’s, ran the Spiritual Life Office and was, of course, auxiliary bishop.

We also thanked him for the wonderful work that he has done as Bishop of South Bend, Indiana.

I reminded him that many years ago I went there to do a study of Hispanic ministry for him along with Bishop Tom Daily and Mario Paredes. I had been to Notre Dame, but it was the first time that I had really been to the diocese there. I recalled there was a fine Holy Cross Brother working at the Hispanic ministry office there and we met with many lay leaders and others in Hispanic ministry. It was a wonderful memory of working with him when he was bishop in the diocese.

We are saddened, of course, by his present health situation but we wanted to assure him of our prayers and affection. I also want to encourage all of you to pray for him and his family.

- – -

Tuesday, I attended the wake of the father of Father Kevin Toomey and also the wake of Father Alexander Keenan, who for several years has been stationed at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in East Boston.

Both of the wakes were filled with many people, and I know that was a great consolation to both Father Toomey and to the family of Father Keenan. I also commend them to your prayers.

- – -

Tuesday we had a gathering for Tom Hannigan, who is retiring from the firm of Ropes and Gray.

He has been a great blessing for the Church. Tom was a great help to me in Fall River when we were facing the Porter case there. Also, when I came to Boston, one of the first decisions I made was to engage his services because, not only is he an extraordinarily gifted jurist, but he also is a man of deep faith and deep compassion for people in their sufferings.

He has always been very, very pastoral in his approach to settling the legal problems that the archdiocese has faced resulting from the clergy abuse crisis. He also accompanied me during my visitation of the archdiocese of Dublin. He is a very thoughtful and faithful Catholic as well as extremely competent professional. He has made a very important contribution to the life of the Catholic Church in Massachusetts and beyond.

We wish him Godspeed in the next stage of his career. I am sure that we will be hearing more about him in his retirement.

—

As you read this, we will just be concluding the events of the March for Life in Washington D.C.

I look forward to sharing my experiences of these days with you in my post next week.

However, remembering that this is the first March following the death of Nellie Gray, I want to leave you with this video remembrance which I prepared with the help CatholicTV and was played at the March.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

January 22, 2013 marks the 40^th anniversary of the tragic U.S. Supreme Court rulings Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. Without grounding in the Constitution, law or human rights, these decisions have made it legal for the past forty years in the United States to end the life of an unborn child. Since then fifty-five million children never had the chance to be born. The scope of this loss is staggering, yet the Court and many in our society relegate it to a matter of personal choice.

            As part of the ongoing response to innocent children’s lives being taken with the protection of the law, the U.S. Catholic bishops have launched a major pastoral initiative calling for prayer and penance to promote and build a culture of life, marriage and religious liberty.
 

            The initiative includes “Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage” from January 19 to 27, 2013. I invite Catholics in the United States to join me in this novena. It includes daily prayer intentions for the healing and conversion of our nation, for elected officials who support abortion, and for all people whose lives have forever been changed by an abortion. The novena is available through social media, text messaging and email, to be helpful for youth and other pilgrims traveling to pro-life events and marches and for those wishing to participate from their parishes and homes.

            Our nation greatly needs our prayers and personal sacrifices. The evil of abortion inflicts unimaginable pain, but Jesus offers us healing and renewal. He came not to condemn us, but to free us from the burden of the wrongs we have done so that all might be saved. His Divine Mercy knows no limits; we need only to ask his forgiveness. If you know of anyone suffering from the effects of an abortion experience, please encourage them to seek help.

            It is our hope and prayer that our defense of human life and religious freedom, our witness to the dignity of each and every human person, our compassionate service and our prayers calling on the infinite love and mercy of God will spark a renewal of love and commitment to the true good of others. Only a love that seeks to serve those most in need, whatever the personal cost to ourselves, is strong enough to overcome a culture of death and build a civilization worthy of human beings created in God’s image.

I encourage you to visit www.usccb.org/9days to receive daily prayers and reflections for the novena and learn how to promote them in your parish or organization. To see the help available after an abortion please visit http://hopeafterabortion.com and for more information on the Supreme Court’s abortion decisions please visit  http://endroe.org

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The New Year is a time when many people take stock of their lives and consider various forms of “self-improvement”, such as quitting smoking or weight loss.  I wonder, though, how many consider improving their spiritual lives?  Fortunately, that is exactly what we are given the opportunity to do in this Year of Faith.

This week, I have asked Michael Lavigne, our Senior Associate to the Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization, to share some ideas with you about how we may take advantage of this special year designated by the Holy Father.

— Cardinal Seán

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The Year of Faith

by Michael Lavigne

“What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Porta Fidei)

As we continue to celebrate the beginning of a new calendar year it is a good time to be reminded of another “year” worth celebrating: the Year of Faith. We are only a few months into this gift that has been given to us by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, which ends on November 24, 2013.

During this Year of Faith we are being invited to profess the faith with confidence, hope and joy! It is an invitation for each of us to encounter, grow and share.

This Year is an opportunity for all of us to deepen our friendship with the Person of Jesus Christ and encounter Him by participating in daily prayer, reading of Scripture and in the Sacraments, especially in Penance and the Eucharist.

Some ways we can encounter the Person of Jesus Christ include:

· Spend time with the Real Presence of Christ in Eucharistic Adoration and thereby grow in intimacy with Him.

· Be nourished by God’s Word through the practices of lectio divina (Sacred Reading). The five step process includes 1. Read; 2. Meditate; 3. Pray; 4. Contemplate; and 5. Act.

· Encounter and experience His mercy and healing, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

· Visit a Shrine in the Archdiocese of Boston or throughout New England with you family and/or friends.

· Reflect on the life of Mary, who is a model of faith, through praying the Rosary.

This Year is an opportunity to grow in understanding and knowledge of our beautiful Catholic faith, especially through reflecting upon the documents of the Second Vatican Council and studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Some ways we can grow in knowledge of faith include:

· View Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series. He gently and convincingly presents the Faith through the use of artwork, music, Catholic landmarks and moving narration. You can learn more about this compelling work at www.WordonFire.org.

· Pray the Nicene Creed each day. Recite the Creed as part of your prayer routine or as a family before or after a meal.

· Practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy (see Mt 25). In this way we, who live out our faith in action, can stand in communion with the Triune God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

· Participate in Catholic Faith Essentials: A Course for Adults During the Year of Faith. This exciting initiative that is being facilitated through a collaborative effort of the Office of the Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization, the Secretariat for Faith Formation & Evangelization, and the Secretariat for Catholic Media.

During this course, which is occurring from January 2013 through February 2014, we will reflect on “Is Faith the Transforming Power in Our Lives”; “Significant Themes from Vatican Council II”; “Significant Themes from the Catechism”; “Living the Catholic Faith”; and “Learning from the Church’s Great Saints.”

You can learn more about Catholic Faith Essentials by visiting www.YearofFaithBoston.org/CatholicFaithEssentials. It is not too late to join the hundreds who are already participating in this course. In fact you can catch up by viewing the first two sessions HERE.

This Year is an opportunity to provide witness: having drawn closer to Christ we can now be witnesses of God’s love within us.

Some ways we can share and give witness to the gift of faith include:

· Read and reflect on Cardinal Seán’s Pastoral Letter: A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus.

· Identify a family member or friend who is close to you to consider the mystery of the Person of Jesus as calling them. Begin by praying specifically for that person’s conversion asking the Holy Spirit for guidance as to when and how you can witness to them.

· Invite a friend or family member to Mass, a retreat, a conference or host a viewing of Catholic Faith Essentials for friends and/or family. Consider beginning with a meal and have an ongoing conversation about the mystery of Jesus so as to share understanding of faith.

Through Divine Providence, this Year of Faith is occurring as the Archdiocese embarks into Disciples in Mission: A Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Boston. At the very core of this plan is the mission of the Church to evangelize – to share the Good News of the Person of Jesus Christ.

In fact this week members of the staff at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center kicked off the Stage 1 Training with a full day of learning about and reflecting on the mission to evangelize.

Imagine if all of us engage this Year of Faith with the special intention that the Holy Spirit prepares all of us to be instruments of faith, hope and love throughout the implementation of Disciples in Mission! It is not too late to do so – there is still approximately 310 days left in this blessed Year.

As we draw closer to the beginning of Lent it is an ideal time to commit or re-commit ourselves to entering into the celebration of this Year with courage, hope and joy. I invite you to visit our Archdiocesan website for the Year of Faith: www.YearofFaithBoston.org. The site offers a variety of resources, ideas and reflections for the Year of Faith.

Be assured of my prayers for you that your participation in this Year may bear tremendous fruit in your life and in the lives of all those who witness your love for Jesus Christ and His Church.

Last Friday we celebrated the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Robert P. Deeley. On the eve of the ordination we participated at a dinner organized by the local alumni of the North American College.

In addition to priests from the archdiocese who are graduates from the North American College and visiting alumni from NAC,  Bishop Deeley’s classmates who were celebrating the 40^th anniversary of their priestly ordination were a part of the dinner — along with Bishop Deeley’s family. Many of his relatives from Ireland were also part of the celebration.

At the dinner, following NAC traditions, they offered three toasts, one for the Holy Father, one for the United States, and one for the college itself. One of the toasts was offered by Deacon Tom McDonald, one of our own seminarians who is presently enrolled at the North American College, and was home on Christmas break. The other two were offered by Bishop Kennedy and Father David Berberian of Albany.

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Bishop Deeley’s ordination was the next day, on the feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who, as I pointed out in my comments in the homily, had as her first spiritual director Bishop Jean Louis Cheverus, the first bishop of Boston. He corresponded with her for a long time before she entered the Church. So, it was a wonderful feast day to be celebrating the ordination of an auxiliary bishop here in Boston.  Here is my homily:

We were very pleased that so many people were able to attend. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, made his first visit to Boston as apostolic nuncio for the occasion.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Apostolic Nuncio

We were very pleased to have him. Also, many bishops came from outside of the archdiocese, and a number of Bishop Deeley’s classmates as well. Bishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Robert Evans were the co-consecrators — both classmates of his.

Cardinal William Levada, who was the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith when Bishop Deeley was working there, as well as Bishop Charles J. Scicluna, the new auxiliary bishop of Malta, also came to be a part of the celebration.

Cardinal Levada

With his brother, Father Kevin Deeley,
Pastor at St. Michael’s in North Andover

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Each year I celebrate a Mass for the survivors of sexual abuse and their families. This year I celebrated it on Saturday and I was accompanied by Father John Curry, Father Steve Madden, the acting director of the Office of Pastoral Support and Outreach June Chin, and Deacon Paul who also works in the office.

I would say about 80 people came to the Mass, and there was a reception afterwards. This Mass was initiated 5 years ago by Barbara Thorp and she was there for the Mass Saturday. We are very grateful to the incredible contribution that she made in the diocese’s outreach to victims and their families. This Mass is one of the initiatives that she initiated. We hope to be announcing a new permanent director for the office very shortly. This is a very vital ministry of the archdiocese, to try and give pastoral care to all of those who have been affected by the sexual abuse crisis.

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Sunday I left for Knoxville, Tennessee to celebrate the funeral for my father’s sister, my aunt Marie O’Malley. It is not easy to get to Knoxville, so I had to travel Sunday afternoon. I was disappointed that I was unable to celebrate the Mass for Labouré College that is marking its 120^th anniversary. Father Vincent Daily, pastor of St. Gregory’s, celebrated the Mass in my stead.

I was told that over 150 administrators, faculty, students and alumni attended the Mass .

Laboure College has a great school spirit and is very committed to training nurses with a Catholic understanding of health care. They are expanding by moving to the former Aquinas College campus in Milton and will use the current facilities at Carney Hospital as clinical space.

The Funeral Mass for my aunt was at Sacred Heart Cathedral where she had been a very active parishioner for almost 50 years.

Many of my cousins were able to join us for the Mass. Knoxville’s Bishop Richard F. Stika also concelebrated.

It was very encouraging to see how the diocese has grown so considerably. When my aunt first went there about 20,000 Catholics lived there. In one of the reflections, her oldest son was talking about when she arrived in Knoxville and she was working in a bank. People would come into the bank just to point her out as the Catholic and the Yankee that was working in their bank. It was such a novel thing!

I took this photo of a stained glass window at the cathedral  because it had an image of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, which reminded me of the ordination and her feast day

Her husband was a railroad executive, and for some reason he ended up in Knoxville. My aunt had always been a banker so they offered her a job at a local bank. They were one of the founding families in the cathedral parish at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

I stayed at the bishop’s house Sunday night. Cardinal Justin Rigali was there as well. He is living there during his retirement. They were very gracious to us. We certainly were the recipients of the great tradition of southern hospitality.

Marie O’Malley

I always tell the story that my aunt, having studied at St. Joseph’s Academy and Ursuline College, had determined that her vocation was not to be a sister, so she was praying to the Blessed Mother to help her find a husband. She was on the train once going to Chicago, when this handsome young man got on the train. He reached in his pocket for a comb or a handkerchief, and a rosary fell out of his pocket. She said, “That’s the man Blessed Mother has sent.” Indeed she married that man on the feast of the Holy Rosary.

Until my next post

In Christ

Cardinal Séan

Every year the Holy Father publishes a message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace, which the Church celebrates Jan. 1 in conjunction with the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God.

This year’s message is very inspiring and I would like to share a portion of it with you and encourage you to read it in its entirety here.

Each new year brings the expectation of a better world. In light of this, I ask God, the Father of humanity, to grant us concord and peace, so that the aspirations of all for a happy and prosperous life may be achieved.

Fifty years after the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, which helped to strengthen the Church’s mission in the world, it is heartening to realize that Christians, as the People of God in fellowship with him and sojourning among mankind, are committed within history to sharing humanity’s joys and hopes, grief and anguish, as they proclaim the salvation of Christ and promote peace for all.

In effect, our times, marked by globalization with its positive and negative aspects, as well as the continuation of violent conflicts and threats of war, demand a new, shared commitment in pursuit of the common good and the development of all men, and of the whole man.

It is alarming to see hotbeds of tension and conflict caused by growing instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds expression in an unregulated financial capitalism. In addition to the varied forms of terrorism and international crime, peace is also endangered by those forms of fundamentalism and fanaticism which distort the true nature of religion, which is called to foster fellowship and reconciliation among people.

All the same, the many different efforts at peacemaking which abound in our world testify to mankind’s innate vocation to peace. In every person the desire for peace is an essential aspiration which coincides in a certain way with the desire for a full, happy and successful human life. In other words, the desire for peace corresponds to a fundamental moral principle, namely, the duty and right to an integral social and communitarian development, which is part of God’s plan for mankind. Man is made for the peace which is God’s gift.

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In the days following Christmas I was able to spend some time visiting family.

On Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family, I celebrated Mass at the Whitehall rehabilitation center with Claire O’Malley and my aunt and cousins. That day, we had just learned of the death of my Aunt Marie, my father’s youngest sister, and so we offered the Mass for her.

My cousin Deacon Rob O’Malley made all the arrangements and we were very happy to gather the family on that feast day.

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On New Year’s Eve, I celebrated the annual pro-life vigil in the North End. We were pleased to be joined by two Friars visiting from my province, Father Paul Dresser and Father Michael Meza.

We had the vigil with the Rosary and Holy Hour at St. Leonard’s Church followed by Mass at midnight.

Afterwards, there was a reception for the young people in the parish hall. We treasure this tradition of ending the year at Mass and beginning the New Year at Mass.

We are so grateful to Father Antonio and the Franciscan Friars of Immaculate Conception Province who so graciously host so many of the events for our young adults at St. Leonard’s. Being in the heart of the North End on Hanover Street, it is a very popular area for young people to gather.

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On New Year’s Day, I celebrated Mass in Creole and French for the Haitian community at the Cathedral.

January 1 is Haitian Independence Day so, when I first came to Boston, I initiated this Mass. It is something I had done in Palm Beach as well to mark Haitian Independence Day, and the response here has been wonderful. Boston has the third largest Haitian community in United States, after Miami and Brooklyn. We are very blessed to have a very strong Haitian Catholic presence here in the archdiocese.

The Mass always concludes with the singing of the Te Deum, which is sung in Latin, and the national anthem of Haiti.

Father Gabriel addressed the people at the end of Mass, as well.

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Wednesday, we celebrated the first Mass of the New Year at the Pastoral Center. This gave us an opportunity to wish a happy New Year to all the staff.

During the Mass, Bishop Deeley made his Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity.

We also blessed the pontifical insignia that we used during the ordination: the ring, crosier and miter.

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One of the guests for the ordination is Bishop Charles Scicluna, who was recently ordained the Auxiliary Bishop of Malta. He had worked for many years with Bishop Deeley at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Bishop Scicluna is being replaced at the Congregation by our own Father Bob Oliver, who will be leaving for Rome this month. The position that the Holy Father has entrusted to Father Oliver, the promoter of justice, is a very important one. Essentially, the promoter of justice is the Congregation’s chief prosecutor, in charge of investigating the most serious offenses such as crimes against the Eucharist, violations of the seal of confession and child sexual abuse.

We are very grateful for the extraordinary contribution Father Oliver has made to the life of our own archdiocese in priestly formation at St. John’s Seminary and his work at the Pastoral Center as well as his teaching at the Catholic University of America.

He is accompanied by our best wishes and prayers that he will be able to serve the Church well in this new role.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

We just announced with great joy that Pope Benedict XVI has named Fr. Arthur Coyle a Monsignor, conferring upon him the title “Prelate of Honor.”

Msgr. Coyle has distinguished himself throughout his priesthood with exemplary service to Christ and His Church.  His service to the Archdiocese, as a parochial vicar, pastor and member of the Cabinet and now Episcopal Vicar for the Merrimack Region, has consistently been marked by dedication and commitment.  His leadership will be of great assistance as the Archdiocese moves forward with Pastoral Planning and the implementation of the New Evangelization.  In this Year of Faith, we pray that the Lord continues to bless Msgr. Coyle’s ministry and enlivens in all the faithful a new enthusiasm to strengthen the mission of the Church in our parishes.

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This year, Vatican Radio asked me for a Christmas greeting that I want to share with you:

On a starry night on a hillside outside of Bethlehem, choirs of angels shared the Good News of Jesus’ birth with shepherds tending their flocks. This was the first time that the message of God having come into the world in the person of Jesus was shared with anyone. Luke’s Gospel tells us that the shepherds went in haste and found Mary, Joseph and the infant. The shepherds then shared the news of that discovery with the people of the surrounding area, all of who were amazed to learn that the promise of the Messiah had been fulfilled, and went forth giving praise and glory to God.

The belief of the shepherds who heard the voices of angels, and of the people who heard the shepherds’ testimony, set into motion a sharing of faith that has endured for more than two millennia and has spread to all corners of the world. We can barely imagine how much less our lives would be if those who heard of Jesus’ birth that first Christmas night did not believe, or if they did not share the joyous news with their families, friends and communities. But the people did believe, they did share the news, and we celebrate that the Word became man and dwelt among us.

The ancient world of Bethlehem needed the faith and enthusiasm of those who would proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, and so does our world today. In too many ways the darkness of oppression, persecution and lack of respect for human dignity threatens to overshadow us, and in too many ways the truth that each and every person is created in the image and likeness of God is denied.

The light of Christ shines through all darkness and guides us, it strengthens and sustains us in our most difficult moments, it assures us of the promise of eternal life. As the people of the Church we must share our faith with those around us, our families, friends and communities, and so let the light of Christ shine forth in our world. We must work together as brothers and sisters to dispel the darkness and to help one another to live the call to holiness. By doing so we give the greatest and most enduring gift; the gift of life in Jesus Christ.

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Last Friday I visited the Missionaries of Charity in Dorchester to give my farewell to their superior, Sister Mary Ajay. She has been transferred to Washington D.C.

I said Mass and they treated me to a delicious breakfast. Sister Ajay had been previously serving in New Bedford. She did a wonderful job and will be greatly missed. We also welcomed the new superior, Sister Lizen, pronounced “Listen.” I told them that is a good name for a superior…

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Sunday I celebrated Mass with the Vietnamese community. It was a very impressive celebration. They brought relics of Vietnamese martyrs and I was happy to see a number of Vietnamese priests, deacons, seminarians and religious who joined us for the Mass. It was a full church and they had a magnificent combined choir from different parishes. It was a joy to have them at the Cathedral.

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That evening I visited with the friars at St. Anthony Shrine. We had vespers and dinner and spent time together.

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On Christmas Eve I visited Pine Street Inn as I do each year.

They have a special meal for the residents that day and it gives me a chance to visit and to serve them meals with the other volunteers.

I always like to thank all the volunteers that help all year round and I take this opportunity to encourage people to do more for the homeless remembering that at Christmas time the Holy Family had no room in the inn.

I was welcomed by Director Lyndia Downie, who is doing tremendous work at the Inn.  During the visit I was accompanied by Lisa Alberghini from our Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Msgr. Frank Kelly and Father John Unni.

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That night, I celebrated the midnight Mass at the cathedral. It was a beautiful celebration and very well attended.

The cathedral was very beautifully decorated this year and the musical program was just extraordinary.

The rector, Father Kevin O’Leary, is doing such a great job attracting people to the cathedral with the events he has there. Midnight Mass is yet another wonderful opportunity to showcase the cathedral.

Not every parish has Midnight Mass anymore but at the cathedral we have maintained that tradition and I am so happy that people have responded to it.

On Christmas day I also celebrated the 11:30 Mass.

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On Christmas day several local TV channels carried the Christmas Mass I celebrated with the Daughters of St. Paul.

CatholicTV produced the Mass and has posted my homily on YouTube. Here it is:

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Also on Christmas day we had a prayer Service at St. Francis House. I gave a short reflection, sang some Christmas carols and gave a blessing to the volunteers.

The Boston Globe had a nice story on my visit, which included this photo of one of the residents who sang a beautiful, improvised song for me.

Karen LaFrazia, the executive director there does a wonderful job. During my visit I was also accompanied by Lisa Alberghini who is working both with Pine Street Inn and St. Francis House on getting permanent housing for homeless people.

On Christmas night I went to visit my family for a couple of days. I wish you all a very blessed Christmas season, and pray that you are able to enjoy the company of family and friends during this beautiful time of the year.

Until my next post.

Cardinal Seán

Friday night, the closing event of the week-long God in the City tour was held at the Cathedral the Holy Cross.

We are very grateful to Father Matt Williams and the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults who do such great work in organizing this every year.

I was able to address the young people and talk to them about the meaning of Advent. I also thanked them for responding to the call to be part of this wonderful event of praise, prayer and reflection on the Word of God.

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Saturday morning we had a Mass and breakfast for the Advent gathering of Women Affirming Life at the Four Points Sheraton in Norwood. Marianne Luthin and Fran Hogan are the organizers of the event.

It gave me an opportunity to thank all those who helped with the campaign against physician assisted suicide and also to speak to them about the new blessing for the unborn child in the womb, which we celebrated the next day at the Cathedral.

I also asked them to encourage young people to participate in this year’s March for Life in Washington D.C. which will mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It is very important and uplifting experience for young Catholics to participate in.

The day’s keynote speaker was Msgr. Moroney, the rector of St. John’s Seminary, who gave a very goof talk on the importance of prayer during this time of Advent.

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Gaudete Sunday was the date we had chosen to initiate the new Rite of Blessing for the Unborn Child in the Womb. We invited expectant mothers and their families to participate in this Mass. We had a wonderful turnout.

As it happened, the Mass was held shortly after the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, so we took the opportunity to reflect on the massacre of the young children and their teachers.

After the Mass I spoke to the media about my reaction to the events at Newtown, and later released this statement drawn from my homily at the Mass:

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday.   In a very special way we are offering this Mass in solidarity with those families who lost loved ones in the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that claimed 28 lives.  The 20 children killed were first graders.  The whole country has been shaken by this tragic event.  Each year during Christmas season we commemorate the slaughter of the innocents described in the Gospel of St. Matthew that recounts how King Herod ordered that the children of Bethlehem be slain in an attempt to eliminate any future rival for his throne.  The story harkens back to a similar event in the Old Testament where the Pharaoh has ordered the execution of all the male Hebrew babies.

What has happened in these days in Newtown, Connecticut, is a tragedy of almost biblical proportions that has caused the whole country to stop and take notice.  In the inner-city children are continuously exposed to violence, but life in the leafy suburbs is supposed to be safer.  Ironically enough yesterday’s newspaper reported on a family who moved back from Europe because “Newtown was a safe community with great schools.”

It is hard to even imagine how deep the pain is of those families whose little ones lost their lives.  The children and teachers who survived the attack will long suffer the trauma of being exposed to such senseless violence.  It was heart rendering to watch the police leading the children out of the school; telling them to close their eyes so that the images of the slain children would not be burned indelibly into their memories. 

The news reports have spoken about how the community has come together to pray and to find strength in mutual support.  For those of us who are believers prayer and the firm faith in eternal life is our consolation.  These innocent children had a very short sojourn in this world, but our faith assures us that God and his love created them to be happy with him forever in heaven. 

In this Eucharist we hold up their parents and families and friends so that our merciful Creator will strengthen their faith and give them the grace to resist the temptation of anger and despair.  It is comforting to see how a national tragedy such as this one that people suddenly manifest their concern for each other and their desire to be present to those families who are struggling with such a painful loss.

The carnage in Newtown was not politically motivated like the slaughter of the innocents at Bethlehem or the killing of babies in Moses’ days.  It was rather the result of violent behavior arising from mental illness.  As the whole country reflects on these tragic events we must recognize our society’s inability to deal with mental illness in a more effective way.  It is also a clarion call to initiate effective legislation to keep automatic weapons out of the hands of private citizens.  There can be no rational justification for allowing private citizens to have personal arsenals of assault weapons.  How many innocent people will have to be slaughtered before the country is prepared to stop this madness?

Today’s Gospel describes the people listening to John the Baptist’s preaching, and they formulate the response: “Teacher, what should we do?”  That is the question that is on everyone’s lips today.  Let us prayerfully reflect on this great assault against human life and commit ourselves anew to do everything possible to protect innocent human life.

Christmas is about children.  It is about the no vacancy sign on the motels in Bethlehem.  It is about grieving families of Bethlehem whose innocent children were cruelly snatched away.

The antidote has to be that God’s love enters into our darkness and teaches us how to love and forgive and care for one another.  The crowd made up of self-centered individuals must be forged into a community that draws people closer to God and to one another.

As shocking as the news of the mass murder in Newtown Connecticut was on the front pages of every newspaper, I found some consolation yesterday in reading the the obituary of Mary Ann Fischer, who died recently at 79 years of age.  Mary Ann and her husband Andrew received much notoriety back in 1963 when in addition to their six children, Mary Ann gave birth to quintuplets.

There was a two-hour parade through Aberdeen, South Dakota, on October 14, 1963, one month after Mary Ann Fischer gave birth to four girls and one boy at St. Luke’s hospital –the first quintuplets to survive in the United States.  About 50,000 persons including Aberdeen’s 24,000 residents were on hand for the ceremonies.  A highlight of the occasion was the presentation of five medals from Pope Paul VI to the Fischers.  I was in the seminary at the time and remember the joy and excitement that reverberated through the entire nation as people joyfully welcomed five tiny, newborn babies to our country and into our hearts.

Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth.  The great figures of advent are St. John the Baptist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Mary is the woman of advent, God’s final preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

St. Luke’s Gospel describes for us that beautiful scene where Mary who is pregnant with the Christ child goes to visit her kinswoman, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.  The Gospel recounts how John the Baptist in his mother’s womb leaps for joy when he hears Mary’s greeting.  John the Baptist in his mother’s womb cannot see the Christ child, but faith comes through hearing.  Just as David in the Old Testament danced before the Ark of the Covenant, so John the Baptist dances for joy in the presence of Mary and the Messiah.  John the Baptist echoed the joy of Isaiah who tells us shout for joy, sing joyfully O Israel, the Lord is in your midst.

Today’s Gospel shows us this same John the Baptist thirty years later announcing the coming of the Messiah, telling the people in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

The people pleaded with John the Baptist: “Tell us what we need to do?”  John the Baptist answered: Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has not.  And whoever has food should do likewise.”  We prepare for the coming of the Messiah by sharing what we have and who we are with one another.  It is a social gospel that challenges us to never be content to have too much while others have too little.  The tax collectors and the soldiers ask John the Baptist what they should do.  John the Baptist did not order them to leave their jobs, but to work out their own salvation by doing those jobs as they should be done; that the tax collector be a good tax collector; that the soldier be a good soldier. 

People need to serve God where they are.  It was John’s conviction that there is nowhere we can serve God better than in our daily work, in living out our vocation.  John painted a picture of judgment, but it was a judgment which could be met with confidence by those who discharge their duty to their neighbor and who have faithfully done their day’s work.

In Dorothy Day’s biography she describes an incident from her childhood in California.  Her neighborhood was rocked by earthquakes that sent people scurrying into their yards where they lived in tents for days.  She was amazed how neighbors who never spoke to each other were suddenly sharing their food and water, helping to take care of the children and the elderly.  A sense of community and connectedness sprang up that she had never experienced in her life.  The rest of Dorothy Day’s life was a long quest to achieve that same sense of community and connectedness.  It led her into the Communist Party and eventually after having one child out of wedlock and losing another to abortion, Dorothy Day found her way into the Catholic Church and spent the rest of her life caring for the homeless and mentally ill in the Bowery of New York.

Today we are confronted by the tragedy of the slaughter of innocents and at the same time we listen to John the Baptist’s clarion call to be what God has created us to be.  So often the real meaning of Christmas is buried in consumerism and superficial sentimentality.  We must break through all of that to rediscover our God who has become a little child to teach us how to love.

Years ago when I was a young priest in Washington, on a Saturday afternoon, I was waiting to celebrate a wedding at St. Matthew’s Cathedral.  My weddings were always notoriously late and that Saturday was no exception.  Finally the bride appeared at the door of the sacristy.  She looked lovely in her white gown and veil but I could see that she had been crying.  She said, “Padre, there will be no wedding today because my fiancée is in Buffalo New York and there is 6 feet of snow.  Please go to the church and tell the people there will be no wedding but that they should proceed directly to the reception.”  I went to the church, mounted the pulpit and made the announcement.  When I said: “There will be no wedding here today,” there was an audible gasp from the congregation.  But then I told them there would be a reception and they should proceed directly to the restaurant, and they all went off very happy.

That evening as I made my meditation, I reflected on that strange wedding and it occurred to me that it was like a parable of what Christmas has become.  We have the lights, the food, the music, and the presents, but the bridegroom is in Buffalo.  The Church gives us this season of Advent so that we might rescue the bridegroom and bring him back to the party.

The geography of Advent begins in the desert with John the Baptist preaching the Gospel of repentance, calling on the people to change their lives, to be converted and accept the good news of the Gospel.  In the Scriptures the desert is a place of testing, and a place of encountering God.  The reports about the massacre in Newtown test all of us.  But in these days before Christmas we must make time and space for God, to discover God’s presence among us and the reason for our existence.  Advent is an invitation to a way of life, the life of discipleship, of being part of Jesus’ family, his community, the Church.  For us the desert is not so much a place, as a time of silence and reflection that allows us to penetrate the mystery of Christ’s birth.

In the first Advent Mary is pregnant, and joyfully carries the Christ child in her womb.  She is, as Pope John Paul II says, “a living tabernacle carrying our Eucharistic Lord.  Today for the first time here at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross we will impart a special blessing that has been composed to bless a child in the womb.  The pregnant mothers in our midst are a sign to us of the joyful expectation of the coming of Christ.  And just as we bless these children asking for God’s loving protection on them and their mother, we look forward to the day when through the waters of baptism they will become members of Christ’s family, the Church.

The joy and enthusiasm of our country in 1963 over the birth of five tiny babies and the country’s pain and frustration over the loss of 20 innocent first graders are both a testimony that every child is precious.  Our prayer for these yet to be born is that they will live in a world that will be safer for children, a world where they will be nurtured, protected and loved.

- – -

Then, after the Mass, I was happy to have lunch with Msgr. Felix Ojimba. He is a priest from Nigeria who, for many years, was a chaplain at Mass. General and lived at the Cathedral.

He has relatives here in the area, but has now gone back to Nigeria where he is pastor of a very large parish and also has many other responsibilities in his diocese. He was in town for a medical visit and so came to see us at the Cathedral.

- – -

That evening, we had the Advent gathering of the Cardinal’s Leadership Circle with a Mass and a reception here at the Pastoral Center.

The gathering is an opportunity for us to express our gratitude for all the Leadership Circle does in supporting the ministries of the archdiocese.

It also gives us a chance to update them on important initiatives and events.

This year, we asked Bishop-elect Deeley and Father Michael Medas to make some remarks to the group.

Father Medas spoke of a new program underwritten by the Leadership Circle. He spoke of how important it is for newly ordained priests to have a mentoring relationship with an experienced priest of the archdiocese.

This program has already begun and all involved are finding very rewarding. A program like this is so important to our priests and the archdiocese, especially as we look to the important work of pastoral planning.

- – -

Monday morning, I met with Bishop-elect Deeley, our director of Pastoral Planning Father Paul Soper and our Secretary for Parish Life and Leadership Father Kevin Sepe to discuss the makeup of the collaboratives for the pastoral planning process. We had a very productive discussion.

Later, Father Tom Foley, stopped by to say hello.  Earlier this year, he began his service as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force,  and now stationed near Rapid City, South Dakota.

He is very pleased with his new ministry and we encouraged him in all that he is doing for the Church.

- – -

Wednesday, I attended the board meeting of the Redemptoris Mater archdiocesan missionary seminary.  We had a wonderful discussion about the progress they are making, and I had a chance to greet all the seminarians.

After our meeting, we had lunch together with the board and seminarians.

- – -

Yesterday, we held a lunch here at the Pastoral Center for all the employees who worked so hard on our campaign to defeat physician assisted suicide. It was an opportunity to thank them for their efforts and dedication.

So many different offices contributed their time and skills to the task of raising awareness and educating our people on this very important issue.

We particularly expressed our thanks to Janet Benestad, our Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization and to Scot Landry, our Secretary of Catholic Media.

- – -

Then, later in the afternoon, I celebrated the Mass for our annual Advent Gathering at the Pastoral Center.

It is a chance at this very special time of year to gather together with all our employees and express our gratitude for their service.

- – -

In the days leading up to Christmas, I am typically asked to conduct a number of interviews for local media.

My interview with Joe Mathieu of WBZ radio on Wednesday

So, this week, I spoke to New England Cable News, WBUR radio, WBZ radio and, this afternoon, I spoke to local affiliate of the Spanish-language network Univision.

Delivering a Christmas message for Univision

- – -

Finally, I would like to leave you with my Christmas message for this year:

On a starry night on a hillside outside of Bethlehem, choirs of angels shared the Good News of Jesus’ birth with shepherds tending their flocks. This was the first time that the message of God having come into the world in the person of Jesus was shared with anyone. Luke’s Gospel tells us that the shepherds went in haste and found Mary, Joseph and the infant. The shepherds then shared the news of that discovery with the people of the surrounding area, who all rejoiced to learn that the promise of the Messiah had been fulfilled and went forth giving praise and glory to God.

The belief of the shepherds who heard the voices of angels, and of the people who heard the shepherds’ testimony, set into motion a sharing of faith that has endured for more than two millennia and has spread to all corners of the world. We can barely imagine how much less our lives would be if those who heard of Jesus’ birth that first Christmas night did not believe, or if they did not share the joyous news with their families, friends and communities. But the people did believe, they did share the news, and we celebrate that the Word became man and dwelt among us.

The ancient world of Bethlehem needed the faith and enthusiasm of those who would proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, and so does our world today. In too many ways the darkness of oppression, persecution and lack of respect for human dignity threatens to overshadow us, and in too many ways the truth that each and every person is created in the image and likeness of God is denied.

The light of Christ shines through all darkness and guides us, it strengthens and sustains us in our most difficult moments, it assures us of the promise of eternal life. As the people of the Church we are called to share our faith with our families, friends and communities, to let the light of Christ shine forth in our world. We must work together as brothers and sisters to dispel the darkness and to help one another to live the call to holiness. By doing so we give the greatest and most enduring gift; the gift of life in Jesus Christ.

Let us be mindful of each other’s gift of faith and commit ourselves to work together for the good of the Church. Please be assured of my prayers and remembrance at Christmas and throughout the year.

- Cardinal Seán

As I returned from Rome this afternoon I learned of the tragic events that unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut today.

There are no words that can adequately express what the children and families at Sandy Hook Elementary School experienced and the shock and grief that have befallen the Newtown community and our nation. As people of faith we denounce and abhor violence of any kind. There is no circumstance that justifies the taking of innocent life and it is incomprehensible that children were the victims of this heinous act. At a time of such great distress we turn to Jesus, who is with us always, even in our most difficult moments, and extends His healing graces in the midst of our pain. We pray for those who lost their lives today, trusting that they have been received into the presence of the Lord, for their families and for all who are impacted by this national tragedy. Coming together with genuine care and concern for all people, we will find the strength to support one another going forward, confident that there is no darkness that can overcome the light of Christ

- – -

I have just returned from attending the Ecclesia in America international congress in Rome, which was held from Sunday to Wednesday. It marked the 15th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America.

However, before I get to the details of the congress, I want to mention an event that took place last week.

Each year during Advent, we host a Mass and luncheon here at the Pastoral Center for our senior priests who reside at Regina Cleri, the archdiocese’s residence for senior priests.

It is always wonderful to be able to gather with these men who have given so much to the life of the Church over so many years.

I also want to take this occasion to remind readers within the Archdiocese of Boston that our collection at Christmas Masses is one of our most important efforts in ensuring the care of our priests.

Joe D’Arrigo, the executive director of our Clergy Funds, wrote a wonderful article on this topic for this week’s Pilot. I urge you all to read it and to be generous in your support of them as they were generous in their ministry to the people of God.

- – -

After arriving in Rome on Sunday, I celebrated Mass at my church in Rome, Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Joining us at the Mass, in addition to the seminarians and Friars, was Dan Kelly who is the head of the Order of Malta in the United States. We met him on the plane, so we invited him to join us for the Mass and the lunch following.

Dan Kelly is pictured on the far left

- – -

The conference itself was inspiring. About 200 bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay people were invited to be a part of this congress, held to once again rekindle the efforts of Ecclesia in America to build a united Church out of all of North and South America. The Knights of Columbus were instrumental in sponsoring the congress, as well as the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

The congress centered around the theme of the new evangelization under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was a wonderful opportunity to be together with people from all over the hemisphere and to reflect on common problems and solutions; and to talk about the new evangelization in the context of immigration and the many other challenges of our hemisphere. We also spoke about sharing clergy and help that is being given by priests from Latin America.

Sunday night, we celebrated an inaugural Mass, at which the Holy Father addressed us.

The congress featured many different talks and workshops.

We heard an address from Supreme Knight Carl Anderson who spoke on the laity’s role in the new evangelization and the example of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego.

There were wonderful talks by Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, who was postulator for the cause for canonization of St. Juan Diego, in which he talked about the theology and ministry of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the great role that the apparitions played in the evangelization of Mexico.

Until the apparitions, there were practically no conversions to Catholicism in Mexico, however, after the Blessed Mother appeared there were an immediate explosion of conversions.

In my talk, I spoke about the different ways the churches can collaborate. I gave examples from my own ministry working with immigrants from Latin America and gave a bit of history of past collaborations.

For example, I spoke of the Seminary of Montezuma in the Southwestern United Sates with the help of U.S. bishops to train Mexican seminarians during the time of the persecutions in that country and now there is a seminary in Mexico that is sending seminarians to work in the United States. I also talked about the challenges of trying to evangelize the culture, the need for the Church to find a voice in the public square, and the need to find articulate lay people to help in political life and the needs of communications.

At the general audience with the whole congress, we once again had an opportunity to be with the Holy Father and to congratulate Msgr. Georg Gänswein who has been appointed take Cardinal Jim Harvey’s place as Prefect of the Pontifical Household.

We also had the privilege of being present for the occasion of the Holy Father sending his first tweet.

I think this is an important sign that the Holy Father wants to be present in the world of communications, particularly in the forms of communications being used by young people.

This was a wonderful event which allowed many young people to feel a special connection to the Holy Father and to the Church.

In the audience hall was a beautiful life-size crèche brought by the Mexicans made out of beeswax.

We ended at the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a Mass at Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s titular church, Santa Maria in Traspontina, on the Via della Conciliazione.

- – -

During this time, reflecting on Our Lady of Guadalupe, I wrote a special blog post that I published on Tuesday. In case some of you may have missed it I would like to share with you here:

Embracing the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe during this Year of Faith

I have been attending the “Ecclesia in America” conference in Rome, which addresses the history and future of the Church in America. The conference runs from December 9 to 12, concluding with an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.

I wanted to share with you a message regarding the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and my hope that all Catholics will embrace the celebration of this important feast day in the life of our Church.

12-12-12 is an interesting date, as it represents the last time in this century that the month, day and year will all match. But December 12 for Catholics, during this Year of Faith, is also a very important day.

First, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI (@pontifex), begins his tweeting ministry, symbolizing in a new way the Church’s embrace of technology and tools of communication as a way to share the eternal and saving Truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The other reason for the day’s importance, and one of the factors in Pope Benedict’s choosing of this day to launch his newest communication initiative, is that it is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who we revere as the Mother of the New Evangelization and the Patroness of all the Americas (North, South and Central). After Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego 481 years ago, one of the most rapid periods of evangelization in the history of the Church began.

During this Year of Faith, I ask all Catholics to study the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego. Our Catholic brothers and sisters from Mexico and in Central and South American countries are devoted to her motherly care, but many Catholics raised in the United States are not as aware of what happened in December of 1531 as I hope they soon will be. Now is a great time for this connection with Our Lady of Guadalupe to be established, renewed or deepened. We can begin by attending Mass and praying a family Rosary on December 12.

God has often called unlikely people to great missions. It was true with St. Peter, many of the saints, and for St. Juan Diego. This is a great lesson for all of us as we are all called to do our part in the New Evangelization.

When the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill, he was a simple, humble, 57-year-old widower known for walking with his head down and shuffling his feet. He was an Aztec Indian who had been baptized only seven years before by the Franciscan missionaries. Every Saturday and Sunday he would walk 15 miles each way to Mass. As he was journeying one cold Saturday morning, he heard a voice calling from the top of a hill, “Juanito,” “Dieguito,” “Come here!” He scaled the rocky slope, where at the top he saw the Blessed Virgin Mary arrayed in splendor.

Our Lady announced she was on a mission of mercy and wanted him to be her messenger to the bishop of Mexico City to ask him to build a church on Tepeyac Hill. Obeying simply and immediately, Juan Diego headed in his simple peasant’s outfit to the bishop’s residence, where he was forced to wait for hours in an outdoor courtyard. Eventually the bishop received him, treated him with kindness, but was skeptical regarding the message. Juan Diego left feeling like a complete failure.

Returning to Our Lady on Tepeyac Hill, he said that he had struck out. “I beg you, Noble Lady,” he implored, “to entrust this message to someone of importance, someone well-known and respected, so that your wish will be accomplished. For I am only a lowly peasant and you, my Lady, have sent me to a place where I have no standing. Forgive me if I have disappointed you for having failed in my mission.”

The Virgin smiled tenderly on him and said, “Listen to me, my dearest son, and understand that I have many servants and messengers whom I could charge with the delivery of my message. But it is altogether necessary that you should be the one to undertake this mission and that it be through your mediation and assistance that my wish should be accomplished. I urge you to go to the Bishop again tomorrow. Tell him in my name and make him fully understand my disposition, that he should undertake the erection of the teocalli (temple) for which I ask. And repeat to him that it is I in person, the ever Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, who send you.”

With trepidation, Juan Diego went again. The bishop’s overprotective staff greeted him with exasperation. He was told the bishop was busy with more important matters. He told them he was willing to wait — and did, for several hours in the frigid outdoor courtyard. When he finally met the bishop again, he repeated, with fervor and tears, the message of Our Lady entrusted to him. The bishop asked some questions. Though moved by Juan Diego’s sincerity, he wasn’t going to build a church in a desolate spot on the basis of one native’s unsubstantiated word. To test the message, the bishop asked him for a special secret sign from Our Lady. Juan Diego left at once to ask for the sign.

Arriving back at Tepeyac, the Virgin told him to return the following day to receive the sign to bring the bishop. That sign turned out to be Castillian roses, which had not yet been introduced to Mexico, growing on the top of a stony hill in frigid December temperatures. Juan Diego was instructed to bring them back to the bishop in his tilma (a tilma is a cloak or apron). When he returned to the bishop, as he opened up his tilma, the bishop saw the roses from his native Castille, the sign he was seeking. He and everyone else also saw something even more miraculous: some of the roses had melted into the tilma and produced the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe: our Lady, dressed like a pregnant Aztec princess, was giving witness that she was ready to give birth to Christ among the Mexican people and on our continent. The bishop immediately fell to his knees, and came to believe in Juan Diego’s message. A church was built on the spot of the apparition, as Mary had requested.

Until that moment, there had been relatively few conversions among the Mexican people, who associated Christianity more with the conquistadors than the Franciscans. But in the decade after the appearance of the Blessed Mother as one of them, over ten million Mexicans were baptized.

Juan Diego’s tilma has been the subject of much research. The tilma, woven out of coarse cactus and vegetable fibers, should have disintegrated after 20 years, but although nearly 500 years have passed the tilma is still in great condition. The pupils of Mary in the picture reflect the Indians and clergy present at the time of the first revelation of the image. No paint was used, and chemical analysis has not been able to identify the color imprint. Additionally, studies have revealed that the stars on Mary’s mantle match exactly what a Mexican would have seen in the sky in December of 1531.

Juan Diego thought there were others who would have been more fitting ambassadors to bring such an important message from so important a person, but the Blessed Mother chose him and she helped him fulfill the mission. She will also help each of us fulfill our part in her Son’s plan of salvation.

Let us turn to Our Lady of Guadalupe during this Year of Faith. She desperately wants the birth of a New Evangelization. May she continue to bring her motherly care to the Americas, the United States and to us in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

I wanted to share with you a message regarding the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and my hope that all Catholics will embrace the celebration of this important feast day in the life of our Church.

12-12-12 is an interesting date, as it represents the last time in this century that the month, day and year will all match. But December 12 for Catholics, during this Year of Faith, is also a very important day.

First, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI (@pontifex), begins his tweeting ministry, symbolizing in a new way the Church’s embrace of technology and tools of communication as a way to share the eternal and saving Truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The other reason for the day’s importance, and one of the factors in Pope Benedict’s choosing of this day to launch his newest communication initiative, is that it is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who we revere as the Mother of the New Evangelization and the Patroness of all the Americas (North, South and Central). After Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego 481 years ago, one of the most rapid periods of evangelization in the history of the Church began.

During this Year of Faith, I ask all Catholics to study the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego. Our Catholic brothers and sisters from Mexico and in Central and South American countries are devoted to her motherly care, but many Catholics raised in the United States are not as aware of what happened in December of 1531 as I hope they soon will be. Now is a great time for this connection with Our Lady of Guadalupe to be established, renewed or deepened. We can begin by attending Mass and praying a family Rosary on December 12.

God has often called unlikely people to great missions. It was true with St. Peter, many of the saints, and for St. Juan Diego. This is a great lesson for all of us as we are all called to do our part in the New Evangelization.

When the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill, he was a simple, humble, 57-year-old widower known for walking with his head down and shuffling his feet. He was an Aztec Indian who had been baptized only seven years before by the Franciscan missionaries. Every Saturday and Sunday he would walk 15 miles each way to Mass. As he was journeying one cold Saturday morning, he heard a voice calling from the top of a hill, “Juanito,” “Dieguito,” “Come here!” He scaled the rocky slope, where at the top he saw the Blessed Virgin Mary arrayed in splendor.

Our Lady announced she was on a mission of mercy and wanted him to be her messenger to the bishop of Mexico City to ask him to build a church on Tepeyac Hill. Obeying simply and immediately, Juan Diego headed in his simple peasant’s outfit to the bishop’s residence, where he was forced to wait for hours in an outdoor courtyard. Eventually the bishop received him, treated him with kindness, but was skeptical regarding the message. Juan Diego left feeling like a complete failure.

Returning to Our Lady on Tepeyac Hill, he said that he had struck out. “I beg you, Noble Lady,” he implored, “to entrust this message to someone of importance, someone well-known and respected, so that your wish will be accomplished. For I am only a lowly peasant and you, my Lady, have sent me to a place where I have no standing. Forgive me if I have disappointed you for having failed in my mission.”

The Virgin smiled tenderly on him and said, “Listen to me, my dearest son, and understand that I have many servants and messengers whom I could charge with the delivery of my message. But it is altogether necessary that you should be the one to undertake this mission and that it be through your mediation and assistance that my wish should be accomplished. I urge you to go to the Bishop again tomorrow. Tell him in my name and make him fully understand my disposition, that he should undertake the erection of the teocalli (temple) for which I ask. And repeat to him that it is I in person, the ever Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, who send you.”

With trepidation, Juan Diego went again. The bishop’s overprotective staff greeted him with exasperation. He was told the bishop was busy with more important matters. He told them he was willing to wait — and did, for several hours in the frigid outdoor courtyard. When he finally met the bishop again, he repeated, with fervor and tears, the message of Our Lady entrusted to him. The bishop asked some questions. Though moved by Juan Diego’s sincerity, he wasn’t going to build a church in a desolate spot on the basis of one native’s unsubstantiated word. To test the message, the bishop asked him for a special secret sign from Our Lady. Juan Diego left at once to ask for the sign.

Arriving back at Tepeyac, the Virgin told him to return the following day to receive the sign to bring the bishop. That sign turned out to be Castillian roses, which had not yet been introduced to Mexico, growing on the top of a stony hill in frigid December temperatures. Juan Diego was instructed to bring them back to the bishop in his tilma (a tilma is a cloak or apron). When he returned to the bishop, as he opened up his tilma, the bishop saw the roses from his native Castille, the sign he was seeking. He and everyone else also saw something even more miraculous: some of the roses had melted into the tilma and produced the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe: our Lady, dressed like a pregnant Aztec princess, was giving witness that she was ready to give birth to Christ among the Mexican people and on our continent. The bishop immediately fell to his knees, and came to believe in Juan Diego’s message. A church was built on the spot of the apparition, as Mary had requested.

Until that moment, there had been relatively few conversions among the Mexican people, who associated Christianity more with the conquistadors than the Franciscans. But in the decade after the appearance of the Blessed Mother as one of them, over ten million Mexicans were baptized.

Juan Diego’s tilma has been the subject of much research. The tilma, woven out of coarse cactus and vegetable fibers, should have disintegrated after 20 years, but although nearly 500 years have passed the tilma is still in great condition. The pupils of Mary in the picture reflect the Indians and clergy present at the time of the first revelation of the image. No paint was used, and chemical analysis has not been able to identify the color imprint. Additionally, studies have revealed that the stars on Mary’s mantle match exactly what a Mexican would have seen in the sky in December of 1531.

Juan Diego thought there were others who would have been more fitting ambassadors to bring such an important message from so important a person, but the Blessed Mother chose him and she helped him fulfill the mission. She will also help each of us fulfill our part in her Son’s plan of salvation.

Let us turn to Our Lady of Guadalupe during this Year of Faith. She desperately wants the birth of a New Evangelization. May she continue to bring her motherly care to the Americas, the United States and to us in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Dr. Silber was an extraordinary man who was president, and later chancellor, of Boston University, which is one of the very large universities in Boston.

Dr. Silber was a native of San Antonio, Texas. He was a profoundly religious man and was a good friend of Cardinal Medeiros from the days when Cardinal Medeiros was the Bishop of Brownsville.

When Dr. Silber came to Boston University, and began his extraordinary work of transforming it into the very high quality institution that it is today, he instituted a wonderful scholarship program named after his friend Cardinal Medeiros — the Medeiros Scholarships.

Under that program, a graduate from each of the Catholic high schools in the archdiocese is given a full four-year scholarship to Boston University. This has continued under Dr. Robert Brown, and we are very, very grateful for that. I always look forward to being part of the awarding of those scholarships every spring.

The 2012 Medeiros Scholars

Dr. Silber had been a student of theology and philosophy. He was particularly interested in Kantian philosophy. He was always very supportive of the Catholic ministry at Boston University and he used to joke that Boston University was the largest Catholic University in Boston! In fact, they may have more Catholic students than even our own Boston College. But they have always been blessed with a wonderful campus ministry, formerly with the Brotherhood of Hope and Mother Olga Yacob and now under the direction of Msgr. John McLaughlin.

It has been a few weeks since John Silber passed away but the University just organized this memorial service in his honor. I would say that there were about 800 people in attendance. They had a very fascinating, academic-type of program — as you might expect for someone who had been so connected to the university world. Among the very colorful speakers was Thomas Wolfe, author of the famous “Bonfire of the Vanities”. He was a very old and close friend of Dr. Silber and spoke very much about his association with Dr. Silber.

Two of the speakers were present through video and one of them was Dr. Henry Kissinger who had become a close friend of Dr. Silber when he was a member of the Commission on Latin America during the Reagan Administration.

It was, in fact, also during that period when I first met Dr. Silber, because he interviewed me at one point about the situation in Central America. It was the first time I had met him and, at the time, I was Bishop in the West Indies. There was also a video presentation by Elie Wiesel, the famous Jewish Holocaust survivor and author. He had been brought to Boston University by Dr. Silber. There were several musical presentations as well and of course remembrances by the current president of BU Dr. Robert Brown and many others.

Boston University President Dr. Robert Brown

Dr. Silber also made an incredible contribution to the public school system in Chelsea and is credited with incredible growth at Boston University. He was also a very pro-life individual. I had him address the Catholic lawyers at the Red Mass a few years ago and he did an outstanding job.

Dr. Silber speaking at the 2005 Red Mass Luncheon

He was a man who had a beautiful family. Everything he did he did well. I considered him a friend, and pray for him and his family.

- – -

Thursday I visited the Greek Orthodox Metropolis for the celebration of Vespers on the Vigil of the Feast of St. Andrew, accompanied by Dr. Vito Nicastro and father David Michael of our Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

St. Peter and St. Andrew, who were brothers, were the founders of the Churches in Rome and Constantinople. Each year we have the customary exchange of visits with the Orthodox on our patronal feasts, in a sense, mirroring here in Boston the practice of the Holy See.

Venerating the icon of St. Andrew

On the Feast of St. Andrew, the Holy Father sends a representative to the Phanar to be present to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Here in Boston, I go to the Metropolitan Cathedral Chapel for Vespers, and Metropolitan Methodios joins us for our Vespers service on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The loaves are a symbol of St. Andrew because he was the one who told Jesus “Look there is a boy here with five loaves and two fish…” at the miraculous feeding of the 5,000

After the service, there was a collation and I had an opportunity to greet many members of the Greek Orthodox community who were there.

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During this time of Advent, we have many days of recollection for priests in the different regions of the archdiocese. Bishop Dooher organized the meeting for the South Region at Glastonbury Abbey on Friday. The retreat master was Father James Kelly, the Guardian at the Arch Street Shrine in downtown Boston.

At the luncheon, we celebrated Msgr. Bill Glynn’s 90th birthday.

- – -

Our new incipient religious community, the Daughters of Nazareth, follow the spirituality of St. Charles de Foucault. So on Saturday I was very happy to visit them and celebrate Mass for the feast day of the saint.

- – -

Then, I celebrated the Mass that afternoon at St. Edith Stein Parish in Brockton and I blessed the new Chapel area that they have prepared in the lower church. Afterwards, I was very pleased to be able to join a group of the local clergy for dinner.

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Sunday, we welcomed the Vienna Boys Choir to the Cathedral for a very beautiful concert. During the first part of the program they sang a lot of Baroque music as well as some modern music. Then, the second half of the program featured Christmas carols.

We were very surprised and pleased by the turnout for the concert. We were only expecting about 800 or 900 people, but we estimate there were about 1,500 or more.

Many people brought their children, which I think is wonderful. I suspect children do not often have a chance to hear this kind of music, but the fact that the choir itself was made up of children was a draw.

They told us a little bit of the history of the Vienna Boys Choir. It is about 500 years old and they were the singers of the imperial court in Vienna. Indeed, last summer they sang at the funeral of Otto von Habsburg the son of Blessed Karl von Habsburg who is buried at the Capuchin church in Vienna.

There are 100 boys in the choir and it is divided into four groups who travel around the world giving concerts. They said each year about a half-million people hear them perform. I’m glad we, here in Boston, were among them.

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Monday, we had a gathering to bring together some of the faith leaders who worked with us during the physician-assisted suicide campaign.

We shared some reflections on the effort and then we had a very good time of conversation.

It was a very nice moment, particularly because there were number of groups we had not worked with before, so it was nice to have them there.

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In the afternoon I met with Father Michael Harrington, Father Jude Osunkwo and representatives of the Nigerian Catholic Community here in the archdiocese, which worships at St. Katharine Drexel.

They wanted to update me on some of their activities and plans for the future.

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That evening, we had our annual Advent Mass for the members of the order of Malta, during which Bishop-elect Deeley was received as chaplain of the order. Normally, this would have been done at the Order’s national gathering in November, however, that meeting coincided with the announcement that the Holy Father had selected him to be a bishop.

As part of this ceremony, he was given a stole which denotes him as a chaplain.

Afterward, there was a dinner at which we thanked Suzanne Downing, who is the outgoing chair.

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On Tuesday I went to the women’s correctional institution in Framingham.

We had lunch there at the restaurant that they have set up to train women for careers in food service. They also train women for careers in cosmetology and hairdressing.

After lunch, I had Mass for the women and then I visited those in the infirmary and isolation. Then, I had another meeting with women who are in the prerelease program.

Of course, at this time of the year it is difficult for women who are in prison, as many of them are mothers unable to be with their children.

During the visit I met a man, who I presume was a grandfather, carrying a little child. The little girl said, “I come every Tuesday to see my mommy.” She was only two years old. He said he takes her to Mass every Sunday. It was very nice because it was obvious that he was trying to teach her about God.

Sister Maureen Clark has been the chaplain there for over 20 years. (I told her, “That’s a long sentence!”) But she has done just an extraordinary job and has implemented many innovative programs for the women. One of them is to have them read stories that are recorded and played for the children. In that way, they can read to their children, even though they cannot be with them.

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That evening we had our final Archdiocesan Pastoral Council meeting of the year, at which we thanked those who are finishing their terms. There are number who are finishing their terms already. We had a very good presentation by Michael Levine on the year of faith and different programs around the new evangelization.

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On Wednesday, I attended the Missionary Childhood Association’s first annual Mission Education Day at Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton. The day was originally scheduled at the cathedral in October, which is Mission Month, but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.

The Missionary Childhood Association is one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies in our Church. It is geared toward children.

We invited all the elementary schools and parish religious education programs in the archdiocese to send student representatives, and an adult moderator or two, to be commissioned as the official Mission Representatives for their schools or parishes.

Participants heard from Father Rocco Puopolo, a Xaverian Father who was a missionary in Sierra Leone and Sister Lisa Valentini about her time in Peru, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

They talked about the importance of children being members of the Missionary Childhood Association, to not only grow in their faith but also to increase their awareness of the needs of others and how the Church is at work helping children around the world.

At the Mass, I blessed mission crosses that the children will wear at their school or parish as a sign of their new responsibility.

Each group also made a craft based on the World Mission Rosary to take back to their school or church to hang as a mission centerpiece.

In my remarks, I urged the students to become more deeply involved with the missionary work of the Church and that this was going to be just the first of many great days like this of students coming together to learn more about their missionary vocation.

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Wednesday afternoon I attended an informational session on Project Rachel with many priests who want to become more acquainted and more involved with the program. Project Rachel is a healing ministry for both women and men who are suffering because of a past abortion.

I thanked them for their participation and asked them to make their fellow priests aware of what was happening in this very important priestly ministry of healing and outreach to people whose lives have been damaged by an abortion. I urge you all to learn more about this important healing ministry.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

The Holy Father surprised everyone by announcing a consistory on the weekend of Christ the King which, of course, here in United States was also Thanksgiving weekend. For that reason, we moved up the Cheverus Awards to the previous Sunday.

Father Bob Kickham traveled with me, and we arrived in Rome on Thanksgiving Day. Early in the morning, after taking a bit of a nap, we went for a walk to enjoy the beautiful weather and then went to concelebrate the Mass at the Pontifical North American College.

Some people may not avert to the fact that Thanksgiving is not observed as a holiday in other countries, but because for us Americans this is such an important day, the North American College was a logical place for American ex-pats and visitors to assemble.

The seminary community hosted a beautiful celebration of the Eucharist and Thanksgiving dinner.

There were several hundred people there, including several American bishops and cardinals. We concelebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving with Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, who is now the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher and had, at one time, been the rector of the North American College. It was a very moving celebration of the Eucharist and afterwards there was the traditional turkey dinner —preceded by a pasta course of pumpkin ravioli!

Then the seminarians sang some songs.

The rector, Msgr. James Checchio, greeted everyone and thanked them for their presence.

Guests were seated according to the area of the U.S. they were from, so we had Thanksgiving dinner with our seminarians and Msgr. Connie McRae, Msgr. William Helmick and Father Nichols as well as two seminarians from Vermont.

They had markers for the tables of the different areas. On our table was a photograph of Plymouth Rock to remind people that the first Thanksgiving was in our state.  The Vermonters had syrup and a Yankee Candle.

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Saturday was the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The ceremony has been somewhat streamlined and takes place in one ceremony. Previously, there was a separate “ring Mass” the day following the consistory. Now, the new cardinals receive the red hat, cardinal’s ring and the assignment of their titular church in one celebration and the following day is simply Mass of Thanksgiving.

The fact that there were only six Cardinals named made for a shorter ceremony but, more importantly, gave us the opportunity to interact with each of the new cardinals. It was very nice to be able to get to know them. The Holy Father of course gave wonderful homilies, both at the consistory on Saturday and the Mass for the Feast of Christ the King on Sunday.

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Following the consistory, people have an opportunity to greet the new cardinals in the Apostolic Palace. It is one of the few opportunities that the public has to see this great representation of the artistic patrimony of the Church.

Cardinal Onaiyekan

Cardinal Tagle

Cardinal Gomez

Cardinal Harvey

Cardinal Thottunkal

Patriarch Rai

The Apostolic Palace is very interesting in that there are hardly any furnishings. There are no curtains or carpets. The walls, the ceilings the floors — just everything — has been so beautifully decorated, they are unnecessary. There, one is just surrounded by beauty.

The Vatican does a great service to humanity by preserving all this artwork and making it available for generations of people to see and appreciate. It has always been the practice of the Church to promote art and beauty as a way to lead people to glimpse the beauty of God. Certainly in St. Peter’s Basilica and the Apostolic Palace, we see how this has been accomplished.

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As I mentioned, on Sunday, the Feast of Christ the King, was the Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by the Holy Father. The Basilica was packed with pilgrims, visitors and guests of the new cardinals.

At that Mass, the American Cardinal James Harvey, who was in a sense the ranking prelate of the group, spoke on behalf of the new cardinals and he gave a very beautiful address. He is obviously a man who has served the Holy Father for many years— both Pope Benedict XVI and Blessed John Paul II as the Prefect of the Papal Household since 1998.

There was a luncheon afterwards at the North American College with many of the American cardinals, bishops and pilgrims to honor Cardinal Harvey. His immediate family, including his mother, was with him. At the lunch, Cardinal Harvey gave another address that was very witty, yet very profound.

Besides being given his titular church of St. Pius V in Rome, the Holy Father has named Cardinal Harvey archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the major basilicas of Rome and the site of the tomb of St. Paul. It is staffed by the Benedictines and they have a monastery there.

I was very happy to be able to visit the Basilica during our 2007 Catholic–Orthodox pilgrimage to Rome and Constantinople led by myself and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios.

Before we arrived on that pilgrimage, I had written asking if someone would be available to give us a tour.

I was quite surprised when the Abbot himself met us at the door and arranged a prayer service, during which he produced the chains of St. Paul for our veneration.

As part of the prayer service, he read a letter from St. John Chrysostom who was the Patriarch of Constantinople and is a very important saint to both the Orthodox and Catholics. In the letter, St. John wrote that his ardent desire was to go to Rome and visit the Church of St. Paul, so that he could venerate the very chains that we were venerating. It was a very moving experience.

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Also while I was in Rome, I was visited by Father Lucio Bonora who presented me with his book about Blessed Andrew Hyacinth Longhin, a Capuchin who was bishop of Treviso, Italy.

I was also invited to the studios of Rome Reports. They gave me a tour of the studios and I recorded an interview with them:

Also Sunday, before we left, we had another opportunity to gather with our priests and seminarians working in Rome.

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Tuesday, Father David Michael of our Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and I met with Derek Shulman, the regional director of the of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League and members of his board of directors at the Cathedral. They came to speak about preparations for the 100th anniversary of the ADL and the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate.

The ADL has worked very closely with the archdiocese on some educational programs and interreligious outreach and we look forward to working with them on these issues as well.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

As I do every year on Thanksgiving week, I am posting my blog a bit early. In the past, it has always been to allow me to spend time with my family on Thanksgiving and the days following. However, this year I will be in Rome for the consistory for the creation of six new cardinals. I’ll share the details of my trip with you next week.

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Last Thursday, I was visited by Sister Barbara Dawson, Sister Margaret Causey and Sister Barbara Rogers of the Society of the Sacred Heart. The order has about 25 sisters working in the Archdiocese. It was a courtesy visit and we spoke a little bit about the ministry of the sisters.

Sister Barbara Dawson had been in the missions in Indonesia and she came back to the states to become provincial.

The sisters of the Sacred Heart have a network of very fine girl’s schools throughout the country. Here in the Archdiocese, they run the Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart. Sister Barbara Rogers is the principal there.

I told them that my aunt and cousins were very involved in their schools. In fact, my cousin was the principal of Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami for a number of years.

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Later that day, I took part in an online chat on Boston.com. The Globe periodically invites people to conduct a sort of live interview, in which people send questions and you type your responses.

I was answering questions for about an hour and I understand there were about 400 people following the discussion.

This was a new experience for me — I had never been in a “chat room” before! I had my misgivings originally, but in retrospect I understand that this is something young Catholics are participating in and it is another way for us to reach them. Obviously, the newspaper has also discovered readership of broadsheets is shrinking and the Internet is the way that people are getting their news and connecting.

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Then, in the afternoon I was visited by Ed Condon to speak about the Domus Jerusalem project.

This is an effort begun at the urging of the late-Archbishop Pietro Sambi to build a Catholic center in Jerusalem next to the site of the Garden of Gethsemane and overlooking the Temple Mount. I was asked to be the president of the foundation supporting this effort.

Overlooking the planned site of the Domus Jerusalem during a visit last year

God willing, we will have a group of people interested in helping this project visit the Holy Land in the spring, coinciding with the time that I am there on the retreat with our priests.

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Saturday morning, I visited Catholic Charities’ Yawkey Center in Dorchester to help with the distribution of Thanksgiving meals.

I was there with Catholic Charities’ president Debbie Rambo and Mike Durkin, president of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and many other volunteers.

This was just one of several distribution sites in the archdiocese. At that site they gave away about 2,000 turkeys but I understand at all the different sites they gave out more than 7,000 Thanksgiving meals.

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Later that day I presided at the annual installation of new members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Northeastern Lieutenancy of the United States.

This year the ceremony was held at St. Augustine’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island.

As the grand prior of this lieutenancy it is a privilege to install the new members of the Order.

John Monahan is Lieutenant. In all, there were about 40 people who were invested into the order.

The Order of the Holy Sepulcher has a wonderful tradition that goes back to the 13th century. They are very supportive of the Christian community and sacred places in the Holy Land and they do very important work to keep the schools, clinics and shrines running in that part of the world.

Cardinal Egan was invited to be the keynote speaker at the banquet following the Installation Mass. We were also pleased to be joined by a number of other bishops as well, including several from New England.

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Sunday, we presented our annual Cheverus Awards at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Ordinarily, we hold the Cheverus Awards celebration on the Feast of Christ the King. However, this year we moved it up one week because of the consistory.

This year, we recognized 122 people, representing nominees from one-third of the parishes and a number of agencies and ministries of the archdiocese.

In my homily, I spoke to the people a little bit about the history of the archdiocese and the wonderful ministry of Bishop Cheverus, our first bishop.

He was a missionary here in New England for about 27 years, between his time as a priest and a bishop. He did extraordinary work with the immigrant and Native American communities in Boston at the time. He won the friendship of the Protestant community and was a great force for good. He was even involved in choosing the motto of the city of Boston which comes from the book of Kings “Sicut Patribus, Sit Deus Nobis” — “May God be with us, as he was with our fathers”.

I also spoke about Bishop Cheverus’ episcopal motto, “diligamus nos invicem” — “Let us love one another” — which is engraved on the medal. I said it is a beautiful summary of what this award is about: showing our gratitude to God around this time of Thanksgiving for the wonderful volunteers and people who make such sacrifices and so faithfully serve the church. They do this out of love for Christ and love for their brothers and sisters.

Afterwards, there was a reception in the lower level of the Cathedral. It was a great joy to be able to greet many of the Cheverus Award recipients and their families.

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Monday, I visited Essex County prison to celebrate Mass and visit with the Sheriff and his staff.

With Sheriff Frank Cousins

I was very happy to be with Father Curran, a Missionhurst priest, who works there and the delightful group of volunteers.

Following the Mass, I visited the prisoners in the different cellblocks.

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Later, I was visited by the Commandant of the Swiss Guard, Daniel Anrig. He was accompanied by Andreas Widmer. He was in Boston taking some time to study English, so he paid me a visit.

As a gift, he presented me with Swiss Guard’s calendar. It contains a number of images and stories illustrating the history and day-to-day activities of this extraordinary group of men whose duty is to protect the Holy Father.

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Wednesday, I conducted an interview with Jon Keller of WBZ.

We spoke on a number of issues including our efforts to defeat the physician assisted suicide ballot initiative and the granting of in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. If you didn’t happen to catch it when it aired, you can view it here.

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In the afternoon, I met with the pro-life directors from the New England dioceses. The directors meet twice a year at the Pastoral Center to discuss current pro-life issues and share resources and information on programs they are conducting.

Several dioceses have new pro-life directors who were attending their first meeting.

I shared with them some reflections on our efforts to defeat Question 2 and its implications nationally and also for the other New England states.

During the meeting, we also bid farewell to Mark Mutty of the Maine Catholic Conference, who will be retiring next year, after more than 30 years of service to the Church in public policy affairs.

We presented Mark a gift from the group of an icon of the Good Shepherd in recognition of his faithful service.

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Our country has a wonderful custom dating back to colonial times of celebrating a day in which we give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received: the blessings of freedom, of our prosperity and all the personal blessings we have received in our families.

One of the ways that we demonstrate our gratitude to God is by sharing the gifts that we have received with others. At this time of year, there are many different groups that reach out to help people in difficult circumstances, particularly with the present economy and high unemployment rate. I am grateful to the many different organizations that work to help families on this very important day and throughout the year.

At Thanksgiving, as we consider all the wonderful blessings we have been given, we should all consider how we can share those blessings with others.

I wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving and safe trip to all who are travelling!

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

This week I was pleased to accept the proposal of the Archdiocesan Planning Commission, “Disciples in Mission”. We held a press conference Thursday to make the announcement.

I’d like share my remarks with you here:

Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining us as we announce the beginning of a major new initiative that will strengthen the Church in the Archdiocese of Boston and ensure a bright future for many years to come.
On Aug. 30, 2012 I received the proposal ”Disciples in Mission — A Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Boston” from Monsignor William Fay, Deacon Chuck Clough, and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission. Since then, the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council, Pastoral Council, Finance Council and Cabinet have shared their guidance and advice regarding the proposal, and much time has been given to prayer and reflection. Today, with gratitude for the significant time and effort many have given to this important work, I give my formal acceptance to ”Disciples in Mission” and commit myself and the resources of the Archdiocese to the implementation of this plan.

”Disciples in Mission” is centered on the New Evangelization: the work of reaching out to our brothers and sisters and reawakening the faith of Catholics who are not active in the life of the Church. We are at a crossroads in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States and in this Archdiocese. Mass attendance and participation in parish life have declined over the past two generations. Though the challenge of renewing the Church will call for significant effort and a new way of staffing our parishes, we are committed to re-engaging the culture, the current generation of Catholics and providing a strong foundation for those who will follow us.

Our Catholic faith is our most precious gift. The person of Jesus Christ and his life with us in the Sacraments and in the Scriptures is of infinite value, unchanging and handed on to us through time. Having been entrusted with this treasure, we must share it with every person, because God has called all of us to holiness. Jesus is the center, the heart, the reason for our lives. He is the answer to all of our deepest questions and His presence is as important for people of this generation as for all who have gone before us.

Parishes are the heart of the New Evangelization; they must be well staffed and financially sound so as to be effective in this mission. For this purpose, the pastoral plan groups the parishes of the Archdiocese into approximately 135 collaboratives. Each parish maintains its own identity in a collaborative. Each parish retains its buildings, its canonical rights, its financial assets and obligations. The collaborative, however, will have one Pastor who will work with one Pastoral Team, one Parish Pastoral Council and one Parish Finance Council. Together they will develop a pastoral plan for their local collaborative, focused on serving the needs of their parishes and advancing the mission of the Church. Joined together in a collaborative, our parishes will be better equipped to celebrate the Sacraments, provide religious formation for children and adults, respond to the pastoral needs of the sick and infirm and assist those in need of material assistance, through the lens of Evangelization.

Msgr. Fay

The principal reason for our moving forward with pastoral planning is to promote the New Evangelization. We are fortunate to have received a plan that will allow us to do so while making the best use of the available human resources, including our priests and deacons. The plan to implement a new model of leadership at the collaboratives does not mean that we are leaving behind the model of a priest being assigned as the pastor of one parish. It is my fervent hope, encouraged by a significant increase in seminary enrollment during recent years, that a greater number of ordinations to the priesthood will allow us to again assign priests as pastors of individual parishes.

The successful implementation of ”Disciples in Mission” will call for leadership training for all of our parishes. We are committed to providing that necessary training for Pastors, Priests, Deacons, Pastoral Teams, Parish Councils, and Finance Councils, The training will encompass the theology and practice of the New Evangelization and best practices in leadership and management for collaboration. In order to lead the way in this effort and then assist in the training at our parishes, the staff of the Pastoral Center and the Central Ministries of the Archdiocese will be the first participants in the training programs.

Change always brings both hope and anxiety. We know that this proposal calls for significant changes in the way we allocate our resources and work together. I am committed to proceed in a manner that will responsibly account for our present needs but not be disruptive to our parishes and the faithful. In order to provide the best opportunity for all our parishes to experience the full range of benefits of collaboration, ”Disciples in Mission” will be implemented in a series of phases over the next five years. This gradual process will allow us to learn from the experiences of the initial phases and provide sufficient support at every stage of this process.

In concert with our Pastoral Planning efforts, auxiliary Bishop Arthur Kennedy, Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization, is developing and promoting programs for strengthening the Catholic faith in the Archdiocese. Among the initiatives being overseen by Bishop Kennedy is the Theological Initiative for the New Evangelization at St. John’s Seminary. His work and leadership will be essential to insuring a productive implementation across the many ministries of the Archdiocese.

At this time I wish to publicly express my gratitude to Monsignor Fay, Deacon Clough and the Pastoral Planning Commission, to parish pastoral staffs, parish leadership, and to all of the people of the Archdiocese of Boston whose input, feedback and prayers have contributed to this process. In particular, I wish to express my appreciation for the fine work of Father Paul Soper, our interim director of pastoral planning, who is helping to lead the day-to-day activities as we begin to set forth on this important journey in the life of the Church. His work, and that of many others who have contributed to this effort, has helped us to reach this important moment. I also wish to express my gratitude to the priests of the Archdiocese, who have generously given much time and effort to this process and, moving forward, will be key leaders in the ongoing work of evangelization and pastoral planning.

It is my strong conviction that ”Disciples in Mission” will establish the foundation to allow us to continue the work of renewing the Church in the Archdiocese of Boston and go forward with the mission of the New Evangelization for many years to come.

You can view video of the full press conference here.

I was also very pleased to announce that Father Paul Soper, who has been serving as our Interim director of the Office of Pastoral Planning, will become our permanent Director of Pastoral Planning.

Father Soper

We also have established a new web site, www.DisciplesInMission.com to help keep people informed on the process. 

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Now on to some of my recent events:

Last Thursday The Sisters of St. Joseph had a gala dinner at Anthony’s Pier 4 to support the work at Bethany Health Care Center. During the evening they honored Tom O’Brien, the former President of Tom O’Brien Hyundai in Quincy with their first “Making a Difference Award.”

Bethany Health Care Center is one of the best run long-term care institutions in the state of Massachusetts. They always received the highest ratings. Primarily, it is for the Sisters but they also have lay people there.

It is very comforting to see the sisters who have served the Church so generously and faithfully for decades have this very first-class care that they receive at Bethany. We congratulate Sister Jacquelyn McCarthy and the Sisters of St. Joseph on this wonderful institution and we are so glad that people in the community are supportive of them.

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Also, Kristine and John DeMatteo recently hosted a Cardinal’s Leadership Circle gathering at their home in Wellesley.

Msgr. Bill Fay and Deacon Chuck Clough, chairs of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission, spoke of the commission’s recommendations and our mission for the New Evangelization. This call is especially meaningful to us as we celebrate the Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.

It was a chance for people to ask questions about the process and the mission we see going forward.

It was wonderful to be with many benefactors of our ministries and those who are considering assisting directly with the work of pastoral planning.

It was good to see people were so enthused and hopeful about this new initiative.

I am grateful to Kristine and John for opening their home and taking on a leadership role in engaging Catholics in this process.

John and Kristine with Bella and Lulu, two of their seven children

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I spent much of the rest of this past week at the annual fall gathering of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I arrived in Baltimore on Saturday and we had meetings of the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations and the subcommittee on the Church in Latin America. On Sunday, we had meetings of the Pro-Life Committee and the Board of Directors for the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The meeting of the Pro-Life Committee was presided over by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, as he was winding down his tenure as chairman of the committee. There were discussions about the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and other issues that we face going forward. We all expressed our gratitude to Cardinal DiNardo and the other committee members for their fine work over the last three years.

Cardinal DiNardo

At the end of this meeting my three-year term as chairman of the committee began. I was elected as head of this committee at last year’s fall meeting of the USCCB. One serves as chairman-elect for a year, giving the incoming chairman an opportunity to become acquainted with the workings of the committee.

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Monday morning we began with the Opening Mass celebrated by our president, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

After that we began with the regional meetings and then we had the president’s address. Cardinal Dolan made the centerpiece of his remarks the importance of promoting the Sacrament of Penance during this Year of Faith, which is also one of the statements that came out of this conference.

We were addressed by Archbishop Viganò, the papal nuncio, who has now been here for one year. He arrived last year during our meeting to begin his tenure as nuncio. We also received reports from our representatives at the Synod on the New Evangelization.

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While I was in Washington, there was a press conference held on a number of different topics, but they asked me to speak on physician assisted suicide. I want to share statement I made with you here:

Thank you for taking the time to allow me to speak to you about the Ballot Initiative on Physician Assisted Suicide which was defeated by the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on November 6th.

Faced with this very serious challenge both to Catholic teaching and the common good, the dioceses of Massachusetts made a decision to oppose this measure. At this time I wish to publicly thank Bishop Robert McManus of the Diocese of Worcester, Bishop George Coleman of the Diocese of Fall River and Bishop Timothy McDonnell of the Diocese of Springfield for their commitment and important contributions to the work of defeating this initiative. I also want to thank the many dioceses and Catholic organizations and various health care systems for their very generous contributions to our effort.

More than 2.7 million Massachusetts residents voted on the Physician Assisted Suicide initiative, and it was defeated by approximately 62,000 votes, with a 2 percent margin of 51 percent to 49 percent.

Physician Assisted Suicide presents a moral and ethical threat to society, the medical profession, the disabilities community and the common good. It brings spiritual death, a cheapening of human life, and a corrupting of the medical profession. During the course of preaching and speaking about this issue, I often cited the Hippocratic Oath of “do no harm”. Dr. Barbara Rockett a physician in Massachusetts and former president of the Massachusetts Medical Society wrote in the Boston Globe in July 2012 that the Hippocratic Oath also states that the physician “will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked nor suggest any such counsel.” She adds that “Physician-assisted suicide is in direct conflict with this statement which, when followed, has protected the patient, physician, society and the family, and at the same time has committed doctors to compassion and human dignity.”

Our mission is to help prevent suicide and to call for the very best palliative and hospice care for our terminally ill loved ones.

We are grateful for the hard work of so many people in the four dioceses of Massachusetts working in conjunction with other groups — ecumenical and interfaith communities including Jews, Muslims, Greek Orthodox, and Protestants to name just a few. Along with disabilities groups, medical associations, hospice and palliative care groups — we were able to stop this terrible assault on human life.

At the same time, this calls us to become more focused on the fact that we must do more to promote good palliative and hospice care at the end of life.

The Church has always been committed to compassionate and dignified end of life care. We must work with our hospice care and palliative care communities to continue to provide quality of care for the terminally ill. Fear of tremendous pain is advanced as a reason to support physician-assisted suicide. In almost every instance palliative care can suppress pain.

Hospice was one of the first programs to use modern pain management techniques to care compassionately for the dying. Today there are almost 5,000 hospice programs in the United States with an organized team approach to professional care giving and 1.4 million people are enrolled in hospice care each year.

Furthermore, people already have the right to refuse burdensome, life-extending treatments. They also have the option of leaving advance directives to determine their care when they are no longer able to express their wishes. The death that results from withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment has always been separated by a bright line from active measures to cause death. Assisted suicide proponents seek to blur this line.

The last time we faced this issue in Massachusetts, I was Bishop of Fall River. We were able to defeat it in the legislature but, afterward, I called my staff together and we came up with ideas of what to do going forward. So, we initiated Alzheimer’s units in all the nursing homes of the diocese. We also brought in pain management experts and all our nursing homes became pain-management certified.

Those are the kinds of things that we need to do in the Archdiocese of Boston and throughout the nation. Just as in our struggle against abortion, it is not enough simply to condemn abortion, but we need to help to take care of the women whose lives are in turmoil because of a pregnancy. In the same way, we need to reach out to those facing difficulties at the end of life.

Proponents of Physician Assisted Suicide want us to believe that this is a compassionate response to the plight of people who have a terminal illness. It is not. We are called to comfort the sick, not to help them take their own lives. As the Catholic Bishops of the United States said in their recent statement on assisted suicide: “True compassion alleviates suffering while maintaining solidarity with those who suffer.”

Blessed Pope John Paul II said: “To concur with the intention of another person to commit suicide and to help in carrying it out through so-called “assisted suicide” means to cooperate in, and at times to be the actual perpetrator of, an injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested.”

Our opponents, masked under the disguise of “Death With Dignity” proposed to allow physician-assisted suicide for those diagnosed with a terminal illness with six months or less to live. Many groups were concerned that, if passed, it not only would be harmful in itself, but could lead to unintended tragic outcomes.

(1) Elder advocates were concerned that it could become a new form of elder abuse.

(2) Advocates for the disabled were concerned it could lead to “quality of life” standards in our society, where those with a lower perceived quality of life receive fewer benefits or protections.

(3) Doctors and nurses were concerned it could lead to a lower “quality of care” for those at the end of life.

(4) Doctors were also concerned that it could undermine the doctor-patient relationship.

(5) Ethicists argued that it could lead to a devaluing of human life.

(6) Suicide-prevention organizations took the position that the state legally allowing suicide for one group (those with terminal diagnoses of fewer than six months to live) could lead to increased suicide rates for the rest of the population.

(7) Those who have studied the evolution of this matter in the Netherlands noted that assisted suicide could lead, first to voluntary euthanasia (requesting direct help to end one’s life), and then to involuntary euthanasia (where a third-party determines that, if the patient were in his right mind, he would choose euthanasia).

Physician assisted suicide has led to euthanasia in the Netherlands: It is very sobering to see the evolution of physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands, a modern industrialized country. In 1973 the “Right to Die – NL” was founded and euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands for more than a decade. The New York Times reported in their April 3, 2012, edition that “Right to Die – NL” is campaigning for expanded euthanasia, in the form of mobile teams to go out to people’s homes to euthanize them. They are also promoting the idea that euthanasia should no longer be limited just to the terminally ill, and their proposal envisions the service for any individual over 70 years of age who requests it. Anyone that believes that a “slippery slope” doesn’t exist with assisted suicide and euthanasia only has to look at its “evolution” in the Netherlands.

In the United States we are still a long way from the Dutch situation; however, this is not because the laws in the two states that allow Physician Assisted Suicide are well written or because of careful oversight. What has put the brakes on the growth of physician-assisted suicide in the U.S. is that more than 20 states have rejected proposed legislation and ballot initiatives. Many people who sided with us felt that Physician Assisted Suicide never should have gone to the people through a costly and divisive ballot initiative, but instead felt it belonged in the legislature where it can be debated and voted on by their representatives.

Organizations such as the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Massachusetts Hospice and Palliative Care Federation, and the American Medical Directors Association all opposed the practice of Physician Assisted Suicide as unnecessary and dangerous. The American Medical Association stated “Physician-assisted suicide is fundamen­tally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.” The goal of medicine is to heal and to cure and, where that is not possible, to comfort the patient.

The World Health Organization stud­ies suicides throughout the world. One of their pleas to governments is to avoid presenting suicide as a solution to peoples’ pain and problems.

I do not think it is an accident that Oregon, one of two states to legalize physician assisted suicide, has one of the highest suicide rates in the United States.

In Massachusetts, dozens of newspapers such as the Boston Globe and Boston Herald endorsed our position. Elected officials from across the Commonwealth, prominent liberal and conservative voices all were committed to defeat of this serious threat to the terminally ill and to our society.

The Catholic dioceses of Massachusetts’ opposition to physician assisted suicide was not a matter of partisan politics, it was simply the exercising of our right to contribute to the exchange of ideas that the Constitution of the United States guarantees. The Church performs an important service by weighing in on moral and ethical issues.

Many people objected to Archbishop Romero advocating for the poor and objected to Reverend Martin Luther King’s work on behalf of social justice. They both gave their lives to make their countries better places where human dignity was respected.

We are all called to work for a more just society where the weak and the vulnerable are nurtured and protected.

Our society must continue to work with hospice organizations and other palliative care providers to improve the care provided to the terminally ill. Patients are best served when the medical establishment, families and loved ones provide support and care with dignity and respect.

We will be judged by how we treat those who are ill and the infirm. They need our care and protection, not lethal drugs. Let us work together to build a civilization of love – a love which is stronger than death.

Thank you and God Bless.

- – -

On Tuesday, which is traditionally the day of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, two very good friends of mine had Funeral Masses.

One, which I celebrated, was for Samuel Brock and was celebrated at the French Parish in Washington, St. Louis de France.

He was a very gifted linguist, a very bright person and a real man of faith. They asked me to celebrate the Mass for Sam in Washington’s Epiphany Church that is used by the French Parish. It was the same church where I officiated at his marriage many years ago.

Sam Brock was in our seminary for a couple of years and, when he left, I hired him to be my secretary at the Centro Catolico. He left the Centro Catolico and went to work at the Spanish Embassy in Jamaica. Then he joined our own State Department and served in many posts around the world. Just recently, he had been named U.S. Ambassador to Eritrea. Sadly, he passed away of cancer before he was able to assume that post. He was only 60 years old, leaving behind a wife and four beautiful daughters.

I visited Sam in two of the countries where he served as a diplomat, in Jamaica and Mexico. I was always very impressed by the way the family inserted themselves into the life of the local parish wherever they went. He would usually be the organist, his wife would be a catechist and his children would be readers. I think he helped dispel the image of the “ugly American” first of all, by his great piety and love for the Church and desire to be with the people as well is with his incredible linguistic ability. He spoke several languages flawlessly.

In Washington, he and his family were the pillars of the French Parish. He was also a member of the Agrupación Católica. This is the second funeral of an Agrupado I have had this month, so it was very moving to see all the Agrupados come together the at the French Parish and, of course, once again to sing the hymn of the Agrupación, “Uno solo es el Jefe y Maestro.” I was very pleased to be able to attend those two funerals.

But my life is not my own, so I am not always able to get to those funerals that I would like to.

A perfect example is that, at the same time we were having the funeral Mass in Washington for Sam Brock, Sister Louis Marie Bryan’s funeral was taking place at Convent Station, New Jersey.

Sister Louis was a dear friend and was my Chancellor when I was in the Virgin Islands. As a matter of fact, when I arrived she really was the entire staff –the diocesan budget in those days was $30,000. So, we all wore many hats, but she was just an extraordinary person who loved the Church, loved the Virgin Islands and the people of the Virgin Islands. She served them so well for so many years.

I was able to speak with her over the phone recently and she was in my thoughts and prayers constantly as she was dying.

In these last couple of months, when I have been so involved in the fight against physician assisted suicide, I have had examples of very dear friends who were dying of prolonged bouts with cancer but who died with great dignity, surrounded by love.

I wish everyone could die that way.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

I want to begin my post this week with the wonderful news that today in Rome, Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, announced that our Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, Msgr. Robert Deeley, has been named an Auxiliary Bishop of Boston. We had a press conference earlier today to make the news public.

Before the press conference, we gathered with the cabinet and auxiliary bishops to present him with the pectoral cross and zucchetto,  two of the symbols of the office of bishop.

As I told the people, I am most grateful to the Holy Father, who has consistently shown a Father’s love for the people of this Archdiocese. He recognizes in Bishop-elect Deeley the many fine gifts that he has demonstrated in his nearly 40 years of priesthood.

Back in 2004, when then-Cardinal Ratzinger was Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, and was looking for a very good canon lawyer to assist in the work of his office, I was reluctant to let Msgr. Deeley go — afraid that we would never get him back! Our Holy Father allowed our Bishop-elect to return home last year, and he has been a blessing to me and to this Archdiocese, which he will continue to serve as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.

Following the press conference, we gathered for daily Mass in the Pastoral Center chapel.

Bishop-elect Deeley gave the homily and he said that he is going to have to start giving longer homilies because, in his experience, bishops need to preach for at least a half an hour.

I told the people before the final blessing that this will be very good because the role of the auxiliary bishops is to make the archbishop look good and now my homilies will seem short by comparison!

After the Mass, we had a light reception for the staff and all those who had come to Pastoral Center for the announcement.

We congratulate Bishop-elect Deeley on this wonderful occasion and look forward to his episcopal ordination on Jan. 4.

- – -

Also, this past Tuesday was, of course, Election Day. Our local polling place here is just across the street at Cathedral High School. When I looked out in the morning and saw the lines stretching around the block, I was very encouraged to see how seriously people were taking their obligation to vote this year.

Of course, I was very gratified by the presence of a large number of people at the polls calling for a no vote on Question 2 that would have legalized physician assisted suicide in our state. I went to shake their hands, and they had been standing out there so long their hands felt like icicles. I was very moved by their dedication and commitment to the Gospel of Life.

I know that at many polling places throughout the archdiocese parishioners and Knights of Columbus were out witnessing to their faith. Someone at the Pastoral Center even told me that their teenage daughter was out all day and Facebooking about this with her friends. What a beautiful witness this was to peoples’ faith and commitment.

Thanks to the hard work of so many people in the four dioceses of Massachusetts working in conjunction with other groups — disabilities groups, medical associations, hospice and palliative care groups — we were able to stop this terrible assault on human life. At the same time, this calls us to become more focused on the fact that we must do more to promote good palliative and hospice care.

The last time we faced this issue in Massachusetts, I was Bishop of Fall River. We were able to defeat it in the legislature but, afterward, I called my staff together and we came up with ideas of what to do going forward. So, we initiated Alzheimer’s units in all the nursing homes of the diocese. We also brought in pain management experts and all our nursing homes became pain-management certified.

Those are the kinds of things that we need to do here in the Archdiocese of Boston and throughout the Commonwealth. Just as in our struggle against abortion, it is not enough simply to condemn abortion, but we need to help to take care of the women whose lives are in turmoil because of a pregnancy. In the same way, we need to reach out to those facing difficulties at the end of life.

Perhaps the best thing about the defeat of Question 2 was the unity it fostered among those allied against it. Just a few months ago, the polls indicated that two thirds of the electorate were ready to support this question. Our ability to educate the public about some of the implications of this law and to reinforce the catechesis of our Catholic people about end-of-life issues was able to turn this around. I am so glad that so many people across a huge spectrum of political thought and ideologies were able to come together and agree on opposing this ballot question. One of the things that is tearing our society apart is that we no longer have values that people agree on. At least in this case, I think we are working towards helping people to agree on the values involved in this issue.

- – -

Now on to the events of my week:

Each year, Mary Grassa O’Neil and the Catholic Schools Office bring together pastors and principals for a Catholic Schools Convocation to discuss timely issues and to give them the most recent analysis of what is happening in Catholic schools. This year the convocation was held on All Saints Day.

Students from Blessed John Paul II Catholic Academy performed for us to open the day

The keynote speaker was Father William Leahy, president of Boston College. He spoke about his vision for the mission and leadership of Catholic Schools.

He gave a very strong endorsement and encouragement to our Catholic schools.

Also during the gathering, they recognize the schools that have had significant anniversaries in the past year.

St. Patrick’s School in Roxbury was celebrating its 150th anniversary.

- – -

On Friday, I attended the wake of Bishop Christopher Coyne’s father, William, which was at his family’s parish in Woburn where his mother, Rita, had been secretary for many years.

I had the opportunity to say a prayer for Mr. Coyne and tender my condolences to Bishop Chris’s mother and his brothers and sisters.

- – -

In the evening I went to a reception at the Algonquin Club, which was the annual fundraiser for The Newman School.

This is an independent school, but the Catholic faith and the philosophy of Cardinal John Henry Newman is a very important part of who they are.

During the evening, they honored Edward D’Alelio.

Ed D’Alelio is an alumnus, board member and supporter of the school. He is also very active in the community. In giving the award, they talked about Cardinal Newman’s definition of the gentlemen, which they read.

I joined headmaster Harry Lynch in presenting the award.

The students sang for us. They had a wonderful choir.

The Algonquin club is a beautiful venue for something like that – a beautiful old Boston establishment.

- – -

On Saturday, I celebrated a Mass at the Pastoral Center for the admission to candidacy for permanent deacons.

The celebration of candidacy is an opportunity to remind people of the seriousness of their preparation and their commitment to prepare themselves spiritually and intellectually for ordination. Of course, it is also an opportunity to be with the candidates and their families.

- – -

In the afternoon I went to St. Joseph’s in Boston’s West End to celebrate the parish’s 150th anniversary. Being a city parish, it was very encouraging to see the church filled with so many young families.

St. Joseph’s was originally built as a Protestant Church in the 1830s but, by the 1860s the neighborhood’s composition had changed and the building was sold to Bishop Fitzpatrick.

It is a very old and beautiful church with beautiful architecture. In fact the architect, Alexander Parris, also designed Quincy Market.

You can certainly see the resemblance

Of course, the visit was also an opportunity to thank Father Dan O’Connell who is taking a new assignment after several years as pastor there. He has done a wonderful job and the people there love him very much.

- – -

Then, that evening, I attended the Bishop Healey Award Dinner sponsored by the Office of Black Catholics. As always, it was a wonderful celebration of the gifts and the contributions of Black Catholics to the life of our Church. I congratulated them for choosing — perhaps accidentally —the feast of St. Martin de Porres for the celebration.

There were two honorees during the evening.

The Ruffin Award was given to Beth Chambers

Healey Award was given to Anthony Owens

The Black Catholic Choir sang a number of songs.

The evening’s keynote speaker, Boston University law professor Maria O’Brien Hylton, gave a very interesting talk. She spoke about her experience with the Sisters of Providence, the order of black sisters founded by Mother Lang. She gave a wonderful witness talk about the impact of the sisters and the work that they do. Afterward, I told her that some of the sisters had worked with me in Washington.

There was a wonderful attendance at the dinner. It was great to see so many people there supporting the work and mission of the Office of Black Catholics.

- – -

Monday morning, I made a quick trip down to Washington to celebrate the funeral Mass of Dr. Rafael Madan. I have always been very close to him and his family. He was a member of the Agrupación Católica Universitaria that I belong to and he helped me to set up a dental clinic at the Centro Catolico, even doing the carpentry work. He was a man who gave so much to helping out in the missions serving the poor in the area of Washington and Virginia. He was a great pillar of the Church.

It was very moving to be there with his family — people that I had baptized and married — and members of the Agrupación Católica.

His eldest son, Rafael, offered a few words of remembrance at the end of the Mass. We sang the hymn of the Agrupación.

- – -

By that evening, I was back in Boston to attend the fundraiser for St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children in Dorchester.

Rev. Liz Walker was the evening’s host and she did a wonderful job. They do outstanding work with young women, in helping people out of homelessness, and finding people jobs and training them — really being a great source of hope for many single-parent families who face just overwhelming odds and challenges.

There were a couple of wonderful testimonies by women who have been helped by the program. Judy Beckler and the staff there do extraordinary work changing people’s lives in giving them hope.

Judy Beckler

- – -

After voting Tuesday morning, I visited Plymouth County jail. There I celebrated two baptisms and confirmations and also celebrated Mass with the prisoners. The Sheriff, superintendent, and staff were all very welcoming to us. The Deacon, Joseph Sullivan, prepared the men who were received into the Church. They had a wonderful choir and great group of volunteers. A number of deacons were there and Father Carmichael who says Mass there regularly.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

We are in the last weekend before Election Day and I cannot stress enough how important it is that we vote, and particularly that we vote “No” on ballot question 2.

I am encouraged by the support that a “No” vote is having as more individuals and organizations get to know more about this bad legislation. I was particularly happy to read Vicky Kennedy’s OPED last Saturday in the Cape Cod Times opposing Question 2 in which she recalled how the doctor’s predictions on Senator Ted Kennedy’s life expectancy were not accurate, allowing him to spend his last year in a very meaningful way.

The New York Times published an article in its on-line edition last Sunday from Doctor Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a Jewish doctor and the brother of Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel, opposing Assisted Suicide.

Also today, I was encouraged by the Boston Globe’s editorial recommending readers not to support Ballot Question 2. All those are good signs and my hope is that as more people know about this legislation, they will oppose it. I want to share with you my column published in The Pilot this week.

Four steps in the final four days to defeat assisted suicide

Regular readers of The Pilot and CardinalSeansBlog.org are aware of the many reasons we in the Church oppose assisted suicide and urge a vote of “No on Question 2.” Our faith tells us that suicide is always a tragedy and should never be presented as a “compassionate solution.” The medical community and advocacy groups for the disabled have pointed out the lack of safeguards and other flaws in Question 2. Others oppose Question 2 because they think laws involving life and death should be discussed in the legislature, not through a ballot initiative process.

Polls show that support for Question 2 has dropped significantly. There are three principal reasons for this. First, nearly all newspaper editorials have endorsed the “No on Question 2” position, including the Boston Herald, Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Lowell Sun, New Bedford Standard Times, Salem News, Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, Cape Cod Times, The Pilot and others. Most newspapers have also included well-written Op-eds from doctors, disability-rights advocates and regular citizens persuasively stating why Question 2 is wrong for Massachusetts.

Second, the television and radio commercials produced by the Coalition Against Physician Assisted Suicide (CAPAS) have been effective at pointing out the significant flaws in Question 2, particularly the fact that it does not require a patient considering assisted suicide to consult with a psychiatrist, palliative care expert, or even a family member. The commercials have also emphasized that these lethal prescriptions could be picked up at a local pharmacy and would involve ingesting 100 capsules of Seconal, all at once, and without a doctor present. Voters have been horrified by those facts and agree that a death like that would not be “dignified.”

Third, and perhaps most importantly, “word of mouth” from people like you has been tremendously important. The heartfelt concern of a friend or family member will always be more memorable and persuasive than even the best television advertisements or newspaper editorials. Thank you for your outreach to family members, friends, neighbors and work colleagues on this issue.

It is projected to be a close vote on Question 2. To defeat assisted suicide, we especially need to win the “word of mouth” campaign over the final four days. I’d be grateful for your help. Here are 4 specific steps that I think are critical:

(1) Vote and help others to get to the polls. Voting is a privilege and a right, as it is a direct way we participate in helping to shape our society to protect the vulnerable. Every vote counts, especially on this issue. Please also reach out to friends and family members that don’t drive and ask if they need help getting to their polling locations.

(2) Personal outreach to at least 10 people through phone or direct email. A phone call or a personally addressed email from you could be the first time someone hears about this important issue. Please share with them your concerns about Question 2 and ask them to think about it before voting on Tuesday.

For an email message or a personal phone call, you may want to say something like, “I’m contacting you because I am concerned about Question 2. It promotes suicide, instead of palliative care, as a solution to those suffering from terminal illness. Question 2 has many flaws, such as no required consultation with a psychiatrist, pain management expert, or even family members. Doctors, including the American Medical Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society, urge a vote of “NO on Question 2” and state that terminal diagnoses are often wrong and shouldn’t be used to make life and death decisions. I’d be grateful if you considered this information before you cast your own vote on Question 2. Thanks very much! P.S. More information is available at www.SuicideIsAlwaysATragedy.org and www.StopAssistedSuicide.org.”

(3) A message to your contacts through Facebook, Twitter or a general email. The power of electronic media to reach hundreds and even thousands of people at once is an amazing technical advance. That is one of the reasons I have utilized my Twitter account (@CardinalSean) to share my own messages about assisted suicide in the hope that all my Twitter followers will “retweet” (forward) my messages instantly to their followers. In this way, one frequently retweeted message has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of individuals. If you are on Twitter, please send out your own messages or retweet mine. If you are on Facebook, please like the archdiocesan Facebook page and then “like” its messages on assisted suicide. If you are not presently on Facebook or Twitter, please consider sending an email to all your contacts.

For a short Twitter message (which is limited to 140 characters), you may want to write something like, “Question 2 is flawed. Please join me in ‘Voting No on 2.’ www.StopAssistedSuicide.org. Please retweet.”
(4) Pray for the grace of understanding, courage and discernment. It is a good practice that people of faith pray in the days leading up to any important decision, including casting their votes. Ask God to increase your understanding on difficult issues, to increase your courage if any of your votes are a hard choice, and to help identify those you should reach out to with your concerns and messages on the issue of assisted suicide. God wants to be present with us at all moments of our life.

Please understand the impact each of us can have individually and collectively when we share our views in a civil and respectful manner. Let’s choose to grow old in a society that views our cares and needs with true compassion, offering genuine support in our final days. The choices we make on Election Day will decide whether this is the kind of caring society we will leave to future generations. Please join me on Election Day to stop assisted suicide by voting “No on Question 2.”

- – -

I want to start my regular weekly posting with prayers towards all those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Having experienced a very serious hurricane when I was bishop in the West Indies, I have come to appreciate the force of nature.

This last hurricane that we experienced here in the Northeast was incredibly large. Although the damage in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was limited compared to other parts of the country, it caused an incredible amount of suffering and distress to millions of people living on the east coast of the United States. Our heart goes out to the people who suffered the brunt of this hurricane, especially in places like New Jersey and New York.
I also received an email saying that in Cuba, in the Archdiocese of Santiago, incredible damage was done to homes, churches, and businesses. In Haiti there was also a lot of suffering provoked, particularly by the rains. Here in Massachusetts we experienced the winds, but not so much the rains. A lot of people do not realize that in hurricanes oftentimes it is the water that causes the most damage and deaths.

- – -

Upon my return from Rome on Friday, I met with all the Boston seminarians and Father Paul Soper at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

We prayed a holy hour, vespers and dinner. Father Soper made a presentation on pastoral planning and the New Evangelization. We had a dialogue with the seminarians, which was very interesting

- – -

Saturday, I came to the Pastoral Center in Braintree to celebrate Mass for those who attended the fourth annual Archdiocesan Justice Convocation, Celebrating the Social Dimensions of Vatican II.

One of the themes was physician assisted suicide, the big issue that we face here in Massachusetts. We were very grateful to all of those who participated. People were very enthusiastic, for the experience of the day. There was a lot of participation. We are grateful to the organizers for all their work.

- – -

Later that day, I went to Peabody for a Mass at St. Adelaide’s to close the 50th anniversary celebration there.

We blessed a picture of St. Adelaide. The music program was beautiful.

They had several musicians playing trumpets to accompany the choir. It is a very lively parish with lots of young families, and I was happy to be a part of their celebration.

- – -  

On Sunday, we went to St. Ann’s in Somerville for the blessing of a new handicap accessible entrance and elevator and the moving of a tower bell. They had renovated the church just beautifully. The Mass was trilingual for the Haitian and Latin American communities. They had wonderful choirs singing Spanish, English and Creole French. Father Brian McHugh has done an extraordinary job in the parish there. The church looks stunning. It was very, very crowded. The singing was just beautiful.

Sunday was also the day that I addressed all of the parishes through video or audio, giving a homily. The Sunday Gospel was the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar in Jericho, and I related that to the physician assisted suicide Ballot Question 2.

At St. Ann’s, of course, I said the homily live.

- – -

Each year we gather with the deacons to celebrate a Mass for the deceased members of the diaconate community, their wives and family members.

Father Bob Butler was here because of Father Richard Butler’s association with the diaconate program. We light a candle for each of the deacons who died in the last year. It is always very well attended.

- – -

Monday, of course, Hurricane Sandy hit. Armenians are not deterred by wind and rain like postmen of yore. So, I met the new Armenian Catholic bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg, Bishop Mikaël Antoine Mouradian, who was ordained around one year ago. With him was the Armenian Catholic pastor, Father Rafael Andonian and Michael Charchaflian, who is studying to become a permanent deacon.

His diocese takes in all of the United States and all of Canada. He is living now on the West coast where the largest numbers of Armenians live.

He brought me a lovely gift, a wooden box with an Armenian Cross on it, and inside on a piece of marble from Armenia an etching of the baptism of the king of Armenia by their apostle St. Gregory the Illuminator.

It is a very old Church that traces its origins back to the fourth century.

St. Gregory the Illuminator

They have a monastery on one of the islands near Venice called San Lazzaro, that I visited a few years ago, which is a center of Armenian culture and Armenian history. The monks there are the order that many of the Armenian bishops belong to.

- – -

Tuesday, I went to the 11th annual “Partnership for Success” dinner for friends of Cathedral High School.

They raised around $1.2 million. They honored John White, one of the board members. It was a beautiful evening

They had a film about Cathedral High School and three students spoke there, one graduate, who is now a student at B.C., and two seniors.

- – -

Wednesday I recorded a message sharing Church teachings on end of life issues for young people, and making them aware of the reasons that I am calling on Catholics to be involved in this issue. The message has been distributed to all Catholic high schools in Boston and it will be shown to the students before Election Day.

- – -

November always begins with the beautiful feast of All Saints, at which the Church honors all of those who have gone before us marked by the sign of faith and are now living in God’s presence and interceding for us. This is not just the canonized saints who are known, but all of the anonymous saints. I always compare them to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There is much holiness out there that we do not recognize during people’s lives, but God sees their hearts and rewards their fidelity and love.

On the first of November we honor them, and it is followed by the Feast of All Souls on Nov. 2, which is a very special day of intercession for souls in purgatory who are in the process of purification in preparation to enter into God’s presence.

It is along with Christmas only one of two days when a priest is authorized to celebrate three Masses. I usually celebrate one in the morning, one at noon, and one in the afternoon.

This year it was a joy to be able to celebrate that second Mass with my auxiliary bishops and the workers here at the Pastoral Center.

Until my next post.

In Christ

Cardinal Seán

As regular readers will remember, in recent weeks I have been sharing a series of reflections on the issue of physician assisted suicide. This week, I want to share with you an opinion piece by Scot Landry, our Secretary for Catholic Media that appeared in this week’s edition of The Pilot. I believe it offers some excellent points on how to discuss this issue with family and friends.

Don’t be fooled by proponents’ claims on Question 2

By Scot Landry

“Choice. Control. Dignity.” Those appealing words headline the main information page for the proponents of Question 2, which would legalize assisted suicide in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts if passed on Nov. 6. The names of the two national organizations who have targeted Massachusetts for this legislation are also appealing — “Compassion and Choices” and “Death with Dignity.”

Who generally wouldn’t want to support choice, control, compassion, and death with dignity? Of course, that is why they have chosen to use these words and names (“Compassion and Choices” used to be known as the “Hemlock Society”). Please avoid being misled. With your help, other Massachusetts voters can hear how Question 2 would bring fewer choices, less control and compassion, and more undignified deaths.

Let us examine some proponents’ claims and respond.

(1) Proponents state on their website that “a Yes vote on Question 2 will allow terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to request a prescription for life-ending medication from their doctor. The law has 16 different safeguards, including approvals from two doctors and waiting periods. Doctor participation is voluntary and no doctor would ever be forced to prescribe against their will.”

Responding to these claims: Doctors, including the Massachusetts Medical Society, state that terminal diagnoses of six months or less are often wrong and that people shouldn’t make life-and-death decisions based on someone’s best guess. In Oregon, most of the doctors who write assisted suicide prescriptions are not the patient’s family physician; rather it is often a doctor affiliated with “Compassion and Choices,” who might not know the patient well. Despite some safeguards, there are certainly not enough in Question 2 to protect the terminally ill person. There is no safeguard that requires doctors to refer patients to a psychiatrist or palliative care specialist before issuing the prescription. In fact, Question 2 allows any doctor — even specialists like podiatrists or dermatologists with little experience in end of life care — to determine if the patient is of sound mind. There is no safeguard that requires family members to be notified. There is no safeguard prohibiting all the witnesses to the request for lethal drugs to not be heirs to the patient’s estate. There is no safeguard that prevents falsification of the death certificate and requires that it list that the patient died from assisted suicide. There is no safeguard to require the dispensing of the medication to take place in a hospital instead of a local pharmacy. There is no safeguard that tracks the lethal medication once it leaves the pharmacy. Question 2 also fails to give Massachusetts any resources or even the authority to investigate violations or provide oversight. Additionally, there is now an effort in Oregon to require doctors to make mandatory referrals if they choose not to participate in assisted suicide. There is also no explicit conscience protection for pharmacists in Question 2 who do not want to dispense medication that allows someone to end his or her life.

(2) Proponents claim on their website that “Patients dying of late stage cancer, and other terminal illnesses, can face weeks or months of extreme pain and suffering before death. Question 2 allows these patients to face death on their own terms.” “This is a decision for terminally ill patients alone, not politicians, government, religious leaders, or anyone else. We all deserve the right to make this decision for ourselves if we are faced with the final stages of a terminal illness. This is the most personal of decisions and it should not be denied to a terminally ill patient who might find comfort in it.”

Responding to these claims: While fear of suffering is often advanced as a reason to favor assisted suicide, statistics from Oregon show that few patients state that “unbearable physical suffering” is the reason for their request for an assisted suicide prescription. Rather, the request is more often motivated by a desire to control the timing and manner of death and by a fear of future circumstances. Palliative care and hospice experts indicate that advances in pain management can effectively control the physical pain of terminal illnesses. Proponents’ arguments also are based on a radical autonomy that does not weigh the impact that a person’s death, especially a death by suicide, has on family, friends and community. Each of our own experiences of dealing with the loss of loved ones clearly shows the interconnectedness of our lives. When proponents list all the groups they don’t want involved in a terminally ill patient’s decision, they specifically omit a person’s family physician, family members or even one’s spouse; yet, there is no requirement that any of those individuals are notified. Imagine the impact on a family member or a spouse who learns that a loved one was able to get this prescription without their knowledge or without an opportunity to express their love or to intervene.

(3) Proponents claim on their website that “Question 2 expands end-of-life care options for terminally ill patients.” “Question 2 respects and upholds the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship.” “Providing terminally ill patients the option to end one’s life in a humane and dignified manner encourages honest conversations between patients and doctors about end-of-life care.”

Responding to these claims: These arguments mislead voters to think that the “doctor” in the “doctor-patient relationship” is the patient’s longstanding family physician. In Oregon, the evidence is that most often a doctor affiliated with “Compassion and Choices,” who barely knows the patient or his history, is involved in assisted suicide — not the family physician. The Massachusetts Medical Society has taken a clear position that doctors should not participate in assisted suicide. “Assisted suicide is not necessary to improve the quality of life at the end of life. Current law gives every patient the right to refuse lifesaving treatment, and to have adequate pain relief, including hospice and palliative sedation.” Quoting Dr. Lynda Young, past president of the MMS, it says, “Allowing physicians to participate in assisted suicide would cause more harm than good. Physician assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer. Instead of participating in assisted suicide, physicians must aggressively respond to the needs of patients at the end of life. Patients must continue to receive emotional support, comfort care, adequate pain control, respect for patient autonomy, and good communication.”

(4) Proponents claim this is about “Choice” and “Control.”

Response: Question 2 wants the state to sanction a choice that would have negative consequences for society and for individuals. Our society would never support an individual’s choice to take racist actions or to drive at whatever speed he or she desires. Rather, we would collectively respond that “as a society, we do not approve of that behavior” or “that law would harm those that speed and the rest of us who share the roads.” Our society has always worked to prevent suicides and acknowledged the interconnectedness of people, particularly connections among family members.

“Choice” in Question 2 is an illusion. Medical professionals recognize that people who take their own lives are often not “free” because they commonly suffer from a mental illness, such as clinical depression. Disability-rights advocates fear that Question 2 would lead to societal and personal pressure for someone at the end of life (or someone with diminished utility) to consider assisted suicide. They are suspicious that this “freedom” and “choice” for assisted suicide may be unduly influenced by the biases and wishes of others, as it has been in the Netherlands. They are concerned that the “control” over this decision will not always be the patient’s, and because of the lack of safeguards, will lead to situations where assisted suicide will be “out of control.”

(5) Proponents claim this is about “Compassion.”

Response: Compassion means to “suffer with” and to accompany someone through a difficult period of life. Compassion does not put a lethal weapon, in this case a prescription of 100 capsules of Seconal, into the hands of a person to help take his or her life. Compassionate physicians want to end the patient’s suffering (through palliative care), not the patient’s life. There is also the fear that taking life in the name of compassion invites a slippery slope toward ending the lives of people with non-terminal conditions, as it has in the Netherlands.

(6) Proponents claim this is about “Death with Dignity”

Response: Dignity is much more than the “right” to receive an assisted suicide prescription at the end of life. Is it a “death with dignity” to ingest 100 capsules of Seconal all at once, without your doctor present and with the help of anti-nausea and mouth-numbing medication to overcome the bitter taste of the lethal drugs? Is it a “death with dignity” when the family, who might provide loving support at the end of life, isn’t required to be notified? Is suicide, whether assisted or not, ever a “death with dignity?” As Cardinal Seán and others have said, “We deserve to grow old in a society that views our cares and needs with a compas­sion grounded in respect, offering genuine support in our final days. The choices we make together now will decide whether this is the kind of caring society we will leave to future generations.”

Please don’t be fooled by proponents’ claims on Question 2. Their claims are misleading and rely on euphemisms. If assisted suicide becomes legal in our Commonwealth, it could lead to a society with fewer choices, less compassion, less control and more undignified deaths. Please join me to stop assisted suicide by voting “No on Question 2” this Election Day.

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Also, I have prepared a special homily that will be played at all the parishes of the archdiocese this weekend. I want to share it with you here, also:

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I have spent much of this past week in Rome to attend the canonization of seven new saints. It was very fitting that the Holy Father chose Mission Sunday as the date for the canonization of these new saints who epitomized the church’s mission to evangelize in various aspects.

Two of the new saints are Americans. Sister Marian Cope, though she was born in Germany, came to New York when she was one-year-old.

She joined the Franciscan Sisters there and then went to work for many years in the leper colony in Molokai, Hawaii. She worked alongside St. Damien of Molikai and, in fact, cared for him when he was dying.

The other American saint is, of course, St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

There was great enthusiasm from many quarters for her canonization as the first Native American saint.

Because she spent part of her life in New York and part of her life in Canada, there were contingents from both the U.S. and Canada in Rome.

There were also German, French, Italian, Spanish and Filipino saints canonized. So, there were pilgrims there from all over the world accompanying their bishops from those countries to be a part of the very joyful celebration that took place in the plaza of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Holy Father gave a very beautiful homily touching on the lives the new saints and the ceremony concluded with the Angelus.

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The following day, there were two Masses of thanksgiving. One was celebrated by the Canadian bishops in French at the Basilica of St. John Lateran and the other was at St. Peter’s Basilica.

In St. Peter’s, Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany preached the homily and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia was the principal celebrant.

Archbishop Chaput’s mother was a Pottawatomie Indian and he is very proud of his Native American heritage. So, it was very fitting that he would be invited to preside at that Mass.

After the Mass, I was happy to greet a number of people at the reception at the North American College for the 700 pilgrims who were there from the states.

Msgr. Lance is one of the people most responsible for promoting the cause of sainthood of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, so it was wonderful that he could be present at the canonization to see the fruits of all of his labor.

He was a missionary in Paraguay and later became director of the Black and Indian Mission Office. When I was Bishop in the Virgin Islands we were very blessed to have his help with many programs. His service to the Church has been invaluable.

I also spent time with the pilgrims from Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Plymouth (which I suppose should now be called St. Kateri Parish!)

The parish was established by Cardinal Medeiros in the 80’s and I understand it was one of the first parishes in the world named for St. Kateri. I know the people there have always been very proud to have St. Kateri as their patroness.

On Sunday afternoon, Rome time, we actually called the parish as Bishop John Dooher was beginning a 10 a.m. Mass of thanksgiving at the parish. I was able to greet all the people from Rome by phone over the church’s loudspeaker system. I spoke to them about the canonization of their patroness and assured them that while we were with their fellow parishioners in Rome we were praying for all the people back home, as well.

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While in Rome, I also had a chance to catch up with a number of people.

For example, I ran into Msgr. Connie McRae — almost literally.

After his retirement, he accepted the position of spiritual director at the North American College, particularly at the Casa Santa Maria.

I was walking on the street and he was passing on his bicycle. (He was going in the opposite direction, otherwise I am sure he would have graciously offered to give me a ride.) I emailed this picture to Father O’Leary at the Cathedral and said “I want to be like Msgr. McRae when I grow up!”

This young man is Deacon Francisco Aguirre, whose family is from Nicaragua. His grandparents are very dear friends of mine and I have known him since he was just little child. The sister is also the daughter of other friends of mine and she is making her final profession this year. Her name is Sister Kateri, and so her community sent her to be in Rome for the canonization. Her family, the Ham family, are very close friends. It was such a thrill to see both of them there, having known both of them since they were children and now seeing one about to be ordained a priest and the other about to make her final profession as a Franciscan Sister.

On Saturday I had dinner with Ricky Serino, a Malden Catholic graduate who is studying at St Anselm’s College and abroad in Europe for semester.

Then, on Sunday, I had dinner with a number of Boston priests and seminarians who are in Rome. Mgsr. Moroney, the rector of St. John’s Seminary, is there giving some talks at the Institute for Ongoing Formation of Priests at the North American college.

We also met for lunch with Carl Anderson and his wife, Dorian. Carl is participating in the Synod on the New Evangelization and I was very happy to be able to spend some time with them.

The view from the restaurant where we were was just magnificent. From the terrace you could see the Pantheon and the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

I was also happy to be in Rome for the feast day of Blessed Pope John Paul II and have an opportunity to pray at his tomb.  On Tuesday, we had Mass in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica, near St. Peter’s tomb. We were joined at that Mass by Father Michael Nolan and Father Ed Arsenault.

Blessed John Paul II and Sts. Kateri and Marianne, Pray for us!

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

We are now just over two weeks away from Election Day, when Massachusetts voters will be asked to vote on a ballot question that could potentially legalize physician assisted suicide in our state. Continuing my series of reflections on this issue, this week I want to offer several points you can share with your families and friends on why this ballot initiative is wrong for Massachusetts.

Ten reasons to oppose Question 2

There are many groups opposing the legalization of assisted suicide in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and that are urging a "No on Question 2" vote this Nov. 6. In total, more than 100 reasons to oppose this ballot measure have been shared with me since we began our educational efforts on this issue. Some arguments are based on principle, others on prudence, and still others on process — and all of them are valid. Today, I want to share with you ten of the most compelling. In turn, I encourage you to share these reasons with all those you know between now and Election Day.

(1) Question 2 would legalize assisted suicide; suicide is always a tragedy and never a dignified way to die. For many people, opposition to assisted suicide is based on respect for God’s law, "Thou shalt not kill." However, one does not need to be a person of faith to understand the tragedy of suicide. Our society admires suicide prevention organizations like the Samaritans that stand ready to help people in the throes of depression and suicidal thoughts. Their hotlines are staffed with volunteers, always prepared to try to bring solace and help to those suffering from suicidal impulses. There are also heroic first responders who often risk their lives to help stop someone from taking one’s own life. Yet, proponents of Question 2 are trying to convince us that assisted suicide at the end of life is not suicide — they strive to avoid the word suicide — and rather a compassionate response to the plight of people who have a terminal illness. It is not. Do not be misled by the seductive language of "dignity," "mercy," "compassion" or "aid in dying." True compassion does not put a lethal weapon, in this case a prescription of 100 capsules of Seconal, into the hands of a person to help take his or her life.

(2) Suicide always impacts others beyond the individual that takes his or her life. Proponents of Question 2 assert that "dignity" requires a radical form of autonomy and control in which one should be able to determine the manner and time of one’s death. They ignore the profound interconnectedness of our lives and the impact suicide has on family members, colleagues and society in general. Suicide researchers describe the "copycat syndrome" where the publicity of one suicide in a community leads others to contemplate or act on it. Suicide prevention organizations worry that suicides in the general population will increase if society legalizes assisted suicide because it creates the message that suicide is an acceptable and legal "choice" in some situations. As a society, we shouldn’t sanction suicide as a response to hardship.

(3) Doctors strongly oppose assisted suicide and Question 2. Organizations of physicians, including the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) and American Medical Association (AMA), have argued that assisted suicide would bring about a massive change in the nature of medical care and the doctor-patient relationship. Not only will it violate the values and oaths of the medical profession, but it will destroy trust between patients and doctors because some patients will see doctors and nurses as possible executioners, rather than as defenders of life. Doctors worry that cost-containment pressures in health care will make a prescription for assisted suicide seem attractive for certain conditions. They fear being coerced to write prescriptions or to make referrals to "specialists" who barely know the patient but will write an assisted-suicide prescription. They are also concerned that there is no requirement that the doctors who write the prescription will have particular training in terminal diseases or end-of-life care. Doctors from these organizations believe that the discussion should be about how we can improve care at the end of our lives, not to improve "options" to help patients end their lives.

(4) Advocates for the disabled strongly oppose assisted suicide and Question 2. They point to the lack of adequate safeguards, which could open the door to abuse, manipulation and coercion. They state that the lack of safeguards could lead to increased elder abuse, because it allows a witness to the patient’s signed request for assisted suicide to be an heir, beneficiary or possibly exploitative caretaker. Question 2 even allows proxy requests that allow someone familiar with the mode of communication of a terminally-ill person to indicate that they are requesting suicide. Advocates for the disabled are concerned that Question 2 may eventually lead to "quality of life" standards in our society where those with a lower perceived quality of life receive fewer benefits or protections, or to situations like the Netherlands where there is "non-voluntary" and involuntary euthanasia. In short, they believe that assisted suicide will make the vulnerable more vulnerable.

 (5) Terminal diagnoses are often wrong. Under Question 2, eligibility for assisted suicide is based on a terminal diagnosis of six-months or less. There is no specificity whether this six-month diagnosis is with or without medical treatment for the illness. Doctors know terminal diagnoses are simply their best estimate and that these predictions are often inaccurate. Patients often live months, even years, longer. Question 2 could lead people to make a life or death decision based on someone’s guess, give up on treatment and lose good years of their lives.

(6) Question 2 is shockingly flawed. Even voters that might generally be in favor of assisted suicide have been shocked by some of the elements of Question 2 and have committed to vote no. Most people first think that "physician assisted suicide" consists of receiving one pill from their family physician to be ingested in the presence of a doctor. They are shocked to learn that, instead, a specialist (who likely doesn’t know the person and who isn’t required to have pain-management training) would provide a prescription for 100 pills to be dispensed at a neighborhood pharmacy and then ingested all at once with no doctor present. They are also shocked to learn that there is no oversight of the lethal drug once it is dispensed to the patient and that there need not be witnesses to the act of suicide to prevent abuse. They are astonished to learn that the death certificate won’t indicate that they patient died of assisted suicide and that there are no enforcement provisions, investigative authority, oversight or data verification included in Question 2.

(7) Question 2 does not require a patient to consult with a psychiatrist or palliative care expert before receiving the lethal prescription. Many terminally ill patients suffer from depression and there is no requirement that a psychiatrist determine that the person is of sound mind before the request is granted. Additionally, there is no requirement that the doctors who are consulted have expertise in palliative care to ensure that a fear or experience of pain, which can be managed, is leading to the request. Many attendees of our educational workshops have been surprised that these reasonable safeguards aren’t included.

(8) Question 2 does not require family notification. There is no requirement that the patient notify family members. For example, a husband could receive a lethal prescription without his wife being required to be notified. A mother could feel a "duty" to not be a burden and to leave a large estate to her children without her children having a chance to state that they care more about her than her money. Out-of-state family members might not know that their loved one is contemplating suicide and have an opportunity to intervene. Compassionate care at the end of life should involve the loving support and involvement of family members.

(9) Assisted suicide would weaken efforts to expand and improve palliative care. Palliative and hospice care, and the loving support of family members, are better alternatives than suicide for the terminally ill. Palliative care is a person-centered approach that treats all of the different aspects of pain and suffering. Palliative care experts consider assisted suicide as a "lazy way out." Rather than ending a life that is filled with pain and suffering, we should offer compassion, respect and dignity by providing the best in palliative care. That is where our efforts should be directed. However, the incentive to do so will be removed if assisted suicide becomes legal, because suicide will become a substitute for quality health care in some situations. It is also likely, palliative care leaders say, that investment in training for palliative care, effective pain management, and end-of-life communication will be undermined.

(10) Complex issues like assisted suicide should be decided in a legislative process rather than a ballot initiative. Some voters in Massachusetts oppose Question 2 because they believe that a ballot initiative process (dominated by 30-second commercials and sound bites) is not a good way to deal with a complex, ethical issue involving life and death. The legislature exists to review proposals, hold public hearings and build consensus on complicated issues.
When we grow old or sick and we are tempted to lose heart, we should be surrounded by people who ask "How can I help you?" We deserve to grow old in a society that views our cares and needs with a compassion grounded in respect, offering genuine support in our final days. The choices we make together now will decide whether this is the kind of caring society we will leave to future generations. Please join me on Election Day to stop assisted suicide by voting "No on Question 2."

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Also, the Committee Against Physician Assisted Suicide recently began airing television and radio commercials to educate the public on Question 2. They are excellent and I encourage you to view them and share the link with others:

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Last week I mentioned that I celebrated a special Mass to open the Year of Faith, which began on October 11.  I want to share the video of the homily with you this week.

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Thursday I was happy to host a Mass and reception to thank our parish Catholic Appeal coordinators here at the Pastoral Center.

Parishes that have appeal coordinators are much more likely to achieve their goals, which is a great help for the parish as well as the development efforts of the archdiocese.

So, of course, we are very grateful to those who give their time and devote their energy to help raising the monies to support the mission of the Church.

Earlier in the week, about 40 volunteers also helped out for a phone-a-thon to contact people who have given to the appeal in the past but have not contributed yet this year.

I am so grateful for all their efforts.

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On Friday I visited the Betania Spiritual Life & Marian Center in Medway. It was my first time visiting their new facility there. It is very beautiful.

We had lunch there with Rose Patek who has been very supportive of the center and very helpful with the work of campus ministry and evangelization in the Archdiocese.

Rose led us on a tour of the facilities, including the greatly enhanced Marian Center and the newly constructed dormitory building that can accommodate over 100 people for retreats.

The Center has more than 100 acres of wooded land. On the grounds they have a number of statues including St. Michael the Archangel and St. Francis.

It is a very beautiful facility and is a powerful center of spirituality and a great grace for the Archdiocese to have them here.

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That evening, I attended the Massachusetts Family Institute’s Fundraising Banquet. The organization, headed up by Kris Mineau, works to promote family values for the good of all people in our society. Among their current priorities is the campaign against physician assisted suicide.

Each year, the banquet features a prominent pro-family speaker. This year, we heard from former US Secretary of Education Bill Bennett. He gave a very inspiring talk.

Among those recognized at the dinner was Mary Roque, an elder law attorney from Medfield, who produced a video on physician assisted suicide.

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Saturday I visited the Franco-American School in Lowell to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Stations of the Cross at the school. The Franco-American School is run by the Sisters of Charity of Québec and Sister Lorraine Richard is the principal there.

The grotto and stations had been recently refurbished and are very, very beautiful.

A before and after view of some of the restorations

They had been dedicated exactly 100 years ago to the day of our visit.

I was pleased to see such a large crowd for an outside Mass on a very brisk October day.

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Then, in the evening, I attended the fundraising dinner at Florian Hall in Dorchester to support the Irish Pastoral Center.

This year, the Center honored Father Dan Finn, Pastor of St. Mark and St. Ambrose parishes in Dorchester, who was very instrumental in the foundation of the Center and has worked with them for many years.

He gave a wonderful talk and has a great memory for reciting lyrics. He began with Father Faber’s “The Faith of our Fathers” and then he went into Joseph Mary Plunkett’s famous poem “I see his blood upon the rose.” He ended up singing Irish ballads, to the delight of the all the people there.

I was also pleased to be able to spend time with Irish Consul General Michael Lonergan, as well.

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On Sunday, I went to Millis to celebrate the 75th anniversary Mass of St. Thomas Parish. The church is in magnificent condition.

Father Brian Kiely, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Natick, who had been administrator at St. Thomas recently, was there along with the present administrator, Father David Goodrow.

The readings of the Mass included the story of the rich young man, which gave me the opportunity to share with the people that when Jesus was asked “What must we do to be saved?”, the first thing he told the young man is “thou shalt not kill.”

I related that to our present circumstance, in which we are confronted with this physician assisted suicide ballot initiative that would be a violation of the very first thing that Jesus tells us we must do if we want to be saved. I challenged the people, as Christ’s disciples, to be courageous and listen to our faith in defending the most vulnerable in our society by defeating this legislation which is so dangerous and so rife for the possibility of abuse.

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From St. Thomas I went to the wake of Father David Doucet. I had visited him just a couple weeks ago. In final days of his life he had been living with his niece and her family.

I was happy to be able to attend the wake, say a prayer for him, and personally extend our condolences to the family.

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Sunday evening was the annual St. James Society Cardinal Cushing Awards Dinner.

Cardinal Cushing founded the St. James Society just over 50 years ago. Pope John XXIII had asked religious and priests from Canada and the United States to help the Church in Latin America. One of the responses to that invitation was the St. James Society. Since that time, over 300 priests have served in the Society. Not only has it been a great benefit for the Church in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia but also for the Archdiocese, because for many decades those priests who returned from the missions then worked with our own Hispanic population in the archdiocese.

This year, they honored three people with long-standing relationships to the St. James society: Father Peter Quinn, Dr. Martin Dunn and Sister Carlotta Gilarde.

Father Peter Quinn for decades has run an annual golf tournament as a benefit for the St. James Society

Dr. Martin Dunn has made more than 50 medical trips down to the missions

Sister Carlotta Gilarde was one of the early pioneers of the Society and spent many years assisting their mission in South America

All three honorees gave inspiring testimonies as they were presented with the Cardinal Cushing Award.

There were three tables of sisters of St. Joseph at the event, in support of Sr. Carlotta. It was good to see them, we are all grateful for their presence and that of all our communities of religious sisters in the Archdiocese. During the evening they showed a film of the wonderful work that the society of St. James is doing. It was a lovely event.

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On Monday I met with representatives of Cuan Mhuire during their visit to Boston. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin asked me to meet with this wonderful group that is doing such extraordinary work in Ireland with the residential care that they give people suffering from addictions.

Sister Concslio Fitzgerald, S.M., Founder and Guardian of Cuan Mhuire, Prof. Raymond Kinsella, Justin McCarthy and Orla O’Shea came to share information on their mission.

They have been very, very successful in helping people out of the horrors of a life of addiction. Their strong spirituality and Marian devotion has been important ingredient success of the programs.

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Later that day, John and Claire Bertucci, who are friends, supporters of the Archdiocese, and members of the board of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, invited me to see the museum’s new addition.

It is an extraordinary edifice.

With Damien DeVasto of our staff, museum director Anne Hawley, Claire and John Bertucci

Museum director Anne Hawley gave us a tour of the exhibits and the new space including a wonderful new musical venue that is a perfect cube.

The acoustics are just extraordinary.

We also paid a visit to the Claire and John Bertucci Education Room, which serves as a centerpiece of the educational programs that the museum runs for thousands of local children.

Studies show that children who are exposed to the arts perform better academically.

Of course, they also have many beautiful works of religious art including many valuable masterpieces.

Anne is pointing out the Capuchin crest, which I pointed out to her in my first visit to the museum!

The Gardner Museum is a wonderful part of the cultural landscape of Boston. I was very gratified to see how many visitors were in the museum, even on a weekday.

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In the evening, I went to Merrimack College to attend the ceremony for their Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations annual Goldziher Prize. The award was presented to Rabbi Burton Visotzky for his work in building Jewish-Muslim relations.

Rabbi Visotzky spoke about the fact that there are many who feel he is wasting his time but he was very gratified that the Catholic Church is appreciative of what he is trying to accomplish.

Dr. Mohamed Lazzouni, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Center, gave an opening talk and we were welcomed by Merrimack President Christopher Hopey.

A number of the Augustinian friars were also present, including Father Bill Gartland, who had been my Superintendent of Schools in Fall River and is now living at Merrimack College.

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Tuesday I went to St. Mary’s High School in Lynn for a Mass of the Holy Spirit to inaugurate the school year and, at that Mass, to inaugurate the new head of school, Grace Cotter Regan.

She brings great energy and enthusiasm to this position that I am sure will be wonderful for the school. She is also someone who will strongly support the Catholic identity of the school. The school has recently established four pillars for success: Catholic, Excellence, Integrity and Respect.

Father Brian Flynn, Father Joe Rossi and Msgr. Paul Garrity were there to concelebrate the Mass with me. One of our seminarians, Gerald Souza, who is serving at the parish during his diaconate year, was there as well.

The students did a wonderful job with the music program.

At the end of the Mass they gave Mary and I St. Mary’s School sweatshirts.

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That evening, I was happy to host one of our regular St. Andrews Dinners. It is an opportunity for high school-aged men who may be considering a vocation to the priesthood to get to know a little about the seminary.

I was very happy that Bishop Peter Uglietto was there along with priests and volunteers from several of our parishes, who accompanied young men from throughout the Archdiocese. Of course, our three Vocations Directors— Father Hennessy, Father Harrington and Father Gabino — were there, as well.

We had a Holy Hour and Vespers followed by dinner with the seminarians.

During the evening, the young men have a chance to hear from some current seminarians.

Christopher Bae and Michael Zimmerman spoke about their vocation story. Afterward I gave the brief talk and Bishop Uglietto closed the evening with a prayer.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

As I have been doing for the last few weeks, I want begin my post this week sharing a reflection on the issue of physician assisted suicide.

The slippery slope of assisted suicide

Proponents of physician-assisted suicide tell us that there is no danger of a slippery slope, that in Oregon the cases are “not that numerous” and are “carefully monitored.” I hope that reasonable people will question these claims and reflect further on whether a law with insufficient safeguards is what we want in the commonwealth.

Slippery slope arguments involve small decisions that lead to undesirable outcomes that never would have been supported at the outset. Often, it is impossible to prove that one small step will have significant negative effects, but common sense allows reasonable people to judge the likelihood that a sequence of events that have happened in one place are likely to happen in another place in a similar way.

Question 2 proposes to allow physician-assisted suicide for those diagnosed with a terminal illness with six months or less to live. Many groups are concerned that, if passed, it not only would be harmful in itself, but could lead to unintended tragic outcomes. (1) Elder advocates are concerned that it could become a new form of elder abuse. (2) Advocates for the disabled are concerned it could lead to “quality of life” standards in our society, where those with a lower perceived quality of life receive fewer benefits or protections. (3) Doctors and nurses are concerned it could lead to a lower “quality of care” for those at the end of life. (4) Doctors are also concerned that it could undermine the doctor-patient relationship. (5) Ethicists are concerned that it could lead to a devaluing of human life. (6) Suicide-prevention organizations are concerned that the state legally allowing suicide for one group (those with terminal diagnoses of fewer than six months to live) could lead to increased suicide rates for the rest of the population. (7) Those who have studied the evolution of this matter in the Netherlands are concerned that assisted suicide could lead, first to voluntary euthanasia (requesting direct help to end one’s life), and then to involuntary euthanasia (where a third-party determines that, if the patient were in his right mind, he would choose euthanasia).

Asserting that something could happen is not the same as stating that something will happen. Here are some facts that lead the groups above to be concerned. Please judge for yourself whether you agree with the risk that one or all of these concerns might occur in Massachusetts if we took the first step this Election Day by voting to legalize assisted suicide.

It could lead to increased elder abuse: Data on the crime of elder abuse show that perpetrators are frequently a spouse or an adult relative. Question 2 does not have safeguards to prevent an unscrupulous heir or indifferent family member from pressuring a sick person, either directly or in subtle ways, to end his or her life. That hardly gives sick people “greater freedom” and “enhanced autonomy” at the end of their lives.

It could lead to adoption of “quality of life” standards: Advocacy groups for the disabled are concerned that a policy of assisted suicide will inevitably lead to establishing social standards of acceptable life. When “quality of life” becomes more important than life itself, the mentally ill, the disabled, the depressed, and those who cannot defend themselves will be at risk of being targeted for assisted suicide, and perhaps eventually, for euthanasia. They fear that misunderstandings and false compassion could result in their being considered “better off dead,” devalued, and treated as second class citizens in respect to their medical care.

It could lead to lower quality of care: Doctors’ and nurses’ groups have expressed concern that efforts to enhance hospice and palliative care will be weakened if a “lazy” path to end-of-life care like physician-assisted-suicide is chosen by voters. They share grave concerns that medical cost-containment pressures will lead to a preference for a $100 prescription for lethal drugs over more expensive treatments.

It could undermine the doctor-patient relationship: The American Medical Association (AMA) and Massachusetts Medical Society oppose physician assisted suicide because it violates the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm” and changes the nature of the doctor’s role of healing and comforting the patient. The AMA stated “Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.” The goal of medicine is to heal and to cure and, where that is not possible, to comfort the patient. Doctors are expected to act always in the best interests of the patient. Dr. Leon Kass, former chair of the President’s Council on Bioethics, asks the following common sense question: “Will doctors be able to care wholeheartedly for patients when it is always possible to think of killing them as a ‘therapeutic option?’“ In Holland, reports have been published documenting the sad fact that elderly patients, out of fear of euthanasia, refuse hospitalization and even avoid consulting doctors. Dutch citizens have begun to fear that their doctors, instead of being caregivers, will become their executioners.

It could lead to a devaluing of human life: “Taking life in the name of compassion also invites a slippery slope toward ending the lives of people with non-terminal conditions. Dutch doctors, who once limited euthanasia to terminally ill patients, now provide lethal drugs to people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, mental illness, and even melancholy. Once they convinced themselves that ending a short life can be an act of compassion, it was morbidly logical to conclude that ending a longer life may show even more compassion. Psychologically, as well, the physician who has begun to offer death as a solution for some illnesses is tempted to view it as the answer for an ever-broader range of problems.” (USCCB, To Live Each Day with Dignity)

It could lead to an increase of suicide generally: Oregon, the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide, has one of the highest rates of suicide (not including deaths from PAS) of any state in the nation. It begs a logical question: How can a state effectively both try to minimize suicide in some situations and promote it as a legal alternative in other situations? Is it reasonable to expect that efforts to prevent suicides will be undermined by legalizing suicide and presenting it as normal and acceptable for those with terminal diagnoses?

It could lead, eventually, to euthanasia — like it has in the Netherlands: It is very sobering to see the evolution of physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands, a modern industrialized country. In 1973 the “Right to Die — NL” was founded and euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands for more than a decade. The New York Times reported in their April 3, 2012, edition that “Right to Die — NL” is campaigning for expanded euthanasia, in the form of mobile teams to go out to people’s homes to euthanize them. They are also promoting the idea that euthanasia should no longer be limited just to the terminally ill, and their proposal envisions the service for any individual over 70 years of age who requests it.

The Dutch patients’ organization, NPV, strongly criticizes the current application of the law, saying the practice of euthanasia has been extended to include patients with dementia and other conditions who may not, by definition, be competent to request help in dying, including children. Elise Van Hock-Burgerhart, a spokeswoman for NPV, told the New York Times reporter that the idea of mobile euthanasia teams was a matter of concern because there was no way for the mobile team doctors to get to know the patients. Moreover, she stated that research in the Netherlands indicated that requests for euthanasia from the elderly would be substantially reduced if palliative care were better in their country and that the country should be working toward improving palliative care, not increasing euthanasia. She also indicated that the law in the Netherlands required review committees to sign off on every reported case of euthanasia, but that 469 cases from 2010 had still not been reviewed; 2010 is the latest year for which data is available. That year 3,136 notifications of termination of life on request were reported, indicating that it was not clear how well doctors were adhering to the official guidelines. Anyone that believes that a “slippery slope” doesn’t exist with assisted suicide and euthanasia only has to look at its “evolution” in the Netherlands.

In the United States we are still a long way from the Dutch situation; however, this is not because the laws in the two states that allow PAS are well written or because of careful oversight. What has put the brakes on the growth of physician-assisted suicide in the U.S. is that more than 20 states have rejected proposed legislation and ballot initiatives.

Now it is our turn in Massachusetts to stop this bad idea and bad law from going into effect. Please join me to stop assisted suicide by voting “No on Question 2” on Election Day.

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When I was bishop in the West Indies, we enjoyed a close friendship among the handful of clergy on our island.  When the rabbi was departing for a new posting, we had a going away lunch in his honor.  During the meal, there was a sudden tropical downpour, and water began to drip right on the rabbi’s head.  Rabbi Relkin had a great sense of humor and immediately exclaimed, “I knew that you guys would try to baptize me before I got out of this place.”

There was a time and place when Catholics may have tried to “force their religion on others.”  It is certainly not a contemporary phenomenon.  In fact, the Church has come to see “forcing our religion on others” as a violation of our own religious principles.  I was distressed by one of the answers given during the recent political debates when one of the candidates indicated that, although he believed the Church’s teaching on abortion, he could not “impose his Catholicism on others.” This is one of the themes I dealt with in my recent Red Mass homily.

Defending human life is not a sectarian or simply a Catholic thing.  Everyone, regardless of their religious persuasion or lack of it, has an obligation to defend human life, and promote human dignity.  Many people criticized Monseñor Oscar Romero for preaching against the exploitation of the poor,  many were hostile to Martin Luther King for preaching on civil rights.   No one would say, ”I am against perjury but I would not impose my religion on others," or “I am against human trafficking but I would not impose my religion on others.”   Defending the most vulnerable in our society is not just a Catholic thing, and it is certainly not like imposing our religion on others.

I want to share with you my homily from the Red Mass for members of the legal professions that I spoke of last week.

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Now, on to the events of my week:

Last Thursday, we had one of our regular meetings of the board of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. The MCC is the joint public policy voice of the four Catholic dioceses of Massachusetts. They play a very important role on the issue of education and other important issues.

During the meeting, we planned activities for the upcoming year. MCC director Jim Driscoll gave us a report on the issues relevant to the Church likely to come up in the upcoming year.

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On Friday, October 5, I celebrated the funeral Mass for Father Richard Butler.

In my comments, I mentioned that there are many prayers that talk about being welcomed into heaven by the poor that we have befriended during our lifetime. Certainly, this is something that Father Richard Butler could look forward to as he was very focused on the social gospel of the Church. He was a friend of Dorothy Day’s, served on the board of many community organizations and made over 30 trips to Haiti.

He was also very much interested in the liturgy and very much involved in that ministry.

The large number of priests, relatives, friends and loved ones who were there to say goodbye to him was a great testimony to the impact his life had.

Father Butler’s identical twin, who is also a priest of the archdiocese, Father Robert Butler spoke at the end of Mass.

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On Saturday, I was happy to celebrate the diaconal ordination of a number of Jesuits and a member of the Redemptorist order.

The Mass was held at St. Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill. The Redemptorist deacon is from the island of Grenada in the West Indies. I told him that I was ordained a bishop by a Redemptorist Bishop in the West Indies, so I was happy to return the favor!

I told them it was the Feast of St. Bruno and also the date that the first Jesuit arrived in United States. His name was Pedro Martinez (though not the former Red Sox pitcher, I told them!) and he was martyred in Florida.

I told them it was a very auspicious date to celebrate the ordination of these young Jesuits from various provinces, including one from Singapore.

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Then, I took advantage of the rest of the holiday weekend to visit my step mother, Claire O’Malley, who is still in rehab in Boca Raton, Florida. For that reason, I was unable to celebrate the annual Mass for Respect Life Sunday.

I am grateful to Father Kevin O’Leary who acted as the main celebrant in my place. I am also grateful to Deacon Tim Maher who preached the homily. Deacon Maher is the deacon at St. Jerome in Weymouth, is currently assigned to the Pro-Life Office and is part of the educational team that is giving talks at parishes on the issue of physician assisted suicide.

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On Tuesday, I was visited by a number of members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo. Their community has come out of Msgr. Luigi Giussani’s movement, Communion and Liberation. We are very blessed by their presence here, as well as consecrated lay people who belong to what is called the Memores Domini. Members of the priestly fraternity are teaching here in the archdiocese of Boston, such as Father Jose Medina, the head of the Cristo Rey School in Dorchester.

I also congratulated them because their founder, Bishop-elect Massimo Camisasca, has just been named the bishop of the Diocese of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

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Then, in the afternoon, I went to the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston for a meeting with local religious leaders to discuss how we might collaborate in opposing the ballot question to legalize physician assisted suicide in Massachusetts.

At the meeting we spoke about the need to inform our people about the ballot initiative.

We had a wonderful response from the religious community. There were about 40 different religious groups represented. Unfortunately, many local rabbis who would have liked to attend could not because they were celebrating a high holy day. It certainly demonstrated that this is not just a Catholic issue, and that a large number of the religious communities in Massachusetts are very engaged on this issue.

We are very grateful to Metropolitan Methodios for hosting the meeting as well as to Dr. Vito Nicastro and Father David Michael of our Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for their work in organizing it.

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From there, I went to the Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy Columbia Road campus for the reception to present John and Cyndy Fish with the academy’s 2012 Eileen and Jack Connors’ Founders Award.

Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy is the largest primary school in Boston, public or private. The building has been beautifully refurbished thanks to the school’s many benefactors and the hard work of John Fish and Suffolk Construction. He was personally involved in the refurbishment of the school as well as Trinity Catholic Academy of Brockton.

Some of the largest benefactors of Catholic education in the archdiocese were present to honor him for his work: Peter Lynch, Jack Connors, Tom Shields, Jim Gallagher, Bob Atchinson, Jim Healey and Maureen Bleday of the Yawkey Foundation and Joe Petrowski, just to name a few.

The children from the school performed for us and did a wonderful job! They sang Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music and then they sang an anthem that has been written for the school.

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Wednesday, we had our semi-annual meeting of the bishops of the Boston Province — Massachusetts New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. The gatherings are an opportunity to come together to talk about what is happening in our dioceses, pastoral challenges and the work we are doing.

We have some retired bishops living in the diocese, as well, and one of them is Bishop McNaughton, who went to Rome for the opening of the Year of Faith because he is one of the few surviving bishops who was actually in attendance at the second Vatican Council. He was just a new Bishop at the time.

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I was very pleased at the wonderful response to our invitation from the Priest Council and other priests, auxiliary bishops and many of the faithful to gather with members of our staff for the televised Mass yesterday to open the Year of Faith.

The date was the Feast of Blessed John XXIII and the 50^th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council  and the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The year of Faith, which the Holy Father opened in Rome, is an important opportunity for all of us to renew our commitments to the task of  evangelization beginning with the deepening of our own knowledge of the faith  and our commitment to the mission that Christ has entrusted to us in the Church.

During the Mass, we asked the people to join us praying a special prayer for the New Evangelization for the Year of Faith.

As part of our effort to take advantage of technology as part of the process of New Evangelization, I will be tweeting regularly, particularly during this period that is so crucial to try to get out the message about the physician assisted suicide ballot measure. I invite you to follow me @cardinalsean .

We invited members of the media to be present as I sent out a Twitter message after the Mass

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

Question 2: A flawed law, a false choice

For many people, opposition to physician-assisted suicide is based on respect for God’s law "Thou shalt not kill," and on the firm desire to have doctors and nurses function as healers and care givers, not executioners. For 2,500 years doctors have taken the Hippocratic Oath, promising to practice medicine ethically and honestly. Part of the promise is "to do no harm." Indeed, the oath is very explicit about rejecting physician-assisted suicide, promising "I will never give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect."

Although these promises originated in the ancient world in pre-Christian times, they have always guided conscientious physicians in the ethical practice of the healing arts. To jettison these moral guidelines would have a very detrimental effect on the medical profession and on society.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has stated that "physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks. Instead of participating in assisted suicide, physicians must aggressively respond to the needs of patients at the end of life. Patients should not be abandoned once it is determined that cure is impossible. Multidisciplinary interventions should be sought including specialty consultation, hospice care, pastoral support, family counseling, and other modalities. Patients near the end of life must continue to receive emotional support, comfort care, adequate pain control, respect for patient autonomy, and good communication."

Locally, the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) voted overwhelmingly against assisted suicide and have said that "assisted suicide is not necessary to improve the quality of life at the end of life. Current law gives every patient the right to refuse lifesaving treatment, and to have adequate pain relief, including hospice and palliative sedation." In describing their specific opposition to Question 2, the MMS stated further that "The proposed safeguards against abuse are insufficient. Enforcement provisions, investigation authority, oversight, or data verification are not included in the act. A witness to the patient’s signed request could also be an heir."

There are many citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who do not share our faith and for whom the clear biblical teaching is not a convincing argument. To them, we make an appeal to reason: that this is bad legislation because it puts vulnerable people at risk and it promotes suicide. Many have already recognized the flaws and the dangerous aspects of physician-assisted suicide as presented in Question 2 on the Massachusetts ballot this November. Opposition to Question 2 is coming from a broad array of organizations and individuals who often do not agree on other initiatives or proposed laws.

Beyond the grave ethical problems posed by physician-assisted suicide, Question 2 lacks safeguards and monitoring provisions. It is a flawed law and a false choice. Some of the perilous flaws of this legislation that need careful reflection even by those persons who might favor physician assisted suicide in general are:

– Doctors agree that terminal diagnoses of 6 months or less are often wrong. Many people with a terminal diagnosis live for years.

– Patients requesting suicide do not need to be examined by a psychiatrist before receiving a lethal prescription, despite the fact that many of them are suffering from the depression.

– There is no requirement that the patient notify family members. For example, a husband could receive a lethal prescription without his wife being required to be notified. Compassionate care at the end of life should involve the loving support of family members.

– Question 2 allows the death certificate to be falsified to indicate that the patient died of the underlying disease.

– We should be supporting improved hospice and palliative care statewide, not legalized suicide.

Others in Massachusetts oppose Question 2 because they believe that a ballot initiative process is not a good way to deal with a complex, ethical issue involving life and death. The legislature exists to be able to review proposals, hold public hearings and build consensus on complicated issues.

We are all called to work for a more just society where the weak and the vulnerable are nurtured and protected. Our faith demands that we not be guilty bystanders. That’s why I am asking you to join me and partner with so many medical and disability groups to stop assisted suicide by voting No on Question 2 on Election Day.

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Now on to the events of my week:

On Friday, I went to Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish in Waltham for the dedication of a new Marian garden they installed in front of the church.

We had a rosary and a blessing in the garden. The schoolchildren were there, as well as many parishioners.

We were so happy to hear Father Jim DiPerri’s reports that the enrollment, Mass attendance, contributions to the parish and parish activities have all grown considerably in recent times. This is a great sign of encouragement. We are very grateful for the leadership of Father DiPerri and the effort parish leaders have exerted in that faith community to cause such wonderful growth.

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The following day, Saturday, I went to St. Bernadette Parish in Randolph to be with them as they celebrated their 75th anniversary.

The parish is a great example of the diversity in the archdiocese. There are large Vietnamese and Haitian communities in that parish, along with immigrants from many parts of the world. It was a beautiful celebration.

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Each fall, we celebrate a special Red Mass for all those involved in the practice of civil or canon law — such as lawyers, judges and legislators — to mark the opening of the judicial year.

The Red Mass is sponsored by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston and is a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. It is called the Red Mass because it is a Mass of the Holy Spirit that is celebrated with red vestments. Also, historically, judges in England wore red robes and they would come to the Mass dressed in their judicial robes.

Following the Mass, we always have a luncheon with a guest speaker. This year we were very lucky to have Rep. Christopher Smith of New Jersey.

I have known him and his wife for many years and I have always admired the outstanding work that he does. Before he went to Congress 18 years ago, he was the pro-life director in New Jersey. I consider him to be one of the most outstanding Catholic legislators in Washington. He is a champion of the Gospel of Life and of human rights at home and abroad, particularly in efforts to stop human trafficking. He has also always been a valued defender of religious freedom.

He gave a very inspiring presentation to the Lawyers Guild at the luncheon.

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Monday, I was very pleased to be honored by the National Catholic Education Association at their annual Seton Awards Dinner in Washington D.C.

This year, I was among a number of honorees from around the country who included Robert Conway of Cincinnati; Chuck and Nancy Geschke of Los Altos, California; Leigh-Anne Kazma of Chicago; Tom Moran of New York City.

I was very grateful to be honored by this fine organization which does so much to promote Catholic education throughout the country.  However, for me, the most gratifying part of the evening was awarding the $1,000 scholarship that the NCEA gives in name of each recipient. The scholarship in my name was awarded to Emely Nunez, who is in the eighth grade at Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy.

With Emely and NCEA president Karen Ristau

Congratulations Emely! I am so happy I could play a part in supporting your Catholic education.

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The NCEA dinner was held Monday evening and my return flight was not until Tuesday afternoon, so I took some time Tuesday morning to visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

I was pleasantly surprised to run into Father Frank Silva and some priest friends of his who were visiting Washington.

One of the most outstanding features of the Basilica are the many chapels, statutes, mosaics and other works of art that depict images of the Blessed Virgin and saints from all over the world.

One of the chapels I visited is the chapel of Our Lady of La Vang and the Vietnamese martyrs.

The story of Our Lady of La Vang is a very interesting one.

Catholicism was brought to Vietnam by European missionaries accompanying merchants in the early 1600’s. The Vietnamese rulers tolerated it, and the faith spread. As happened in many other Asian missions, at a time of conflict the local rulers began to view the Church and the Catholic population as being in league with unwelcome European powers. As a result, in 1798 a persecution was ordered and many Catholics were martyred and their churches destroyed.

An image of the Vietnamese Martyrs in the chapel

To escape, the people fled to a remote area of the rain forest in La Vang. As you might imagine, life was very difficult for these refugees. They suffered shortages of food and water and many became very ill from tropical diseases.

For solace, the people come together to pray at the base of a large tree near where they were camped. One day, a woman holding a child appeared to them dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing and flanked by two Angels. She told the people to use the leaves of the tree as medicine for the sick and that people who came to pray at that place would have their prayers answered. The people immediately understood it was the Blessed Virgin and she was there to help them in their time of trial.

I also visited one of the newest chapels in the Basilica, the chapel of Our Lady of Lebanon. It honors the tradition of the Maronite Catholics, who have their roots in Lebanon and Syria.

The image of St. Maron

In the shrine, they also have depictions of the different American saints, including Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who will be canonized this month.

Finally, since this month is the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, I also wanted to share with you this picture of the papal tiara that Pope Paul VI donated to the shrine, and with it is displayed the stole the Blessed John XXIII used for the opening of the Council.

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October is the month of the rosary and we began our Rosary Novena for the Defeat of Physician Assisted Suicide Wednesday night following the Town Hall Meeting on physician assisted suicide that was broadcast on the CatholicTV network.

I was particularly pleased that we could have this public discussion on physician assisted suicide on the feast of the Transitus of St. Francis, which is the anniversary of the death of St. Francis.

In that moment, St. Francis describes death as “sister death” because he wanted to show how death is taking us to God. I thought it was a very fitting time to begin this public discussion about assisted suicide.

I am very grateful to my fellow panelists: Father Tad Pacholczyk, Janet Benestad, Dr. John Howland and M.C. Sullivan, our host John Monahan, as well as those who joined us in the studio audience. I also want to thank the staff of CatholicTV Network and our Secretary for Catholic Media Scot Landry for all they did to make this special event possible.

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As I mentioned, that night we began Rosary Novena for the Defeat of Physician Assisted Suicide, which will run until next Thursday, October 11. I once again ask you to please pray a rosary each day as part of this novena.

As a help in this, CatholicTV has recorded special rosaries that will be broadcasted five times each day at 3:00am, 10:00am, 12:00 noon, 6:30pm and 10:00pm on the network and on CatholicTV.com.

We are also encouraging families recite this prayer every evening after dinner:

Prayer to Prevent Assisted Suicide

O God, source of all life and hope,

grant us the grace to see you in others,

especially in the poor and vulnerable, the frail and old.

Look kindly on your sons and daughters who have grown weak through illness and age:

Fill them with the strength of your Holy Spirit.

Keep them firm in faith and serene in hope,

that they might give us all an example of patience

and joyfully witness to the power of your love.

We pray for our country and for our Commonwealth of Massachusetts:

that we might continue to protect and defend

the dignity and worth of every human life, created in your image and likeness.

Assist us as we oppose those who, out of misguided mercy,

advance the cause of doctor-assisted suicide.

Help us to recognize that to die with dignity is to die in your loving embrace,

trusting in your compassionate care for us, and allowing your will to be done in us.

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us and help us grow in faith and trust,

so that your words might become ours:

“Let it be done to me according to God’s will.”

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

Suicide is always a tragedy

Most people I know have lost a friend, a family member or loved one to suicide. Sometimes the depression and anxiety had been apparent for a long time; other times people are taken completely off guard, not even suspecting the deep torment that a loved one endured secretly.

We have come to appreciate how dangerous depression can be. It is like quicksand that devours a person in the unstoppable urge to self-destruction. Sometimes we experience a rash of suicides in a community, as one depressed person — upon hearing of a friend, acquaintance or even a stranger, who takes his own life — repeats that action. The copycat syndrome is a very real danger. The suffering of a suicide reverberates in the psyche of friends, relatives and co-workers and also in people who have attempted or considered suicide in the past. Suicide always affects other people; it is never an act that only affects the individual involved. Family members, friends and neighbors often are filled with lingering sadness, guilt and confusion. Sometimes those who are closest to the deceased never completely recover, never forgive themselves and are haunted for the rest of their lives by the loss.

There are dedicated suicide prevention organizations like the Samaritans that stand ready to help people in the throes of depression and suicidal thoughts. Many volunteers stand ready on their hotlines, always prepared to try to bring solace and help to those suffering from suicidal impulses. There are also heroic first responders who often risk their lives to help stop someone from taking one’s own life. All of us are called upon to be Good Samaritans and to work to prevent suicides in our community.

The World Health Organization (WHO) studies suicides throughout the world. One of their pleas to governments is to avoid presenting suicide as a solution to peoples’ problems. In a way, that is what physician-assisted suicide is doing for one group of people — those with terminal diagnoses of six months or less. Oregon, the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide, has one of the highest rates of suicide (not including deaths from PAS) of any state in the nation. It begs a logical question: how can a state effectively both try to minimize suicide in some situations and promote it as a legal alternative in other situations? There is no doubt that efforts to prevent suicides will be undermined by legalizing suicide for those with terminal diagnoses and presenting it as normal and acceptable. Suicide, in any form, is always a tragedy — a tragedy that all people of good will should work to prevent.

Suicide has increased dramatically over the last few decades. Suicide is among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-24 years according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Physician-assisted suicide will usually involve, in addition to the physician who writes the prescription, the family, nurses and pharmacists who become accomplices in the suicide.

We need to reflect also on the difficulty of making terminal diagnoses and physician error. These prognoses are just estimates. We should also consider the troubles for human relationships within families and between doctors and patients, as well as the risks to the whole social order from the weakening of our legal prohibition against the participation in assisted suicide.

Fear of tremendous pain is advanced as a reason to support physician-assisted suicide. However, even proponents of PAS readily acknowledge that modern medicine can manage the pain in almost every case. Very few Oregon residents that request PAS indicate unbearable pain as the reason that they requested the lethal prescription.

Another justification that proponents for the proposed law in Massachusetts advance is that PAS provides the patient greater autonomy — the ability to be in absolute control until the very end, and to avoid the fear of humiliations and indignities that catastrophic illness can entail. Disability advocacy groups, who are part of the broad-based coalition against PAS, rebut this argument forcefully. One of these groups, called “Second Thoughts” insists that the “autonomy” offered by physician-assisted suicide may sound like a good idea at first for people who are terminally ill, but on second thought and a deeper review PAS presents several major concerns. They state that the proposed law’s principal aim isn’t about creating new “rights” for patients, but rather to provide immunity from prosecution to doctors who assist with suicide. This immunity likely will increase the possibilities for mistakes, coercion and abuse for those who are seriously or terminally ill. They also state that PAS advances the idea that people with certain illnesses, disabilities or other conditions are “better off dead.”

People with disabilities know what it is to live with the severe limitations brought on by disease or injury. They understand the permanency of conditions that involve paralysis, incontinence, pain and dependence on others. They do not, however, offer suicide as a good option to rescue people from disabilities or other difficult situations. Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, would never agree with suicide as a solution for those like herself.

In almost every instance palliative care can suppress pain. People already have the right to refuse burdensome, life-extending treatments. They also have the option of leaving advance directives to determine their care when they are no longer able to express their wishes. The death that results from withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment has always been separated by a bright line from active measures to cause death. Assisted suicide proponents seek to blur this line.

I am happy that the Massachusetts Medical Society and the Massachusetts Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation recently testified against the physician-assisted suicide initiative on Beacon Hill and that so many doctors and nurses are speaking out against Question 2 and encouraging a “No” vote.

Last month, a letter appeared in the Ottawa Citizen and in some Florida newspapers. The letter was written by Jeannette Hall from King City, Oregon. In her very poignant testimony she stated that she lives in Oregon and voted for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide in the late 1990s. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and told she had six months to live. She first appealed to her doctor to help to end her life. He refused and urged her to try new treatments. Twelve years later she is happy to be alive. She said “If my doctor had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead. Thank him and all my doctors for helping me choose ‘life with dignity.’” She ends with the plea: “Assisted suicide should not be legal. Don’t make Oregon’s mistake.”

All of us should be committed to suicide prevention, to helping those who might consider committing suicide because of fear and depression. As a community we must send a message that suicide is always a tragedy, a bad choice, and an act of abandonment and despair. It never enhances, and always undermines, human dignity. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide falsely presents suicide as a good solution to one’s problems. I ask you to join me and work to stop assisted suicide here in the commonwealth by voting no on Question 2 and encouraging others to join us.

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Last Wednesday, I paid a visit to the Middlesex County Jail in Cambridge. Sheriff Peter Koutoujian is very interested in the different faith communities helping with ministry to the prisoners.

The Catholic Church has a very active ministry there with Michael Charchaflian and Father Richard Deshaies.

I celebrated Mass for the inmates and then went to visit the cellblocks as well as those in solitary confinement.

We were very impressed by their very beautiful Chapel.

My understanding is that the jail was built about 50 years ago. At that time, I suppose it was a very modern structure.

The Protestant chaplain, who is the chief of chaplains at the jail, was there as well and was very welcoming to us. 

We were also very surprised at how overcrowded the jail is. There are plans to relocate for that reason. I believe they have a population that is approximately twice the facilities capacity. This is of course a great concern for the Sheriff.

- – -

Then, later that day, I met with the state leadership of the Knights of Columbus to talk to them about the issue of physician assisted suicide and about ways that they can help in this campaign. They have been very supportive of our efforts and it was a very profitable meeting.

- – -

In the evening, I was very pleased to go to Blessed John XXIII National Seminary for their 31st Annual Lawn Party.

As always, it was a very uplifting evening. Two of the seminarians gave very moving testimonies about their lives and their call to the priesthood. Also, the rector, Father William Palardy, gave a report on the state of the seminary that was very positive.

I think this was the largest group to ever attend the Lawn Party and the evening was very successful, as the seminary is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary. We want to thank the chair people of the dinner, Scott and Mia Gieselman for their wonderful work orchestrating this enjoyable evening.

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On Thursday I visited Anna Maria College in Paxton. I was asked to give a talk on evangelization and Catholic education at the convocation to begin the academic year.

I was accompanied by  Bishop McManus, the Bishop of Worcester. It was my first visit to the college and I was very impressed by the campus and their desire to promote the Catholic identity of the school. I met several of the Sisters of Saint Anne, the community that founded Anna Maria College in 1946. The college actually began in the Archdiocese of Boston, it was located in Marlborough, and then in 1952 went out to the Diocese of Worcester. To this day, the order still has a convent in Marlborough.

During my visit they also very graciously bestowed me with an honorary doctorate of theology.

- – -

Later in the day, we had one of our periodic meetings of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

At the meeting, we discussed the final proposed pastoral plan that has been presented to me by the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission headed by Msgr. Willam Fay and Deacon Chuck Clough.

Father Paul Soper, our interim director of pastoral planning, made the presentation of the final document and asked for reactions. There was overwhelming support for the plan among the members of the APC.

- – -

That evening, I went to the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary for the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit to begin the academic year.

I was able to greet three of the four new seminarians who are beginning at the seminary this year. I celebrated the Mass and afterwards we had a very enjoyable dinner.

I was able to say farewell to Joseph, who is being sent to the diocese of Armagh, Ireland where a new seminary as being established. He is a very talented young man. He led us in song after the meal and I suggested they sing “The Wild Irish Rover” to prepare him for life in Armagh!

- – -

Speaking of Ireland, I want to mention that this was brought back for me by Mr. Gormley from St. Theresa’s parish in West Roxbury.

He was recently in Ireland for the All Ireland Football Championship, in which my team was playing – the Mayo team – but we lost! The Mayo team and the Red Sox are not having a good year!

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Saturday, it was my joy to ordained 10 men as permanent deacons at the Cathedral the Holy Cross.

  In the past, we held ordinations of permanent deacons every two years. However, going forward, we will now have ordinations every year. This will be a wonderful resource for the archdiocese as this vocation is growing.

This year, I had the special privilege to ordain the first member of the local Brazilian community to graduate from the diaconate program, Deacon Paulo Torrens. I am very pleased to have him as an additional resource for the outreach to our Brazilian community. The Archdiocese of Boston has about 200,000 Brazilian Catholics. We are very dependent on the generosity of Brazilian bishops and religious communities who provide priests to serve them. We are particular grateful for this vocation to the diaconate.

There was also one Deacon who was German, Deacon Michael Joens. They had asked if they could take their vows in their native languages. I was very happy to oblige.

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In the evening, I celebrated the Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Jamaica Plain for the installation of Father Carlos Flor. He is the pastor of three parishes: St. Thomas Aquinas and Our Lady of Lourdes in Jamaica Plain and St. Mary of the Angels in Roxbury.

It was a standing room only crowd composed of members of all three parishes.

It was a bilingual celebration. They had a very energetic choir composed of members of all three parishes as well.

The crowd was very enthusiastic. I was very pleased to see Father Carlos’s parents there.

- – -

Sunday morning, we had a beautiful celebration for the installation of Msgr. James Moroney as the new rector of St. John’s Seminary. A number of bishops were present including Bishop Arthur Kennedy, Walter Edyvean, Salvatore Matano of Vermont, Robert McManus of Worcester, Bishop Emeritus of Worcester Daniel Reilly and Peter Libasci of New Hampshire.

The installation was held on the seminary’s Family Day so many of the seminarians’ families were able to join us, as well as a number of the members of the Order of Malta, the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher and the Knights of Columbus.

Msgr. Moroney is a priest of Worcester, and at the end of the ceremony Bishop McManus made the official announcement of his being elevated to the second rank of monsignor, Prelate of Honor.

- – -

Each year we have a Mass to celebrate the anniversaries of the religious women in the archdiocese. This year, it was held at on Sunday afternoon once again at St. Theresa of Avila Parish in West Roxbury. The parish is always very gracious to host us there.

It was said that this year’s jubilarians represent over 1,900 combined years of service to the Church. There was one sister celebrating her 75th anniversary of religious life.

During the Mass, there was a reflection on religious life offered by a Sister Lisette Michaud, a Sister of St. Chretienne.

Sister Marian Batho, our Delegate for Religious, offered some remarks as well.

Following the Mass, there was a very nice reception held for the sisters in the school hall next door.

I was very pleased to have an opportunity to be able to greet each of the jubilarians, their families and loved ones.

- – -

Tuesday, I met with the Catholic School Education Council at the offices of Peter Lynch to speak about the strategic plan for our schools. This  Council  has been very helpful in advising the archdiocese.

- – -

Also that evening I attended the wake of Fra Richard Armstrong who is a member of the Order of Malta who was very beloved in the community.

He was a labor lawyer who belonged to the Order of Malta and became a Knight of Justice, which is in the highest of three classes of Knights. Knights of Justice take religious vows of “poverty, chastity and obedience aspiring to perfection according to the Gospel”.

- – -

Wednesday I was visited by Bishop George Lungu of the Diocese of Chipata, Zambia who is here to speak in parishes about his diocese and raise support for the missions there. He was accompanied by Maureen Heil and Father Rodney Copp of our of of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

His diocese is, in a great part, a rural diocese and there is great poverty there. He is also trying to help the neighboring diocese in Mozambique that has very few priests and religious. The people of that diocese are of the same ethnic origin even though it is across the border in Mozambique.

He presented me with this shawl, which is commemorative of the anniversary of his diocese. It includes pictures of the different bishops and historical representations of the diocese.

He explained that in his country, particularly women, would wrap this around themselves when they went to Mass.

- – -

For the last four years we have had a Celebration of the Priesthood to support the Clergy Funds, which takes care of the medical and retirement needs of our priests.

This year over 1,300 people gathered at the Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston to show their gratitude and support for our priests.

At the dinner they announced that over $1.1 million was raised for the Clergy Funds which was an 11% increase over the previous year.

There are many people who played a part in making this year’s celebration such a success. We of course want to thank the dinner co-chairs Neal Finnegan and Ann Carter, our keynote speaker Don Rodman, as well as John Kaneb, Joe D’Arrigo and all the members of our staff who worked so hard to bring the evening together.

Dinner co-chairs Neil Finnegan and Ann Carter

John Kaneb

Joe D’Arrigo

Don Rodman

And, once again, Father Bob Reed did an excellent job as the emcee.

One of the highlights for me was a very beautiful video highlighting the ministry of five different priests.

The opening prayer was delivered by Father Eric Cadin, the youngest priest in the archdiocese.

The closing prayer was offered by Msgr. Paul McManus, who I believe is ordained 70 years.

After the closing prayer all the priests joined together and sang the Salve Regina.

It was, as always, a beautiful and uplifting event.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

In the coming weeks, I want to share with the people the archdiocese some reflections around the theme of end-of-life issues. These reflections will appear in our archdiocesan newspaper, The Pilot, and also here in my blog each week.

Certainly, Mother Teresa, whose whole ministry was centered around care for the dying, is a good place to start. So, today I want to share with you some thoughts about our tradition of the Church’s love and care for people at the end stages of life.

Better ways to care for the dying

Surely I shall never forget my first encounter with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It was in November of 1970 and I was teaching at Catholic University. We had received notice that the university was awarding an honorary doctorate to a missionary nun in the Caldwell Auditorium. Realizing that few people would bother to attend, I decided "to make the sacrifice" in solidarity with a fellow religious. Only a handful of people showed up. Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle presided and Eileen Egan, an early follower of Dorothy Day who was at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was charged with introducing the nun to the assembly. None of us had ever heard of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Eileen Egan described her first meeting with Mother Teresa in the streets of the slums of Calcutta. She described seeing a wheelbarrow containing the filthy body of a dying man covered with open sores filled with maggots. She said that it seemed that the wheelbarrow moved on its own. Then she spied the diminutive nun pushing it. She learned that Mother and her sisters, for twenty years had been gathering the dying people abandoned in the streets, carrying them to an old former Hindu temple and taking care of them so that they could die surrounded by love.
I remember looking around the auditorium and seeing many people crying as Eileen Egan described Mother Teresa’s ministry to the dying. Soon the world was to learn about this amazing religious woman thanks to English journalist Malcolm Muggeridge’s film and book, both called "Something Beautiful for God."
Mother Teresa is part of a long tradition of caring for the dying in our Church. In our own country we have the moving testimony of Rose Hawthorne, the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne from Massachusetts. Rose founded a religious order in the early 1900s to care for people dying of cancer. Here in the archdiocese, the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Carmelites Sisters for the Aged and Infirm are excellent current examples of the Church’s tradition of loving care for the dying.
In our community the hospice movement is an extraordinary service to those at the end stages of life and their families. Hospice was founded by a nurse in England, Cicely Saunders. She had worked as a volunteer at St. Luke’s Home for the Dying Poor. She founded hospice to deal with the "total pain" of those who are dying. This includes not just physical suffering but the psychological and spiritual suffering people experience at the end of life. In 1971, Florence Wald left her position as dean of the Yale School of Nursing, to bring hospice to the United States.
Hospice was one of the first programs to use modern pain management techniques to care compassionately for the dying. Today there are almost 5,000 hospice programs in the United States with an organized team approach to professional care giving and 1.4 million people are enrolled in hospice care each year.
Hospice is not a place, but a concept of care. Eighty percent of hospice care is provided in the patient’s home, a family member’s home or a nursing home. Hospice cared for my Dad when he was dying. In my family, we are all grateful for the excellent care that hospice provided. The nurses and hospice workers truly ministered to the whole family.
Taking care of people at the end of their lives, giving palliative care to address the physical pain and bringing reassurance to people dealing with fear and frustration is truly doing something beautiful for God. How many times do we pray to our Blessed Mother, "Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." At the hour of our death, we need prayers and support. In popular devotion, Saint Joseph is called the patron of a happy death because by tradition it is said that he died surrounded by the loving embrace of Jesus and Mary.
We all want what is best for our loved ones, especially at the end of life’s journey. It is my hope that this series of reflections, to be posted on my blog and published in The Pilot, will demonstrate that physician assisted suicide is an assault on human dignity. It must never be seen as a viable alternative to hospice and palliative care that address not only people’s pain but also their fears and frustration.

- – -

Last Thursday, I was visited by the local leadership team of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

They gave me an update on some of their activities, including new groups they are starting for young women. We are very grateful for the extraordinary witness that they give in the archdiocese and all of their support.

Connie Pagan is the Mass. State Reagent of the CDA

- – -

Then, that afternoon, I was very happy to welcome the board members of Catholic Charities here to the Pastoral Center. We began with a 4:30 Mass here at the Pastoral Center followed by our board meeting.

Greeting Debbie Rambo, president of Catholic Charities

- – -

Then, from there, I went to attend the fundraising gala for the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation at Granite Links Golf Course in Quincy.

I thanked the guests for their support of the wonderful work that the foundation is doing to improve healthcare, community development and education in Haiti. They had a wonderful turnout for their event, and I was very happy to see the response of the community to this important ministry.

- – -

On Friday, I celebrated the Mass at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree to mark the 200th anniversary of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

The sisters founded the school in 1949 and there have been over 160 sisters who have served at the school over the years, providing an invaluable contribution to the archdiocese.

Many sisters who had been teachers, or were themselves graduates of the high school, were present for the Mass.

Today, the school is flourishing and the people still feel a great debt of gratitude to the Sisters of Charity for initiating this marvelous ministry that continues so well at Archbishop Williams High School.

- – -

Saturday, I was pleased to have the opportunity to join in the 150th anniversary Mass for Boston College and Boston College High School celebrated at Fenway Park.

It was impressive to see the large crowd of 20,000 people there. There was a great spirit of reverence in the park. In a way, it brought together two great Boston icons: Boston College and Fenway Park.

Both schools have their roots in the work of Jesuit Father John McElroy, who was a very fascinating figure.

In the early 19th century he was made pastor of a parish in Frederick, Maryland. He worked to expand the parish and establish a school and orphanage. It grew to be what, at the time, was the largest parish in the country.

When he was 63 years old, he and another priest, Father Anthony Rey, became the first Catholic priests to serve as military chaplains. He served during the Mexican-American war ministering to the soldiers at Matamoros. When he finished his service in the military, he came to Boston and saw the need of the immigrants here, particularly the Irish. He started a college in Boston’s South End that, for many years, offered one 7-year program that was something like a combined high school/ college. This was not unusual in those days.

So, at their founding, Boston College High School and Boston College were one institution.

Eventually, as enrollment grew, the two institutions split, and now both are separate ministries of the New England Province of Jesuits. My understanding is that Boston College has had something like 160,000 graduates since that time.

In my remarks at the Mass, I mentioned how very important Boston College and Boston College High School have been in changing the face of Boston and preparing immigrants to enter the professions and to receive a university education. They were the facilitators of what was really sort of a “Catholic emancipation” in Boston.

The weather was perfect for the Mass. It was just an uplifting experience.

- – -

On Sunday, I celebrated Mass in Spanish at the Cathedral for the Feast of the Holy Cross, which is the patronal feast of our Cathedral.

In my homily, I spoke of the two stained-glass windows that are on either side of the altar in the Cathedral.

One shows St. Helena finding the True Cross.

The other depicts Byzantine Emperor Heraclius who rescued the cross from the Persians 300 years later and was trying to return it to the Holy Sepulchre.

According to the story, he was unable to enter the church until he stripped himself of his royal attire, removing his crown and his shoes.

After the Mass, we invited people to come forward to venerate the relic of the True Cross which is one of the treasures of our Cathedral and has been here since the founding of the diocese.

- – -

That afternoon we were very pleased to welcome Msgr. Leo Maasburg to the Cathedral for a talk on the life of Blessed Mother Teresa.

Msgr. Maasburg is the head of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith for the country of Austria. For many years, he worked very closely with Mother Teresa as her spiritual advisor and translator and he traveled with her to many countries in the world to assist her.

He has written an inspiring book of his reflections on those experiences with Mother Teresa. He gave a talk here at the Cathedral. He gave a wonderful talk because not only does he share many of the anecdotes of moments with Mother Teresa, but he also uses those experiences to explain the theology of Mother Teresa.

We are very grateful to Alexis Walkenstein for having made arrangements for Msgr. Maasburg to come to Boston.

- – -

On Monday I participated in a webinar on physician assisted suicide with the priests and parish and school leaders of the archdiocese. This was the first time that we have communicated with parishes and schools in this way and I anticipate that, going forward, this will be a very useful vehicle, as we take advantage of the possibilities of this new technology that allows people to register their questions and get an immediate response.

We discussed several concerns with the proposed law. We began with reasons why those who are concerned with the dignity of life and advocates for those with disabilities would be likely to oppose this ballot initiative. Second, we addressed the many flaws in the way the proposed law is written. And thirdly, we spoke about concerns that this is not an appropriate way to make legislation on such a complex issue. Rather than having the legislature study this issue and hold debates and hearings, many voters are likely to make their decision based on sound bites and snippets of information they have heard from both sides.

- – -

Tuesday, I had one of my regular meetings with our recently ordained priests. Several times during the year, I like to gather with those priests ordained 10 years or fewer for a Holy Hour and conversation.

It is consoling to see how the priests are connected with each other and dedicated to their ministry. It is a very valuable encounter to be able to have and I always find it very life-giving.

- – -

That evening, I attended a reception for the Catholic Extension, which supports home missions within the territory of United States. This would include places like Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico as well as dioceses throughout the Midwest and West continental United States.

The gathering was held to help people in this area learn more about their work.

The Catholic Extension works in dioceses that are small, rural or poor. They build churches, help fund seminarians, and support Catholic schools and many other programs.

As a former bishop of a missionary diocese, I have experienced firsthand the wonderful work they do.

When I became Bishop of the Virgin Islands, our entire diocesan budget was $30,000 a year! Needless to say, there were no salaries. We were lucky if it covered the food and other essentials. With that I had to support myself, the retired Bishop, the Sister who was the Chancellor, two seminarians — and everything else we did in the diocese. The support of Catholic Extension was invaluable.

Until next week,

Cardinal Seán

As I mentioned in a previous post, Barbara Thorp, the director of our Office for Pastoral Support and Child Protection has decided to move on from the archdiocese.

So, last Wednesday, we gathered with her and some of her staff to wish her farewell. She has worked in the diocese for 35 years, providing an extraordinary service both in the pro-life office and the Office of Child Protection and Advocacy.

The entire Catholic community in Boston owes her a great debt of gratitude. She has been the merciful face of the Church, dealing with victims of clergy sexual abuse and their families.