http://www.cardinalseansblog.org Cardinal Seán shares his reflections & experiences. Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:26:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Dear Readers, On Thursday, I had a visit with Sister Agatha Osarenkkoe, the newly elected superior general of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Sister Christiana Onyewache, and our Delegate for Religious, Sister Marian Batho. We are grateful for the work that Sister Christiana is doing in the archdiocese with ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/03/05/visiting-haiti-in-the-aftermath-of-the-earthquake/ Welcome back! On Sunday, I am traveling to Haiti with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to help assess the impact that earthquake had on the local Church. The U.S. bishops are providing immediate assistance through Catholic Relief Services but we have created a commission that will advise the Subcommittee on the ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/02/26/the-rite-of-the-election/ Hello, once again! I want to begin this week by saying that I am deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Through parish special collections in the Archdiocese of Boston, $1,600,000 have been collected to date. The funds for this effort are still ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/02/19/beginning-the-season-of-lent-2/   Greetings, everyone: Last week, on the Sunday after the Feast of Candlemas (the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord) the Church observed World Day for Consecrated Life, a celebration which was instituted by Pope John Paul II. I took occasion of that event to send this letter to the women religious ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/02/12/the-light-is-on-for-you/   Hello everyone and welcome back! Last Wednesday, I attended a St. Andrew’s Dinner at St. Sebastian’s School in Needham. Regular readers will remember that these are the gatherings we hold periodically with young men who are open to considering a vocation to the priesthood.   This was the first time we met at St. ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/02/05/the-ordination-of-three-transitional-deacons/ Hello, and welcome back! As I do every year, I went down to Washington, D.C. last week for the March for Life.   After arriving in Washington on Thursday afternoon, I visited with Father Richard Duffield from the Birmingham Oratory in England and Patrick Reilly of the ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/01/29/the-march-for-life/ Hello, once again. The result of Tuesday’s special election was very surprising. It has captured the attention of the world because no one ever suspected that someone who was not a Democrat would be able to be elected to the seat the late Sen. Ted Kennedy held for nearly ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/01/22/celebrating-mass-with-the-catholic-deaf-community/ Greetings, News of the human tragedy unfolding in Haiti is heartbreaking, and it calls all of us to action to help the people impacted by the earthquake. We pray for those who have perished, for the injured, for the displaced and for relief personnel ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/01/15/devastation-in-haiti/   Happy New Year to all! Each year since I have been ordained a priest, I have always celebrated a midnight Mass to begin the New Year. This year was no exception. I remember that when I was in the Virgin Islands, ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/01/08/beginning-the-new-year-with-the-lord/ Greetings of the Christmas season. You may have noticed that like last week, I am preparing my post earlier than the customary Friday. Last week, Christmas fell on a Friday, so I blogged on Thursday. Being that New Years’ Day falls on a Friday as well, I am posting ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/12/31/visiting-the-homeless-and-the-imprisoned/   I am posting my weekly entry a bit earlier than normal this week to make time for my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day events – I’ll tell you all about those next week. - - - On Thursday afternoon, I celebrated a Mass for our staff ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/12/24/merry-christmas-2/   Greetings, I would like to begin this week’s post with some wonderful news. On December 11, the Holy See announced the beatification of Fray Leopoldo de Alpandeire, a Capuchin lay brother who was a “quester” — his mission was to quest for alms. He did that ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/12/18/the-40th-anniversary-of-the-planning-office-for-urban-affairs/   Greetings, Our leaders in the House of Representatives courageously passed the Stupak Amendment in their version of the health care bill, but the Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment did not prevail in the Senate’s version of the legislation. Of course, that was a great disappointment to us. We still hope and pray that some accommodation ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/12/11/a-week-full-of-events/ Hello, once again! If you stopped by to read last week’s blog, you know that I posted that entry a couple days earlier than usual. Like many of you, I traveled to be with my family for Thanksgiving, which is always a very special event in our lives as Americans. It was ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/12/04/the-feast-of-st-andrew-with-the-greek-orthodox/ Hello and welcome! As I’m sure you have noticed, I have prepared this week’s post a bit earlier than usual because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Each year we, as a country, dedicate this day to a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving to God for our freedom, our prosperity, our families, and the ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/11/25/the-cheverus-awards/ Greetings, This week, as many of you may know, I attended the fall general meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. Among the highlights of the meeting were approval of a pastoral letter on marriage, a study on the status of the religious life in the United ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/11/20/the-bishops-november-meeting/ Hello, once again! As you may know, last week the House of Representatives passed its version of the health care reform bill that included the Stupak amendment, which prevents the use of taxpayer money to support abortion. We were very pleased that the amendment was passed by such ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/11/13/the-st-james-society-cushing-awards/   This week, our nation experienced a tragedy at the U.S. military base in Fort Hood, Texas. There is a great deal of trauma and suffering at Ft. Hood following the shooting. I spoke with Father Edward McCabe, a priest from the Archdiocese of Boston who serves our troops at Ft. ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/11/06/remembering-the-faithful-departed-2/ Greetings to you all. Before I begin with the events of my week, I want to briefly comment on the news that the Holy Father is going to issue an Apostolic Constitution in order to accommodate Anglicans who wish to join the Church, and at the same time, preserve ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/10/30/the-catechetical-congress-2/ Hello, once again! First, I want to share with you some news from the archdiocese. This week, the Holy Father accepted Bishop Francis X. Irwin’s letter of resignation that he tendered last year. We are very grateful that he has generously served so long, even beyond his 75th birthday. ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/10/23/justice-convocation/ Hello again to you all! Last Thursday, at the Pastoral Center, I celebrated Mass for leaders and board members of archdiocesan schools, agencies, and other affiliated organizations. Following the Mass, they gathered in the Flatley Conference Room here at the Pastoral Center for a discussion on strategies for effective board governance. Father ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/10/16/a-week-of-many-events/ Greetings, once again! As I mentioned in last week’s post, I was in Ars, France, where I participated in the International Priests Retreat held to mark the Year for Priests. At Logan Airport, as I was about the take the plane to France, I was invited by the kitchen workers there to ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/10/09/the-international-priests-retreat/ This week we mark the 30th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Boston and the United States. The Holy Father’s visit to Boston was both inspiring and energizing for millions of Catholics here and across the country. His presence radiated brightly across the city and all of ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/10/02/celebrating-my-jubilee-with-my-brother-priests/   Hello again! Last Wednesday, Mary Grassa O’Neill and I both addressed over 150 Catholic school principals and pastors at the Celebration of Education here at the Pastoral Center. Mary, who is our Secretary for Education and Superintendent of Schools, began her talk with an ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/09/25/gathering-with-the-seminarians-of-the-neocatechumenal-way/ At last Thursday’s noon Mass in the Pastoral Center, we hosted the Driscoll Family – Roland and Alice Driscoll, and several of their family members – as we offered a memorial Mass for two of their sons. Roland and Alice are daily communicants at the Pastoral Center ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/09/18/recognizing-our-priests/ Welcome back! Last Friday I celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary. This was their opening Mass for the year. It’s a great joy to see the seminarians at Blessed John XXIII, who come from dioceses ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/09/11/celebrating-the-opening-of-south-boston-catholic-academy/ Welcome back to my blog! On Wednesday, in light of the public attention the funeral of Senator Kennedy received, I posted the following comments that I am now adding to my regular Friday post. We are grateful to all those who have contributed their comments in response to that post. Because of the overwhelming number ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/09/04/more-on-cuba/ Saturday was the 39th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, at St. Augustine’s Church in Pittsburgh by Bishop John B. McDowell, who is still going strong today.  In the Church’s calendar, the feast day for August 29 is the Beheading of John the Baptist.  People usually take note when ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/09/02/on-senator-kennedys-funeral/ This week we saw the passing of Ted Kennedy. I want to share with you a statement we released on his passing Wednesday: "Today we mourn the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy and we extend our heartfelt prayers and sincere condolences to his wife Victoria and their children, Kara, Edward, ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/08/28/visiting-cuba/ Hello again! Last Saturday, on the Feast of the Assumption, we celebrated a wonderful event: the return of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration to the city of Boston for the first time in almost 40 years. We had a Mass at St. Clement Shrine in the Back Bay to mark the ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/08/21/adoring-the-lord/ Hello once again! On Friday, I met with Rev. Diane Kessler who joined me for lunch at the Pastoral Center. For many years Rev. Kessler was the head of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. She is now a representative of the World Council of Churches to ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/08/14/the-legacy-of-eunice-kennedy-shriver/   Hello and welcome back! Last Saturday, Archbishop Thomas Kwaku Mensah from Kumasi, Ghana visited us at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. He and a number of his priests and people were visiting our immigrant community from Ghana. He is a neighbor to Cardinal ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/08/07/gathering-with-the-knights-of-columbus/ This Sunday is the feast of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula. This is a very special Franciscan feast and it is also the 25th anniversary of my ordination as bishop. I was ordained August 2, 1984 at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Thomas, ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/07/31/25-years-as-a-bishop/ As I do upon occasion, before I get to the events of my week, I would like to comment on an issue that is of great importance to me. The Governor and the Legislature in the commonwealth face excruciatingly difficult choices this week. Final decisions about the budget bring ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/07/24/the-importance-of-health-care-for-legal-immigrants/ As I did last week, I am sharing this week’s post with one of our newly ordained priests, Father Frank Campo, who was assigned to St. Mary Parish in Franklin. But before I leave you with Father Campo’s account of his first experiences as a priest in Franklin, ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/07/17/experiences-of-a-priest-on-his-first-assignment/   Hello to you all! I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday. It is always such a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends. As I do every summer, I have asked two of our newly ordained priests to share their experiences ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/07/10/reflections-of-a-newly-ordained-priest-2/ Hello and welcome back! On Thursday, there was a dinner at the Boston College Club to honor our senior priests, with special recognition to Msgr. James Tierney for all his service as the head of Regina Cleri. The dinner is an annual event sponsored by the BC Club and the Order of ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/07/03/serra-club-comes-to-boston/ I am happy to share with you the following statement issued this evening by Caritas Christi concerning its decision to withdraw its membership in the CeltiCare Health Plan while continuing its commitment to serve the needs of the poor among us: New Agreement Allows Caritas To Serve the Poor As a ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/06/26/spring-session-of-the-us-conference-of-catholic-bishops/   On Thursday, the Feast Day of St. Barnabas the Apostle, we had a Mass at the Pastoral Center with something of a missionary theme. St. Barnabas, like St. Paul, was a great missionary to the Gentiles and, at the Mass on his feast day, we honored two men for their missionary ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/06/19/firefighter-memorial-service/ Welcome back. This past Wednesday we had an inspiring gathering with the priests of Boston, of which I will say more at the end of this week’s post. Recently, Sister Bridget Haase visited to present me with a copy of her newly published book, “Generous Faith: Stories to Inspire Abundant Living.” Sister ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/06/12/gathering-with-the-priests-of-boston/ Hello and welcome! Before I come to the events of my week, I would like to address the killing of Kansas abortion physician Dr. George Tiller last Sunday. This was indeed a tragedy on many different levels. Certainly it was a tragedy for Dr. Tiller and his family, as well as the ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/06/05/celebrating-confirmations-for-the-brazilian-community/ Hello and welcome back! Catholic Charities had their annual Spring Celebration at the JFK Library on Thursday May 21, which happened to be Ascension Thursday. We were honoring Ray Tye, who was the recipient of the Justice and Compassion Award. He is the president of The Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation, which provides ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/05/29/six-new-priests-for-boston/ This week’s blog is posted the day before we will ordain six new priests for the Archdiocese of Boston. Presbyteral ordinations are always wonderful occasions. If you are reading this blog in the Boston area, I encourage you to attend. The Mass of Ordination will take place at 9 a.m. ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/05/22/a-busy-week-around-the-archdiocese/ This week was filled with many events and meetings, but before I get to them I want to make a mention of the Holy Father’s visit to the Holy Land which seems to me to have been very positive. Things are never without their challenges, particularly when there are ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/05/15/welcoming-a-new-priest-to-the-archdiocese/ Welcome back! I have spent most of the week in Lourdes, France, accompanying the Order of Malta in its Annual International Pilgrimage to the Marian shrine. This year, Father Jonathan Gaspar, Father Kevin O’Leary and Father Dan Magni were all there accompanying the Order of Malta’s group from Boston and the ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/05/08/pilgrimage-to-lourdes/ Welcome back! Last Thursday evening I attended a reception at the home of Deacon Chuck Clough and his wife, Gloria. Deacon Chuck and Gloria (center) greets Joan and Al Lagan In attendance were Craig and Nancy Gibson seen here along with Damien DeVasto from our ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/05/01/american-cardinals-dinner/ Welcome back! Last Thursday I celebrated the Confirmations for 60 young men and women at Holy Name in West Roxbury. Last year I was supposed to have celebrated confirmations there but it coincided with the Holy Father’s visit to the United States. I was happy to be able to come back ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/04/24/mens-and-womens-conferences/ I hope you are all having a blessed beginning of this Easter season. Our celebration of the Easter Triduum at the cathedral was wonderful and we have some very beautiful pictures that I want to share with you. However, before I get to that, I want to mention ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/04/17/christ-is-risen/ Hello and welcome! I hope you are all having a blessed Holy Week! As you may have noticed, I’m making my post a little earlier than normal, before the rush of the Triduum begins. I’ll tell you all about that in my next post, but for now let me tell you ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/04/09/celebrating-the-chrism-mass-with-my-brother-priests/ This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday, which marks the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Throughout this Holy Week, we will relive the Last Supper and his Passion, Death and Resurrection through liturgical celebrations. I encourage you to participate in your parish’s liturgies or to join me at the Cathedral as ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/04/03/inner-city-scholarship-fund-dinner-celebration/ Welcome back to my blog! This weekend parishes throughout the archdiocese are participating in a postcard campaign to let our Federal elected officials know that we, as Catholics, strongly oppose the so-called “Freedom of Choice Act,” commonly known as FOCA. Already, 35 million postcards have been requested by the dioceses throughout the ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/03/27/rededication-of-the-yom-hashoah-menorah/ Hello and welcome! I spent much of this past week (including St. Patrick’s Day) in Rome.  The main purpose of the trip was to attend the plenary session of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy. But, as I always do, I tried to find as much time as I could to ... http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/03/20/a-busy-week-in-rome/