This (past) weekend parishes throughout the archdiocese (participated) 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 United States. This is probably the largest postcard campaign ever and it seems to already be having a good effect, but we don’t want to rest on our laurels.

Although FOCA itself might be sidelined and not voted on as such in Congress, individual issues -- conscience protections for health care workers and so forth -- are very much at stake. Many of the unacceptable programs in FOCA could be tacked on to other kinds of legislation and we could, as the old saying goes, die the death of a thousand cuts.

So, we are encouraging everyone to participate in this very important initiative of the entire Church. It is going very well and we would hope that in Boston our people will be very supportive in participating in this program.

Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference

(Last Friday March 20), I attended the 2009 Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference for laity at the Campion Renewal Center in Weston.

This event was sponsored by the MAM program and the Office of Clergy Support and Ongoing Formation and co-sponsored by many of the archdiocesan pastoral offices with support from Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic publishing company.

The conference was called “Hope for the Parish of the Future.” Monsignor Bill Fay and Father George Evans spoke on the issue of Pastoral Planning, along with Aldona Lingertat, the director of the MAM program.

Mary Healy, of the Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, was the keynote speaker for the conference and she gave a very inspiring talk entitled “Hope Does Not Disappoint Us.”

Also on this week’s blog:

Encouraging participation at the 2009 Men’s and Women’s Conferences.

Attending a Men’s Conference in Springfield.

Confirmations at St. Mary’s in Brookline.

Attending meetings at the Bishops’ Conference.

Re-dedication of the Holocaust memorial Yom HaShoah Menorah.