Friday evening (12/10), I attended the Boston Catholic Charities Winter Gala. During the evening they honored Pat and Barbara Roche, who have been such stalwart supporters of Catholic Charities and many other Catholic causes. There was also a very touching witness talk by a woman who was at the St. Ambrose shelter sponsored by Catholic Charities, saying what a positive experience that was for her and her family.

The new president of Catholic Charities, Debbie Rambo, and Vivian Soper, who directs Catholic Charities Boston, both do an extraordinary job there. I also want to express my gratitude to Kevin Murphy, the new president of the board at Catholic Charities Boston, as well as all the people who diligently prepared for this wonderful celebration. The dinner was a great success, and they had a wonderful turnout.

Mass with Leadership Circle

On Sunday (12/12), I celebrated Mass at The Bethany Chapel for the Cardinal's Leadership Circle of the archdiocese. Of course, it was Tom Flatley whose extraordinary generosity in donating the building for our Pastoral Center allowed us to celebrate in this wonderful venue and house the ministries of our archdiocese. Following Mass we had a reception in the lobby of The Pastoral Center.

During the reception, Craig Gibson and Father Walter Waldron, the pastor of St. Patrick's in Roxbury, addressed our guests. Craig shared the importance of supporting the work of the Church through Leadership Circle gifts. Father Waldron thanked the Leadership Circle members for their generosity, which allows the archdiocese to support him in all the wonderful things he does at St. Patrick's.

In my remarks, I expressed my appreciation to members of the Leadership Circle for their continued support. I also said how grateful I was for this chance to come together to give thanks for our blessings and welcome in the Advent season.