Last week, I visited Bridgewater State Hospital, part of the prison system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to celebrate Confirmations in Spanish. We celebrated Mass in the gymnasium for about 200 men and they decorated the altar with collages the men had made. We are so grateful to the chaplain there, Peggy Newman for all the good work she is doing.

Clergy Fund reception

Also last week, John and Ginny Kaneb sponsored a reception to support the Clergy Funds at their home in Manchester by the Sea. It was a lovely afternoon to be gathered by the ocean. John Kaneb, Joe D'Arrigo, Msgr. Dennis Sheehan and I addressed the many benefactors and potential benefactors who were in attendance. We are very grateful for the work of the Clergy Funds and look forward to the upcoming Celebration of the Priesthood Dinner that will be held Sept. 26 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. I encourage you all to attend and support our priests through sharing in this special evening.

Retirement Party

Anna Baione has worked for over 30 years at the cathedral in a number of different capacities and is now retiring. So, on Saturday (9/7) we had a retirement gathering for her and a number of her friends and relatives were able to join us. It was a lovely tribute to a great woman who has served the cathedral community so faithfully for so many years. She will be sorely missed.

Novitiate Mass in Newton

On Sunday (9/8), I went to Sacred Heart Church in Newton to preside at Mass during which three young women entered the novitiate of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, a new community founded to follow the spirituality of Charles de Foucault. We were very happy to see the large number of people and priests who turned out to support the women on this important moment in their lives. We commend Mother Olga for all she has done. We were also very glad to welcome Father Robert McCreary, who has been so helpful in preparing the sisters and in working with them on their foundational documents.

Diocesan Financial Conference

Each year, about 300 of the financial directors of dioceses throughout the United States gather in a different city for the Diocesan Financial Management Conference. This year, we were very happy to host them in Boston for their conference, which was held from Sunday through Wednesday. Kevin Kiley and a number of other people from our Finance Office and the Parish Services Office represented us there. On Sunday, I delivered the keynote address to open their conference. We are very grateful for their dedication and the sense of mission they have in their important role of helping us use the material resources of the Church in the service of evangelization.

USCCB meetings

Finally, for several days this week, I was in Washington D.C. to attend meetings of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Administrative Committee and the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities. At Pro-Life Committee we reviewed our plans for Respect Life Month, heard reports on the Pro-Life Congress in Texas (that I mentioned last month), and spoke about the mission of promoting adoption in our culture. There was also considerable discussion about the HHS mandate, particularly the implications for conscience rights in Catholic health care facilities. Among the items we discussed in the Administrative Committee was the ongoing situation in Syria.