I want to begin this week updating everyone on the restoration work at the cathedral. The sacristy is finished, and the doors have been refurbished. They continue to clean the exterior stones and, less visible, but no less important, they have also been working on repointing the exterior stone and sealing all the windows to help preserve the structure for years to come. And, of course, we are anxiously waiting for the bells that have now been hung to begin to ring. I hear from many visitors that they are pleased to see the cathedral shaping up so well. We are very grateful to Father Kevin O'Leary and those who worked so hard to raise the money and support this refurbishment that was so necessary to prevent water damage.

Order of the Holy Sepulchre installation

Later that day, I travelled to Portland, Maine for the installation of new members for the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Northeast Lieutenancy. The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the oldest organizations in the Church, which began as a military organization that protected the sacred sites in the Holy Land. Today, they continue that mission by committing themselves to support the works of mercy carried out by the Church there. There were a large number of new inductees this year, as well as a number of promotions within the Order.

St. Guido feast day

Sunday (11/5) I went to the Fatima Shrine in Holliston to be together with the Xaverian Missionaries as they celebrated the feast day of their founder, St. Guido Maria Conforti. The feast day is on November 5, so I thanked them for redeeming that date for us. The old English adage is "Remember, remember, the 5th of November," which in England was Guy Fawkes's Day and in Boston it was Pope's Day, when they used to burn the pope in effigy on Boston Common. But now, I said, we can think of it as the feast of a good Catholic bishop, the founder of the Xaverian Missionaries.

The Mass not only marked his feast day, but also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Vatican II document "Ad Gentes," on the missions and also celebrated the closing Year for Consecrated Life.

Mass with the Vietnamese community

Then, in the afternoon I celebrated Mass for the Vietnamese community in the archdiocese. I always like to gather with them for a Mass around the Feast of the Vietnamese Martyrs, which is November 24.

It was a great joy to be joined by so many hundreds of members of the very vibrant Vietnamese community in Boston, as well as many of the Vietnamese priests, deacons and sisters in the archdiocese.