Last Saturday (9/2) I had the joy of ordaining 12 Jesuit deacons at St. Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill. The new deacons come from various Jesuits provinces, including three that are from Nigeria. The evening before, I joined the scholastics for dinner and Vespers at the Peter Faber House, the Jesuit community at Boston College. We are very blessed to have so many young Jesuits here who come to Boston to study at Boston College for many of their provinces throughout the world. During their time here, all of them were assigned work in various parishes of the archdiocese. Many of them are from countries that have a large immigrant population in Boston, so it's particularly helpful for us to have them present, helping out in our parishes.

Labor Day barbecue

On Monday (9/4), I went to St. Brigid's in South Boston to attend the annual Labor Day barbecue that Father Robert Casey hosts for priests. This year we had about 100 priests join us.

Even though the weather on Sunday was so terrible, we had excellent weather for the barbecue. (I think we all wonder how Father Casey arranges such great weather every year!)

This is always a great event that the priests of the archdiocese look forward to, and we are so grateful to Father Casey for hosting us every year.

Visit to Ursuline Academy

Tuesday (9/5), which was the first day of school at many of our schools in the archdiocese, I went to visit Ursuline Academy in Dedham.

There, I celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit to begin the academic year, and afterward, I blessed their new Athletic and Convocation Center, which is just a stunning facility.

...For 500 years the Ursuline Sisters have been providing excellent Catholic education to young women, and Ursuline Academy is just one more example of that legacy. We are indeed blessed to have this Academy in our archdiocese.

Msgr. Tierney funeral

Wednesday morning (9/6), I attended the funeral Mass for Msgr. James Tierney at Sacred Hearts Church in Bradford. Many will remember Msgr. Tierney from his service in recent years as head of our Regina Cleri residence for retired priests.

...After the Mass, I took the opportunity to visit each of the classrooms at Sacred Hearts School and greet the students.

It was a lovely visit and I was happy to see the school was thriving. We are so grateful to Sacred Hearts' pastor, Father John Delaney, that the principal, Kathleen Blain, for all they do to make the school the success it is.

Visit with Father Mwanza

Then, in the afternoon, I returned to the cathedral where I met with Father Godfrey Mathews Mwanza, a young priest from the Diocese of Chipata, Zambia who has been serving in the archdiocese on a Missionary Co-Operative through a special partnership with his diocese and our office for the Propagation of the Faith.

The Missionary Co-Operative program, which is a program of the USCCB, is run by the Propagation of the Faith on my behalf. It is the Bishop's Conference's way of guaranteeing that the "mission message" is proclaimed at least once a year in every parish. Religious orders, mission dioceses, and mission groups apply to be assigned to parishes within the archdiocese every year.

...During his time here, Father Godfrey has been doing mission appeals in the Quincy Collaborative and also at St. Christopher's in Dorchester. He is now returning home, so he came to thank me and send me greetings from his bishop, Bishop George Lungu, who in fact came to visit me at the Pastoral Center a few years ago.