On Friday, the night before the ordinations, we gathered with the deacons to be ordained priests the next morning. We prayed vespers in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the cathedral and then had dinner together. As I do each year, I gave them their ordination gift, a ritual book and the oil stocks because I want to emphasize the priest's special ministry to the sick. Then, I met with each of them individually to give them their first parish assignments. I tell them that I give it the night before the ordination in case any of them want to bolt!

The next day, we had the ordination in the cathedral. It was a very prayerful event.

We tried to observe all the safety practices given our circumstances of the pandemic, but it didn't prevent us from having a beautiful celebration and a good number of people present at the cathedral for the Mass.

The fact that it was on CatholicTV allowed friends and family members who could not be physically present to participate virtually.

Feast of the Portiuncula

August 2 was the Feast of the Portiuncula, Our Lady of the Angels. It is also the day I was consecrated a bishop on the Virgin Islands, 36 years ago.

I have always had a great love for this feast day. As a child, we would go with my grandmother to the Poor Clares and the Franciscan friars to pray the prayers for the indulgence of the feast. Pope Honorius granted a plenary indulgence to St. Francis for this feast day because he wanted people who were unable to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to have the opportunity to receive the same indulgence by visiting the Church of the Portiuncula and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. This indulgence was also extended to other Franciscan churches.

It is a beautiful celebration, and, in our own diocese, we have a replica of the Portiuncula in Hanover.

That is where Cardinal Cushing is buried, at the Cardinal Cushing Center. He was very devoted to children with special needs and the Franciscan sisters that ran that institution.

Zoom call

On Monday afternoon, I participated in a Zoom call with Father Michael Della Penna, OFM, Pastor of St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish in the North End, and Michael Bonetti, a member of the St. Anthony Society Feast Day Committee.

There is a St. Anthony Society for men and a St. Lucy Society for women. Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the St. Lucy Society. They have solicited help in obtaining a relic of St. Lucy for next year's celebration for the 100th anniversary. They have a relic of St. Anthony, and they hope to have one of St. Lucy for next year. They do a lot of charitable work in the community and have a chapel in the North End to St. Anthony and St. Lucy and the annual procession is one of their major events.

Due to the current public health restrictions, the Society will not be able to proceed with the traditional celebrations of St. Anthony and St. Lucy later this month but will sponsor a virtual celebration each evening from August 27-30, including a livestreamed Mass from St. Leonard Church. Information about the virtual celebrations can be found at: www.stanthonysfeast.com.

We are grateful for the pastoral outreach of the parish and the Society during these challenging times. It is my hope to join in the traditional celebrations next summer, circumstances at that time permitting.