Saturday, I went to St. Clement's Shrine in the Back Bay to celebrate Mass for the local participants in the SEEK22 conference. The SEEK conference is an annual national gathering sponsored by FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Typically, all the participants would gather together in a large venue. This year, however, in light of the pandemic, they held it as numerous smaller gatherings throughout the country with some activities, such as Mass and adoration, taking place on the local level and others, such as keynote addresses, shared through live-streams.

I was very grateful to the Oblates for hosting us for the day. In fact, two of the newly ordained Oblate deacons assisted at the Mass. There were also a number of Harvard students who served, as well.

The efforts of our FOCUS missionaries are bearing fruit, and this local SEEK conference is just one more indication of how many students they are reaching and of the outstanding work that is being done.

Spanish Mass

On Sunday, I celebrated the Spanish Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Even though the feast of St. Blaise was earlier in the week, Msgr. Kevin O'Leary decided to also have the Blessing of the Throats at the weekend Masses. I was very happy for that, and I know the people were very grateful for the opportunity to have their throats blessed, particularly during this time of the pandemic.

The tradition of holding the Blessing of the Throats dates back many centuries. St. Blaise was born into a noble family and was a physician before becoming a bishop in Armenia in the fourth century. At one point, fleeing persecution by the Romans, he took refuge in a cave in the wilderness. There, tradition says, the wild animals would visit him and bring him food, and he would cure any who were sick or injured.

Eventually, he was discovered by a hunting party, captured, and imprisoned. While he was in prison, a mother brought him her son, who was choking on a fishbone. At St. Blaise's command, the boy was able to expel it, and he was saved. In the centuries afterward, the practice of invoking the intercession of St. Blaise for the Blessing of the Throats became a custom in many countries.

In my parish growing up, the feast of St. Blaise was as popular as Ash Wednesday. There would be huge crowds at Mass that day. I think there were more people for St. Blaise Day than for Candlemas!

On the other hand, the first year that I was ordained, after the Spanish Mass on the feast of St. Blaise, I told the people that we would have the Blessing of the Throats. So I walked down to the Communion rail with the candles, and nobody moved -- they had never seen it! So it seems it's not such a popular tradition in many Central American countries.