QUINCY -- Due to forecasted rain on Oct. 1, the annual Night 4 Life, originally set to be held at Quincy's Veterans Memorial Stadium, is being relocated to an indoor venue. The Night 4 Life will now take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Marriott Boston Quincy, located at 1000 Marriott Drive, Quincy, MA, 02169. This is one hour earlier than originally planned.
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WRENTHAM -- Daily work can take many different forms for the Cistercian nuns at Mount St. Mary's Abbey. But whether they are tending the sheep, caring for guests at the retreat house, or making candy in their factory, all the sisters' work is infused with prayer and love.
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SOUTH BOSTON -- Since its opening in 2017, Our Lady of Good Voyage Seaport Shrine has been led by a series of priests staying for a short period of time. But this summer, two lay staff members, evangelization associates Susan Abbott and Kathy Stebbins, were appointed the new co-directors of the shrine, becoming the first laypeople to have such leadership roles in the Archdiocese of Boston.
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BOSTON -- In past decades, the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, commonly known as Mission Church, was called the "Lourdes of the East" because of the number of seemingly miraculous cures that occurred there. But whatever name it has been called, it has been known as a place of healing and community throughout its 150-year history.
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Friday, I celebrated a Mass for the beginning of the school year at St. Mary's for the three Catholic schools of Lynn -- St. Mary's, Sacred Heart, and St. Pius V. Our superintendent of schools, Tom Carroll, was there along with many people associated with the schools, including St. Mary's Board Chair Bill Mosakowski and St. Mary's Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan, and Associate Head of School David Angeramo.
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The following is an excerpt of a letter to the editor published in the June 24, 1871, issue of The Pilot recounting a procession at the then-newly established Mission Church under the headline, "Procession in Honor of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Grand and Interesting Demonstration."
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SOMERVILLE -- Students from Malden Catholic High School and Xaverian Brothers High School were among eight high school graduates who received the Henry David Thoreau Foundation Scholarship this year.
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WEST END -- Under tents set up on the grounds of Regina Cleri, about 250 people gathered on Sept. 15 for "One Mission, Stronger Communities," a dinner to express gratitude for the Archdiocese of Boston's priests and raise funds for the Clergy Trust.
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Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley released the following statement Sept. 16 reacting to news about the roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants who were flown to Martha's Vineyard Sept. 14. Immigration policies and practices stand as an abiding moral, legal and political challenge to our Commonwealth and our country. We have delayed far too long in developing an effective response to immigrants, migrants, and refugees at a moment when the movement of men, women, children, and families surpasses any other known example in our history.
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On Sunday, I went to the Fatima Shrine in Holliston to celebrate a Mass to mark the 75th anniversary of the Xaverian Missionaries in the United States. Of course, the Fatima Shrine is a very important presence of the community here in our archdiocese.
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Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley released the following statement Sept. 16 reacting to news about the roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants who were flown to Martha's Vineyard from Florida Sept. 14.
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BRAINTREE -- Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley added his voice to the many religious and civic leaders around the world offering their condolences after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8. On Sept. 9, the cardinal released a statement about the late queen of the United Kingdom, who he said has been "one of the most well-known and loved people throughout the world" through the decades.
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DEDHAM -- Elizabeth DeRosa knows the importance of invitation. When she was a teenager, her youth minister invited her to attend Life Teen, the weekly meetings of teenagers for Mass, talks, and fellowship at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish. Now, she is the director of the parish's Life Teen program, which is inviting not only current members but also alumni and friends to celebrate their 25th anniversary this month.
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FRAMINGHAM -- Close to 700 people attended the Charismatic Renewal Services of the Archdiocese of Boston (CRSB) fall congress, which was held at St. Stephen Parish in Framingham on Sept. 10. It was the first time CRSB was able to hold the annual event in person since the coronavirus pandemic began. The daylong conference included talks from two featured speakers, with separate tracks for Spanish and Portuguese as well as English. On the lawn between the church and the school, vendors from Catholic companies set up booths to display books, T-shirts, rosaries, statues, and other religious items. The day ended with a Mass during which new CRSB officers were installed.
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Early September is the time when we celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit at our three seminaries to begin the academic year. The first of those was Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary on Friday. At Pope St. John Seminary, the community Mass on Friday is always in Spanish. This is a nice custom they have to get their seminarians used to liturgies in Spanish. I always thank them for doing that because I think it is an important part of the seminarians' preparation for ministry since Spanish is becoming so prevalent in our Church and the majority of Catholic immigrants coming to this country are from Spanish-speaking countries. So, it's important for priests to have some familiarity with the language and be comfortable with the liturgies celebrated in Spanish.
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LYNN -- Sacred Heart School was one of many Catholic schools beginning a new academic year in the first week of September. On Sept. 7, the students, preschool through grade five, and their parents and teachers gathered outside the school for the first day of the 2022-2023 school year.
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I was in Rome this past week for the consistory, at which the Holy Father created 20 new cardinals, including Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego. It is the custom for the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See to hold a reception when there is a new American cardinal, which was held Friday night at the embassy. Of course, our host was the new Vatican Ambassador, Joe Donnelly.
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BRAINTREE -- At the very time when schools across the country are facing a shortage of teachers, the new St. Thomas More Teaching Fellows program is ushering in an inaugural class of over 20 recent college graduates, who will work as teachers in the archdiocesan schools for the next two years.
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WAKEFIELD -- Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Deacon Tam Tran says he did not recognize God walking with him throughout much of his life. Born into a Buddhist family in Vietnam, he came to the Catholic faith after years of hardship and worldly success, and later, after a near-death experience, discerned a call to the permanent diaconate.
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Last Thursday, I met with Xaverian Missionaries Superior General Father Fernando Garcia and Local Superior Father Rocco Puopolo. Father Garcia has been a missionary in Africa for many years and was recently elected superior general. He was visiting the United States and came by to greet me at the cathedral.
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