Archbishop Henning poses with members of the Archbishop Williams campus ministry team during his visit to the high school on Dec. 9. Pilot photo/Wes Cipolla
BRAINTREE -- Archbishop Richard Henning took a tour of Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree on Dec. 9 before celebrating Mass in honor of the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the school auditorium. School President Dennis Duggan Jr. and Principal Michael Volonnino educated Archbishop Henning about the history of the school, which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding by Cardinal Richard Cushing and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in 1949.
"The visit from Archbishop Richard Henning during our 75th anniversary year was a profound moment for Archbishop Williams High School," Duggan said. "His presence and celebration of Mass remind us of our sacred mission as Catholic educators. As we reflect on 75 years of history, we are inspired to continue forming socially aware and morally responsible citizens who live out their faith in service to others."
Serving 755 students in grades seven through 12, Archbishop Williams is one of the largest co-ed schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. Its students come from 48 different cities and towns, some from as far as Cape Cod, but most of them live in Boston, Quincy, Weymouth, and Braintree. Archbishop Henning visited some classrooms, the weight room, the auditorium, the cafeteria, the school chapel, and the campus ministry room prior to celebrating Mass.
"We were proud and privileged to share with Archbishop Henning the strong Catholic identity of our school," Volonnino said. "From our altar servers and lectors to the beautiful voices of our choir, it was a joyful celebration that welcomed our new archbishop, honored our blessed mother, and reflected on the 75-year legacy of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth."
Speaking to the entire student body, Archbishop Henning began his homily by telling a story from "a long time ago, in a faraway land known as England," where "four poets" gathered in a BBC studio. Those four poets were the Beatles, and their message was "All you need is love."
"A claim that, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I would agree with," the archbishop said. "That at the most basic level, the deepest level, all we really need is love."
He said that the kind of love sung about in popular songs does not fully encompass the kind of love that can be found in the Gospels. For that love, he found a better example in Archbishop Williams's motto: "The love of Christ drives us on."
"But does that mean your love for Christ or Christ's love for you, or maybe both?" he asked. "For Christians, if we're going to talk about love, we begin first with God."
To look for what God's love is like, he said, one needs to look no further than Jesus, who is God's love personified. Jesus did not have earthly wealth and, unlike the students at Archbishop Williams, he had no formal education. He did not seek any personal gain or power.
"The whole of Jesus's life is lived completely for others," the archbishop said, "and from that gift of divine love, we see healing and transformation flowing, affecting all those around him."
He said the greatest example of Jesus's love was his sacrifice on the cross, a sacrifice which is present at every Mass. He told the students to trust God the same way Mary did when she allowed God to give her his son. In a culture obsessed with finding oneself, Archbishop Henning told the students that in order to find themselves, they need to look to one another.
"All you need is love," he said. "It's the most foundational truth of our faith. It is the thing that is at the heart of our identity as human beings, made in the image and likeness of God. And I hope that here in this school, in your theology class, and beyond, among your friendships and on the sports field, you remember what we mean by love here."
As is tradition when the archbishop of Boston celebrates Mass at a Catholic school, Archbishop Henning announced that he was using the power vested in him to give the students an additional day off, which will be chosen by school leadership at a later date. The students responded with much rejoicing.