Saturday, I was visited by Bishop Joe Bonello, OFM, of the Diocese of Juticalpa in Honduras. This is the diocese where Bishop Maurice Muldoon had been before, who was also Franciscan, but Bishop Bonello is from Malta.

He came with a group that is working with children with disabilities and on other social projects in Honduras.



Our Lady of the Lake Church anniversary

Then, that afternoon, I went to Halifax for a Mass to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Our Lady of the Lake Church, which, along with St. Joseph the Worker in Hanson, is part of Holy Apostles Parish. It's a lovely chapel, which is, as the name implies, right on a lake.

At the Mass, we also had the joy of installing Father Michael Hobson as their pastor.

We were also very happy to be joined by a number of priests with connections to the parish.

It was a lovely celebration, and afterward, there was a meal in the parish hall.



Holy Name Church

On Sunday, I went to Holy Name Church in West Roxbury for a Mass with the Filipino community. It was an occasion to say goodbye and thank you to Father Alex Castro, who has been serving as the chaplain for the Filipino community. He is an Augustinian and is going to be stationed at their generalate in Rome.

We were joined by a number of other priests for the Mass, including, of course, Holy Name's pastor, Father George Evans.



Catholic Community Fund

Monday, our Catholic Community Fund held its inaugural annual golf tournament at Black Rock Country Club in Hingham.

Afterward, I attended the reception to thank the more than 200 people, including several of our priests, who came out to support the CCF. In all, the event raised more than $230,000 to help the many programs that receive assistance through this important fund.

I don't play golf but if I did, I'm sure would've won the tournament. I would've gotten the highest score of any golfer there!



World Youth Day meeting

This week, I had two meetings with groups of young people who had attended World Youth Day in Portugal. The first was on Wednesday at Immaculate Conception in Revere.

We were very gratified that the Mayor of Revere, Patrick Keefe, presented Father Wellington Oliveira with a special citation from the city noting the parish's contributions to the community.

There also were a number of members of the Revere fire and police departments there who were especially helpful during the evening.

Then, on Thursday, we met with Father Chris Hickey and his group from Our Lady of the Angels in Hanover at the cathedral.

Father Hickey came accompanied by Bishop Dennis Agbenyadzi, SMA, of the Central African Republic. When he was a student in Rome, Bishop Agbenyadzi would come to help out in Father Hickey's parish during the summers. So, they've remained close friends.

It was wonderful to be able to assemble so many young people who had been with us in Lisbon and to hear their testimonies and witness talks about their experiences. It was also an opportunity for us to thank and acknowledge all those who supported the young people in this effort -- the organizers, the chaperones, and the benefactors.