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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QUINCY -- On Aug. 18, the St. John the Baptist-St. Joseph Parish Collaborative hosted the first of what they hope will be a series of "mental health nights," starting with a keynote speaker and a movie about processing emotions during periods of transition.
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JAMAICA PLAIN -- Pink-flowered dogwood trees and a statue of St. Francis of Assisi greet those who approach the Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare on Centre Street. The stone sign above the front doors is engraved with the motto, "Love and Reparation." Behind the long red-brick building, a wall encloses the backyard -- but to the nuns who live there, the wall itself is a sign of freedom.
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BRAINTREE -- Msgr. Robert Oliver, BH, has been appointed as judicial vicar for the Archdiocese of Boston. He will begin in this position Sept. 1, succeeding Father Jonathan P. DeFelice, OSB. As in civil government, there are three branches of governance in the Church and in a diocese or archdiocese: legislative, executive, and judicial. In a diocese, the "legislative" function of making laws is reserved to the "ordinary," the diocesan bishop or archbishop. Executive authority, as in the power to make day-to-day decisions for the diocese, can be delegated to a "vicar general.'' In the same way, the ordinary can give judicial authority to his "judicial vicar" to exercise all things that fall under the judicial branch of governance.
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Aug. 11 was the feast of St. Clare. So, the following Saturday, I visited the Poor Clares in Andover to celebrate Mass with them. At the end of the Mass, they had the blessing of the bread. This tradition comes from a moment in the life of St. Clare when the pope asked her to bless the bread they were about to eat. As she did so, crosses appeared on it.
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