Hello and welcome!
On Friday, I attended the Cushing-Gavin Awards Dinner hosted by the Labor Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston. I was asked to give the invocation at this 50th anniversary celebration.
The Guild was founded by Cardinal Richard Cushing and for many years, the Guild had its offices at Sacred Heart Parish in Weymouth. However, in 2015 they relocated to our Pastoral Center in Braintree.
Each year, the Guild offers education, networking, and collaboration opportunities for members of the labor-management community, and also each year it recognizes individuals for excellent service in labor-management affairs at the annual Cushing-Gavin Awards Dinner.
This year’s awardees were Francis C. Boudrow, Michael D. Felsen, Susan F. Horwitz, Esq., and Glenn W. Kingsbury, Esq.
– – –
From there, I went to attend the annual clergy Advent dinner at Sacred Heart Parish in Roslindale that is hosted each year by Msgr. Frank Kelley. We were joined by a large number of priests, as always.
It is a wonderful event that gives the priests a chance to come together to celebrate the Advent season and enjoy each other’s company. We are very grateful for Msgr. Kelley for always taking the initiative to host this event for us.
– – –
Returning back to the Cathedral that night, I greeted the over 1,000 young people participating in the LIFT Advent Worship Night there.
It was truly inspiring to see so many of our young people taking part in this special event. We are grateful to Father Matt Williams and his team for organizing these wonderful gatherings.
– – –
Saturday, I went to St. John’s Seminary to join in their annual formation faculty and resident spiritual directors Advent retreat. As I did last year, I led a day of recollection for them. It was also an opportunity to have a conversation with the faculty about the work of the seminary. We spoke about some of the challenges and joys of the priesthood and had a wide-ranging conversation about the formation of priests today.
We are very grateful to the priests who very generously serve in this capacity of forming our future priests. I’m always happy for the opportunity to be able to spend some time with them.
– – –
Later that day, I went to St. Paul’s Parish in Wellesley for the Mass to mark their centennial anniversary.
I was touched by the plaque that they have in the vestibule of the church with the names of all those parishioners who gave their lives in World War I and World War II. It was just another reminder of the long history of this parish.
It was a beautiful celebration. They had a very large choir and fabulous musicians.
With former pastor Monsignor Joseph Lind
and current pastor Father James Laughlin
Father Jim Laughlin is doing just a wonderful job there; I saw a wonderful spirit in the parish. I was very happy to join this very beautiful celebration for the parish.
Afterwards there was a reception, and I had an opportunity to greet many of the parishioners.
– – –
Sunday morning I celebrated our annual Appeal Thank You Mass at the Pastoral Center.
Singing for us at the Mass was the children’s choir of the Immaculate Conception Church in Marlborough. They did just a fantastic job.
Following the Mass we had a luncheon, which included a dialogue and a question and answer period with the guests.
– – –
Then, in the afternoon, we had our annual vespers celebration at which we presented our annual Cheverus Award Medals.
Each year, around the start of Advent, we present these awards to around hundred recipients who are lay people, deacons and religious who have served in the parishes, schools and institutions of the archdiocese.
Their names are recommended to us by the regional bishops, pastors and staff at the Pastoral Center.
In my homily I spoke about the motto of Bishop Cheverus, our first Bishop, which appears on the medal itself: “Diligamus Nos Invicem”, “Let us love one another.”
– – –
On Monday, we had one of our periodic gatherings for the ongoing formation of recently ordained priests. Several times a year, I gather with those priests who have been ordained within the last five years for lunch, a holy hour and a time of conversation.
During this gathering, we continued the conversation that had begun during the priest convocation held just about a week before.
These gatherings are always an important moment for priestly fraternity and for me to be able to hear what the young priests have on their minds. It also allows them an opportunity to share their experiences and to reflect with their bishop on important pastoral themes.
– – –
Tuesday, we had the annual board meeting of our Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Brookline.
While I was there, I was very happy to bless their wonderful crèche.
They also presented me with a copy of the latest book by Kiko Arguello, one of the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way, which had been presented in Rome by Cardinal Mueller.
The book, currently only available in Italian and Spanish, is a compilation of short reflections, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
– – –
Tuesday evening, we had one of our regular meetings of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.
We heard a presentation by the committee that has conducted the study looking at the implementation of our pastoral plan, Disciples in Mission.
The committee is comprised of a number of laypeople and one priest who interviewed staffs in the parishes that have begun to implement the pastoral plan. They looked at parishes in the different phases, the successes and challenges of the pastoral plan, the process of writing local pastoral plans and their implementation.
It was a very fruitful evening with a very good dialogue. We are very grateful to the committee for their hard work over the last few years studying the implementation of Disciples in Mission.
– – –
Wednesday, I attended the annual board meeting of St. John’s Seminary.
At this board meeting, there were four members who were completing their terms and they were presented with a very beautiful picture that is taken from one of the murals in the Seminary’s chapel. It depicts Archbishop Williams presenting the seminary to St. John the Apostle.
– – –
Yesterday was, of course, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
I was very happy to celebrate the Mass with the Spanish community at the Cathedral the Holy Cross.
With us was Father Paul Dressler, the guardian of Capuchin College who is here visiting me.
It was a beautiful celebration, and I was happy to be able to celebrate this wonderful feast day with them.
Until next week,
Cardinal Seán