Hello and welcome!
I hope you all had a safe, enjoyable and restful Independence Day holiday!
Like many of you, I had some free time around the 4th, so I didn’t have as many events as I might have in a typical week. But, last Friday, I was very happy to celebrate a special Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Jamaica Plain for the dedication of the major renovations there.
There were many priests with us, including Bishop Cristiano Barbosa, who accompanied me. And, of course, we were also joined by the pastor, Father Carlos Flor, and the parochial vicar, Father Andrea Povero.
The Church was packed, and it was a very beautiful ceremony that included the consecration of the new altar.
A relic of St. Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian martyr of the Second World War, was placed inside the altar.
They have also installed a beautiful baptistery and a dove tabernacle hanging over the sanctuary, which I understand was acquired in Ukraine.
A key feature of the new renovations was the installation of a new altarpiece that goes practically up to the ceiling of the Church. At the start of the Mass, the artist, David Lopez from Spain, gave us a talk explaining the significance of some of the icons and the importance of art as a means of evangelization.
In my homily, I also talked about how, in the Church’s tradition, the great cathedrals were like Bibles in stone and glass, places where people could see images of the history of salvation. This is very much like what we have in the beautiful icon at St. Thomas: the Pantocrator, Christ, at the center, surrounded by the different saints and mysteries of the history of salvation.
It was a very joyous occasion to celebrate the transformation of this Church. We are grateful to Father Carlos and Father Andrea for all their hard work and dedication in bringing this project about. I know there were great difficulties, but it certainly paid off!
On Sunday, I went to St. Joseph’s in Lynn for a Mass to celebrate the parish’s 150th anniversary.
A number of priests who had worked there in the past came back for the Mass, and it was very good to have them with us.
We were also joined by local officials, including the chief of police and fire chief of Lynn, and Mayor Jared Nicholson read a proclamation honoring the parish on that historic date. And Father Pablo Gomis gave me a symbolic key to the church.
As I have mentioned, I’m so impressed with the renovations they did to that Church. They did an extraordinary job, particularly with the pews, because they were able to restore the original ones, which are very elaborately carved. The church looks just stunning.
On Monday, Bishop Hennessey organized a very nice gathering of clergy at St. Paul’s in Hamilton, including many priests from his area and others who have participated in the annual priest retreats in Florida. There were probably close to a hundred priests with us.
It was very enjoyable. They had Irish musicians playing, and they even had a birthday cake for me.
We are so grateful to Father David Brogan for hosting us and to the many parishioners who helped make this a wonderful day for our priests.
Monday morning, I was visited by Professor Gabriella Gambino of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and her son Francesco.
She had meetings here in Boston and was visiting her son, who is studying at Harvard. It was very nice to see them.
Until next week,
Cardinal Seán