Hello and welcome!
Because this is the 800th anniversary of the crèche that St. Francis of Assisi created at Greccio, the Vatican Nativity this year is a replica of that first crèche.
The Incarnation and Jesus Christ coming in poverty at Bethlehem were very important parts of St. Francis’s spirituality. So, St. Francis wanted to make that visible in the way that he organized that first crèche. And, of course, it was a living Nativity — they didn’t use statues; they used people and live animals. Certainly, since then, it’s been a beautiful custom in the Catholic Church and among other Christians to commemorate Jesus’s birth by erecting Nativity scenes during Advent.
Father Joe Ferme was good enough to send me these pictures because it was not yet unveiled when I was there. Regular readers will remember that we had pictures of the carolers in front of it last week, but at that point, it was still “under wraps,” as it were.
Readers will also remember that last week, I mentioned the indulgence that can be earned by visiting a crèche at a church served by the Franciscans from December 8 to February 2. I think that is geared toward the Italian calendar, where people tend to put up their crèches on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Though in the United States, it seems that often happens much closer to Christmas.
Last Friday, Admiral Tom Lynch came to visit me at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross accompanied by Dr. John Dolan, the Head of School at St. Mary School in Lynn, and his wife Marilyn. Admiral Lynch is an important supporter of St. Mary’s, and he has also been very involved in the work of the Catholic Leadership Institute.
It was nice to have an opportunity to meet him and thank him personally for all his support of Catholic education and the training of our priests.
Saturday morning, I celebrated the annual Advent Mass at the Pastoral Center for Women Affirming Life.
Afterward, they have a breakfast together, where they hear from a keynote speaker. This year, the speaker was Fran Hogan, one of the co-founders of WAL.
With us were many young women who have joined Women Affirming Life, and we were so happy to see that.
Sylvia Fernandez del Castillo is doing a great job in our Pro-Life Office.
The Mass was a chance for me to thank and encourage them in the face of the many challenges that we face going forward after the Dobbs decision and the backlash it has provoked. We are certainly pleased that tens of thousands of babies have been saved because of that decision, but the great challenge now is to change people’s hearts and to work to help women in difficult pregnancies. Women Affirming Life is doing so much to promote the Gospel of Life in our archdiocese, and we are very grateful for that.
Following the Mass, we held a press conference at the Pastoral Center to introduce our new Auxiliary Bishop-elect, Cristiano Barbosa.
We are very grateful that the Holy Father has chosen Bishop-elect Barbosa to serve in our archdiocese. He will be only the second Brazilian bishop in the U.S., the other being Bishop da Cunha of Fall River.
He gave excellent remarks at the press conference, and I’d like to share the video of that with you here:
Saturday night at the cathedral, there was a gathering of volunteers and benefactors to celebrate the work of the Capuchin Mobile Ministries, which is a remarkable program that conducts outreach to the homeless. It was created not only to address some of the material needs of homeless people but also to try to enter into a relationship with them, pray with them and offer them the friendship of the Church.
It was a wonderful evening, and I was able to address them and express my gratitude and admiration for all the work that the friars and their collaborators are carrying out.
Then, on Sunday, I went to Immaculate Conception Parish in Newburyport for a Mass to celebrate the parish’s 175th anniversary. The pastor is Father Tim Harrison, and we were joined by a number of priests who had served there in the past, including Father Bob Connors, who is now the Episcopal Vicar for the region.
This is the third 175th anniversary that I have celebrated this year. So, it just shows that the late 1840s was a time of great growth for the church, with so many immigrants arriving in Massachusetts.
They have a very lovely church, which is still the original building. Today, it is still a wonderful parish with a great spirit and a thriving school.
It was a joyful celebration, and the parish worked very hard to organize this splendid commemoration of their anniversary.
That afternoon, we were very happy to host The Copley Singers for a concert in the cathedral.
Msgr. Kevin O’Leary has done so much to bring these concerts of Musica Sacra to the cathedral. It’s an opportunity to invite people to our cathedral to learn more about the Church’s presence in the heart of the city.
That evening, I was visited by Father Wellington Olivera and a group of his parishioners from Immaculate Conception Parish in Revere.
They came to present me with a donation that we will use in our efforts to support the large number of migrants who have recently arrived in our area and are facing great challenges. I’m very grateful for their generosity and their willingness to give this gift of shelter and support to the homeless, especially around Christmastime, when we remember that the Holy Family was homeless in Bethlehem.
Monday, we gathered with our priests at St. Brigid Parish in Lexington for a day of Advent prayer reflection.
It was a wonderful day. We had a Holy Hour and confessions in the morning, followed by a lunch that Father Jim Burke and his parishioners provided for the priests.
After lunch, I showed them the film, “Francis, the Pope of Surprises.” I also gave a talk on my experience of the Synod, and we had a question-and-answer dialogue about that.
It was a wonderful opportunity to be together, and I think everyone had a very positive experience. It was an excellent way for us, as priests, to prepare spiritually for Christmas — to pray together, be together and receive the sacraments together.
Monday evening, Father Nicanor organized a celebration for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the cathedral.
The custom in Mexico, particularly at the shrine of Guadalupe, is to have Las Mañanitas with singers, actors and actresses from all over Mexico singing songs to the Virgin all night long. Then they have a Mass. So, at the cathedral, they did something similar, with singers and dancers performing before the liturgy.
I was able to greet them before the Mass and spoke to them a little bit about Guadalupe and how the celebration is very much an Advent celebration. Our Lady of Guadalupe is, of course, an image of the pregnant Virgin Mary preparing for the birth of Christ at Christmas.
Tuesday, we had one of our regular ongoing formation meetings for priests who have been ordained within the last five years. As usual, we met for a meal, followed by prayer and a time of reflection.
It was a wonderful encounter, as always. Our young priests enjoy being together, and the dialogue and conversation are always very animated and life-giving for all of us.
Wednesday, we had a meeting of the St. John’s Seminary Board of Trustees. We are very grateful for the excellent work that’s being done at the seminary. Father MacInnis gave us a report on the newly initiated propaedeutic year, and we also had a report on the renewal of our affiliation with the Angelicum in Rome.
It was also an opportunity to thank some of our long-standing board members who are finishing their terms. The Board of Trustees has always been so supportive of the mission of the seminary, and we are very grateful for their dedication.
From there, I departed for Cleveland to celebrate the wedding of Patrick Lipaj and Taryn Schoenfeld. Patrick is the son of my cousin, Annette.
On Thursday, before the Mass, I stopped in to celebrate Mass and visit with the Poor Clares.
Just down the street from the convent is the parish church, Our Lady of the Angels, and that’s where the wedding was.
I opened my talk by saying that the last time I had been to a wedding at that church was in 1953, when my Uncle Edward and Aunt Therese were married there. They are the grandparents of the groom, so it was a nice connection.
Celebrating a wedding is always a joy, and it was very nice to be able to see so many members of my family.
Until next week,
Cardinal Seán