Hello and welcome!
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.
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.
They gave me some lovely gifts featuring the Twelve Apostles, including this crucifix.
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.
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!
On Tuesday, I was visited by Bishop John Barres of Rockville Centre and Bishop Richard Henning, the new Bishop of Providence.
Of course, Bishop Henning had served in Rockville Centre before coming to Rhode Island. Bishop Barres has relatives in Cohasset, so he comes to the area to see them and also his dear friend who is now in Providence. So, I was very happy to have them over for dinner at the cathedral rectory.
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.
Thursday morning, I presided at the funeral Mass of Msgr. Charles Bourque at our Lady of Lourdes Church in Jamaica Plain.
There was a very large crowd at the church and also at the wake the day before. He was such a zealous priest, working practically until the end — always available to celebrate Mass and visit the sick, and was always anxious to minister to the people. He was greatly appreciated by his people and you could see the outpouring of love and affection from those who were there. It was very edifying.
Father Jack Farrell gave the homily and Father Carlos Flor, the present pastor, gave a reflection in Spanish at the end of the Mass. In his remarks, Father Carlos said that Msgr. Burke was a great help, and he would never say no to any request. And that’s the Msgr. Burke I knew – he was always anxious to go help out wherever he was needed.
Until next week,
Cardinal Seán