Hello and welcome,
We’re praying for the success of the Holy Father’s pastoral visit to Ireland for the World Conference on the Family which is taking place this week.
The Irish government has already announced what a big event this is for their country. The numbers are unprecedented. We pray that the Holy Father’s presence and words will bring healing and comfort to the people of Ireland and the families of the world.
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On Monday I went to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton to bless the Pregnancy Help office and its new ultrasound machine.
Pregnancy Help is a network of pregnancy resource centers sponsored by the Pro-Life Office of the archdiocese. It was founded in 1973 and has locations in Brighton and Natick as well as Brockton. All its services are free, confidential, and life-affirming.
Personally, I was very pleased to visit the new offices, which are in an office building on the hospital campus which belongs to Steward Health. There we blessed the offices and were able to thank the staff for their service and support of women facing difficult pregnancies.
From there we went to the hospital, where the new ultrasound machine is kept.
We were happy to hear that Good Samaritan Hospital is growing by leaps and bounds. They’re adding new sections to it and we were very pleased that they now have this ultrasound equipment thanks to the generosity of the Knights of Columbus.
The wonderful thing about ultrasound machines is that 90% of the women who come to the center and use them to see their child opt to continue their pregnancy and accept help to face their challenging situation and the difficulties they are experiencing.
Many people gathered for the blessing of the new ultrasound machine, including hospital staff; a number of the Knights led by State Deputy Paul Flanagan; Marianne Luthin, director of the Pro-Life Office; the president of Good Samaritan Hospital Harrison Bane and Dr. Lucy Bayer-Zwirello, who works at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton and is very supportive of our Pro-Life efforts.
The Pilot ran an article on the blessing that you can read here.
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Tuesday morning, I met with the Pastoral Center employees to discuss the current issues that the Church is facing around the sexual abuse crisis.
We began with morning prayer and then I addressed them and thanked them for their commitment during these difficult times.
The previous Sunday, in the evening, I had also met with the Boston seminarians to talk about these issues and I am planning to meet with the faculty of the seminary and with the Boston clergy in the next few days.
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Thursday morning, Cathedral High School headmaster Dr. Oscar Santos gave me a tour of the school.
The school is an extraordinary place. It really has flourished in great part because of the support from the alumni and other people who have rallied around the school.
It’s a great success story. It’s a school that serves inner-city youngsters who often are from one parent and immigrant families. They have a wonderful success rate. For the last 12 years they’ve had a 100% graduation rate, and 85% of the alumni graduate from college. I don’t know of another school that has been so successful.
Cathedral High School recently embarked on a campaign to refurbish the convent adjacent to the school that had not been used for many years. At one time it housed the Cardinal Center for Hispanic Ministry. They had a very successful capital campaign that allowed them to refurbish all the rooms.
It will also provide the school with a new visitors’ entrance into the school and the learning center that will provide the space for workshops, different kinds of technology, classroom space and meeting space.
I am sure the students will be extremely enthused. Most of the walls are glass, so it’s very well-lit. They have done a wonderful job.
Until my next post.
In Christ,
Cardinal Seán