Archdiocese of Boston

Boston Catholic Men’s and Women’s conferences are coming up April 18, 19

Lest there be any doubt…

Cardinal O’Malley has given a direct and unambiguous statement regarding the controversy over Caritas Christi on his blog this past Friday:

To be perfectly clear, Caritas Christi will never do anything to promote abortions, to direct any patients to providers of abortion or in any way to participate in actions that are contrary to Catholic moral teaching and anyone who suggests otherwise is doing a great disservice to the Catholic Church. We are committed to the Gospel of Life and no arrangement will be entered into unless it is completely in accord with Church teaching.

Recognizing the complexity of the proposed arrangement, I will ask the National Catholic Bioethics Center to review the arrangement and to provide me their opinion.

I can say no more on this matter, considering my job, but I wanted to highlight this so others could spread the word and dispel any lingering doubts.

Good news from work officially announced

I don’t blog about my job much for obvious reasons. (At least I think they’re obvious.) But I think it’s worthwhile for me to point out the news that came out today from the office I work in: the archdiocese’s annual Catholic Appeal surpassed it’s fundraising goal of $15 million in 2008. This is very good news considering the economic environment and the scandal.

The Archdiocese of Boston, continuing its long, slow effort to rebuild an annual fund drive decimated by the sex abuse crisis, today is announcing that it raised $15.1 million in its 2008 Annual Catholic Appeal, up from $14.6 million the previous year.

The successful campaign is particularly noteworthy because it took place during a recession, although the bulk of the fundraising was last spring, before the stock market really tanked and job losses multiplied.

The campaign is the most important annual fund drive of the archdiocese, and supports the central offices now located in Braintree, which provide services to Catholic schools and parishes. Formerly called the Cardinal’s Appeal, the campaign had peaked at $17.2 million in 2000, but plunged to $8.8 million in 2002, at the height of the abuse crisis. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, not a big fan of his own celebrity, renamed the campaign to reduce its association with the personage of the cardinal, and set an unstated goal of rebuilding the campaign by $1 million per year. But that may end this year; the archdiocese won’t announce its 2009 goal for another few weeks, but it seems likely that church officials will choose a more modest goal this year — archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon would say only that the goal will be no lower than $15 million.

I spoke briefly today with Patrick Gipson, the Catholic Appeal manager, who was, obviously, relieved to conclude the campaign successfully. “Considering the economic circumstances that have come upon us in the last few months, it’s pretty impressive, and we certainly feel very blessed by the generosity of our parishioners and the support the appeal received from our pastors,” he said.

I hate to say it but any comments that I think are out of bounds, i.e. might get me in trouble at work, will not be passed through for posting. Sorry. My job isn’t worth someone else venting his spleen. It costs nothing for someone to set up his own blog. Hope you all understand.

I’m not Mr. July

If you’re in the Archdiocese of Boston, keep an eye out for the new 2009 calendar from the Catholic Extension Society. It could either be customized for your parish or there’s the standard archdiocesan version.

If you do find the calendar, take a peek through it and see if you can find a picture of me. I’m very proud of the calendar because I was part of the team that produced it. I wrote most of the interior text while our photographer George Martell provided the photos. We all agreed that many of the diocesan calendars we’d seen were too heavy on text and that it would be better to have a more visual calendar. And so even in the two months which are mainly text—one that lists all the religious orders active in the archdiocese and the other listing all the cities and towns that comprise the archdiocese—the text is intended to be a visual element. The length of the two lists impress by their sheer size.

So if you’ve picked up one of the calendars, let me know what you think. This is our first effort at this and we have big plans for next year.

New chapel dedicated for Boston archdiocese’s pastoral center

Today, Cardinal Sean O’Malley dedicated the new Bethany Chapel in the new Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in the Archdiocese of Boston. We moved our offices to the new APC back in July, but construction of the chapel took a little longer and it was finally finished in time to be dedicated today on the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux.

It was a beautiful Mass with all the elaborate ceremonies of the dedication of a chapel, including the anointing of the altar, incensation of the chapel, lighting of the altar and chapel, depositing of the relics (don’t know yet which relics), and inauguration of the Eucharistic Pyx. (More on that in a bit.)

I love that the readings for the Mass of dedication includes the Gospel reading of Zaccheus the tax collector. It seems odd at first until you realize that the Church is reminding us that Christ agreed to enter into the home of the repentant sinner and dine with him, just as he enters into our house, our churches and chapels, to dine with us, sinners.

Regarding the name, Cardinal O’Malley said in his homily that it recalls Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and Martha’s invitation to Mary to go to the Lord: “The teacher is here, and He is calling you.” (John 11:28) He sees this an invitation to come to the chapel and to pray and contemplate what the Lord is calling us to. In fact, this verse is inscribed above the altar in Latin: “Magister adest et vocat te”.

Also above the altar is the Eucharistic Pyx, which replaces the traditional tabernacle. This was a particular choice by the Cardinal. It comes from Spain and is a type of tabernacle once used in the pre-medieval period of the Church, especially in the east. It is in the form of a dove, which symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and hangs directly above the altar. It is on a chain so that it can be pulled down to open the door in its chest to place in and remove the Eucharist. He said such pyxes are mentioned in the 6th century writings of St. Gregory of Tours.

Another feature of the chapel is that all the stained glass windows, including the enormous rose window, come from closed parishes around the archdiocese. The crucifix is the physical connection to the old chapel at the chancery in Brighton, brought over in a special ceremony when we moved.

Meanwhile, the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master are a religious order that has come to the APC to care for the chapel, to operate a small shop of devotionals and vestments next to it, to continue their communal work making vestments, and to pray in Eucharistic adoration every afternoon.

While it may not be the most traditional chapel in form, I think the folks at the archdiocese did a pretty good job of turning what was once a bland office space into a suitable location for worship and the celebration of the Mass. It will be nice to go there for Mass during the week.

Galveston Catholics need assistance

Reader Louis Epstein took the initiative to contact the staff of St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston, Texas, following Hurricane Ike to see how the mother-church of Texas Catholicism had fared. Here is the response he received:

The island is uninhabitable and the mayor has said that those who did not evacuate should leave. Basic services like water and power are not going to be restored soon.

The church had 8 feet of water and will need to be cleaned and repaired. The pastor is taking residence in Lake Charles, Louisiana and have no access to a computer. I have evacuated to Dallas and there is nobody at the church.

We have no information of when the postal service will become operational in Galveston. We do not know when we will be able to get back either. The island is in lock down.

If you would like to make a monetary donation to the church please make the check payable to St. Mary Cathedral Basilica and remit to:

Rev. Brendan Murphy
1425 N Chateau Cir
Lake Charles, LA 70605

Also please add a note specifying how you would like your donation to be used. For example: to the needy or for church repair.

Please contact Rev. Brendan Murphy at (409) 370-8844

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita there was a huge outpouring to help our Catholic brethren in those areas to recover their churches and other buildings. In times like these, a place to gather and worship, to thank God for life, to ask Him to receive those who did not survive, and to seek His guidance on how to proceed in an uncertain future is vital to a community. If you can help, please do so prayerfully.

Our historic Mass with Cardinal Sean

Yesterday dawned as an amazingly beautiful day, following the last rainy remnants of Hurricane Hanna. It was a perfect day for the celebration at our parish, Immaculate Conception Church in Salem, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the present church. The parish was founded in 1826 and the current church was dedicated in 1858 and is now the oldest parish church in the Archdiocese of Boston. On such a momentous occasion Cardinal Sean O’Malley graciously agreed to come and celebrate Mass for us.

As you can see in the musical slideshow below, the church was filled and joyful. (You’ll also catch a glimpse of me and Melanie and the kids a couple of times.) The photos were taken by George Martell, a gifted photojournalist with more than 30 years experience working as a newspaper photographer and a wedding photojournalist. If you look at his his Web site you can see why I say photojournalist and not just photographer because he documents the event, and doesn’t just take snapshots.

The music was very nice, featuring both Spanish and English hymns, for the sake of both of long-time English-speaking parishioners and the newer community of mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants from the Caribbean. The readings were also bilingual and the cardinal—who is fluent in Spanish—gave his homily in both Spanish and English and recited some of the Mass prayers in Spanish from memory too. There was also an incidental tribute to the French heritage of Salem because our new transitional deacon, who will be staying with us for the year, is a native Frenchman.

After the Mass, there was a luncheon in our church hall, which was yet another great opportunity to celebrate. It was great to catch up with folks we don’t see all the time because they go to a different Mass normally.

It was really a blast and perhaps the biggest turnout for any parish event in a longtime. I’m really happy about it and I think it could be very good for the parish.

My parish’s religious art as it was in 1916

Those who are interested in old Catholic church art might be interested in this set of scans I made of a 1916 booklet called Decorations of Immaculate Conception Church, Salem, Massachusetts 1916. The scans include photos of the high altar as well as details and descriptions of art which no longer exists. It has long been painted over, which is a tragedy.

Immaculate Conception, my parish, is the second-oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Boston, after the cathedral-parish, having been founded in 1826. It is also the oldest parish dedicated to Mary in New England, and this weekend we will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the current church, which makes it the oldest parish church in eastern Massachusetts. (Only St. Augustine chapel in the Catholic cemetery in South Boston is older.)

At my pastor’s request I wrote an uncredited article that appears in this week’s issue of The Pilot, the archdiocesan newspaper. We will be celebrating a special Mass at 11am in the church this Sunday with Cardinal O’Malley.

As for the artwork, I offer it for your consideration and for posterity.

And the following is an excerpt from Origin of the Catholic Church in Salem and Its Growth in St. Mary’s Parish and the Parish of the Immaculate Conception, written by then-Father Louis Walsh, a native son of Salem who would later become Bishop of Portland, Maine, in 1890, on the 100th anniversary of the first Catholic Mass in Salem.

The first Dedication of the Church of the Immaculate Conception took place on Sunday morning, January 10, 1858, and seems to have been accompanied with all possible solemnity, as it was the “greatest Catholic ceremony” yet seen in Salem or in Essex County.

The weather was remarkably fine for the season. Long before the hour fixed for the ceremony, the church, excepting the aisles and vestibule, was crowded, and a still larger number of persons remained outside. Many were present who had witnesses the Dedication of Old St. Mary’s in 1832, and a few of these are still living in our parish. Many Protestants came, and were treated with great courtesy and attention, the best seats in the church being cheerfully offered to them. The doors and aisles were guarded and kept open by a delegation from the “Father Mathew Temperance Society” and the “Irish Reading-Room Association,” whose members marched in procession to the church.

In a short preliminary instruction, Father McElroy, S.J., of Boston, explained to the very attentive hearers, the nature, order, and design of the Dedication Ceremonies, and thus rendered them more interesting and impressive. Then, from the sacristy, came the cross-bearer, between two acolytes; next in order several altar-boys, seven or eight priests, dressed in cassock and surplice, the Right Rev. Bishop Bacon, D.D., of Portland, and finally, accompanied by deacon and subdeacon, and arrayed in cope and mitre, Right Rev. Bishop Fitzpatrick, D.D., Bishop of Boston, “whose imposing presence” attracted the especial attention of the congregation. The procession moved down the middle aisle to the outside main door; and after a short prayer by the Bishop, continued around the entire edifice, while the Pontiff sprinkled the walls, and the clergy chanted the penitential psalm, “Misere.” The circuit being made, and a second prayer recited, the procession entered the church; and when all had reached the sanctuary, the clergy and choir chanted solemnly, in Latin, the “Litany of the Saints,” during which the Bishop invoked upon the church and altar “the special blessing” of God, and thereby dedicated it to His honor, under the title of the “Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” A third prayer was then chanted, and the procession moved around the outer aisles of the interior, while the Bishop sprinkled the walls with holy water, and the chant of “psalms of joy” resounded through the sacred edifice. When the sanctuary was reached, a last and beautiful prayer was chanted aloud by the Bishop, and the solemn Amen, closed the Benediction rite.

The doors of the church were then opened to the throng of people outside, and in a few minutes, every available spot was occupied by no less than three thousand persons.

The Solemn High Mass followed …

Cardinal coming to celebrate our church’s 150th anniversary 

This year marks the 150th anniversary of my parish’s church. While Immaculate Conception parish in Salem, Mass., was founded in 1826, the current church itself was built in 1857 and dedicated in January 1858. This makes it the oldest parish church in Massachusetts, with a Mass celebrated every Sunday for that century and a half. Only St. Augustine chapel in South Boston’s Catholic cemetery is older.

Next Sunday, Cardinal O’Malley will be coming to Salem to celebrate Mass with us at 11 am to mark the occasion. Here’s a description of the Dedication Mass in 1858, taken from Origin of the Catholic Church in Salem and Its Growth in St. Mary’s Parish and the Parish of the Immaculate Conception by Fr. (later Bishop) Louis S. Walsh, written in 1890. (Bishop Walsh was a native of Salem and later became bishop of Portland, Maine.)

The first Dedication of the Church of the Immaculate Conception took place on Sunday morning, January 10, 1858, and seems to have been accompanied with all possible solemnity, as it was the “greatest Catholic ceremony” yet seen in Salem or in Essex County.

The weather was remarkably fine for the season. Long before the hour fixed for the ceremony, the church, excepting the aisles and vestibule, was crowded, and a still larger number of persons remained outside. Many were present who had witnesses the Dedication of Old St. Mary’s in 1832, and a few of these are still living in our parish. Many Protestants came, and were treated with great courtesy and attention, the best seats in the church being cheerfully offered to them. The doors and aisles were guarded and kept open by a delegation from the “Father Mathew Temperance Society” and the “Irish Reading-Room Association,” whose members marched in procession to the church.

In a short preliminary instruction, Father McElroy, S.J., of Boston, explained to the very attentive hearers, the nature, order, and design of the Dedication Ceremonies, and thus rendered them more interesting and impressive. Then, from the sacristy, came the cross-bearer, between two acolytes; next in order several altar-boys, seven or eight priests, dressed in cassock and surplice, the Right Rev. Bishop Bacon, D.D., of Portland, and finally, accompanied by deacon and subdeacon, and arrayed in cope and mitre, Right Rev. Bishop Fitzpatrick, D.D., Bishop of Boston, “whose imposing presence” attracted the especial attention of the congregation. The procession moved down the middle aisle to the outside main door; and after a short prayer by the Bishop, continued around the entire edifice, while the Pontiff sprinkled the walls, and the clergy chanted the penitential psalm, “Misere.” The circuit being made, and a second prayer recited, the procession entered the church; and when all had reached the sanctuary, the clergy and choir chanted solemnly, in Latin, the “Litany of the Saints,” during which the Bishop invoked upon the church and altar “the special blessing” of God, and thereby dedicated it to His honor, under the title of the “Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” A third prayer was then chanted, and the procession moved around the outer aisles of the interior, while the Bishop sprinkled the walls with holy water, and the chant of “psalms of joy” resounded through the sacred edifice. When the sanctuary was reached, a last and beautiful prayer was chanted aloud by the Bishop, and the solemn Amen, closed the Benediction rite.

The doors of the church were then opened to the throng of people outside, and in a few minutes, every available spot was occupied by no less than three thousand persons.

The Solemn High Mass followed […]

Here is a photograph of the original high altar in the church, after it was finished in later years. This photo was taken about 1905 and was featured on a Confirmation certificate. The pastor at the time of the photo was Father Timothy J. Murphy. Ironically, the present pastor is also named Timothy J. Murphy!

Proud2bCatholic is next weelend

Attention all New England Catholics! We’re one week away, August 9, from the 2008 Proud2BCatholic Music Festival. This year it’s not just the eighth annual event, but also the ‘official Youth event for the Bicentennial of the Archdiocese of Boston.

This is a fun all-day event, centrally located in Framingham, Massachusetts, just off the Mass. Turnpike at the Marist Center, which is run by the Marist Fathers order. Cardinal Sean O’Malley will be celebrating Mass. The musicians include Tony Melendez, Martin Doman, Kelly Pease, Zealou, and others. There’s Adoration all-day, as well as Confession; an International food court; talks by speakers for the whole family; folks selling all kinds of cool Catholic stuff.

Tickets this year are a reduced price of $15 and children under 12 are free with adult admission. Religious and clergy get in free.

My brother-in-law Pete Campbell is the organizer, visionary, and driving force behind these events and every year it’s a great time that all too few people take advantage of. Really, what are you doing next weekend that’s better than hanging out with your family, with friends, with hundreds of other excited Catholics, sitting in a beautiful field under sunny skies (we pray!), listening to music, and then worshipping God in the Eucharist with Cardinal O’Malley. Come on!

And if you do plan on going, look for me or drop me an email and we’ll get together and say Hi. I love seeing you guys there every year.

Quis alter Christus es

Father Mark Barr, newly ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston, on what it means to be a priest:

A priest is not a set of actions, sacramental or otherwise, though certainly there are proper and necessary actions for the priest. Priesthood is not a job or a career, not a set of functions or tasks, but rather a commitment of one’s entire life to a privileged relationship with Christ for, and only for, the service of God’s holy people.

A priest is most a priest in the quiet, hidden moments of his day when he is confident in his identity as alter Christus, consoled by his sacramental proximity to the fountain from which graces flow, and humbled before the God who chooses men to be his representatives and instruments in the world. Actions flow from the center of a priest’s identity, they do not constitute it.

Receive a weekly email from Cardinal Sean

First, there was Cardinal Sean’s Blog and now there’s Cardinal Sean’s weekly email. The Archdiocese of Boston is starting a new email initiative to reach out directly to every Catholic in Boston and all interested people through an email sent out every weekend containing messages from Cardinal O’Malley; links to his blog; links to articles in The Boston Pilot, the archdiocesan newspaper; press releases; CatholicTV programs; events taking place around the Archdiocese; and more.

It’s starting with 10,000 email addresses of those already on various archdiocesan mailing lists and the goal is to get every Catholic household signed up. If you’d like to receive the email, you can sign up on the archdiocese’s bicentennial Web site, Boston200.

Full disclosure: My boss, Scot Landry, is spearheading this initiative.

Phil Lawler on why the Pope not coming to Boston was a good thing

Phil Lawler, my former boss and author of the new book “The Faithful Departed”, comments on the interesting spate of outrage among angry Catholics and media pundits in Boston that Pope Benedict didn’t put the city on his itinerary. I know we sometimes call it the “Hub of the Universe,” but I think some people are taking it too seriously.

First, people are angry that the Holy Father isn’t coming to Boston. Not just disappointed: outraged! They feel that he should have come to Boston, because he could… he could… he could…

Well, what could he have done to calm this anger? I can’t think of anything that he could say or do that would ease the sense of betrayal, frustration, and disillusion that so many people feel. One more apology? One more acknowledgment that Bad Things happened? That wouldn’t heal the wounds; that would only confirm what we already know too well.

 

Incidentally, Phil has set up this new blog to continue the conversation about topics brought up in his book as well as in various media appearances.

Eucharistic Congress in Boston

The Archdiocese of Boston’s Office for Vocations is sponsoring a Eucharistic Congress for College Students and Young Adults on Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29. In addition to some excellent speakers and, of course, prayer and adoration and the sacraments, they’ve also planned service projects in the city—putting faith into action— as well as a dinner on Saturday night in the North End, catered by some of the finest Italian restaurants.

And for those who volunteer to help with Congress or participate in the service projects the dinner is free. Adoration of the Lord and a free meal? How can you beat it?

The speakers include Father Matt Williams, Director of the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults for the Archdiocese of Boston, on the topic of “Eucharist and Confession, Reconciliation, conversion and change in our lives”; Father Peter Cameron O.P., Editor-in-Chief of Magnificat Magazine; Paul George, Co-Founder of Adore Ministries on the Topic of “Eucharist and Evangelization and Vocation”; Kerri Marmol, a member of the Community of Sant’Egidio, an international lay association, and founder of the School of Peace in Jamaica Plain, a Saturday program to help students with their schoolwork, and the School of the Gospel in Allston, a Bible discussion for adults; and, of course, Cardinal Sean O’Malley.

Go to the web site for a schedule, locations, registration, tickets, and more information. Sounds like a great time and an awesome way to kick off the Easter season.

Rest in Peace: Father Ed McDonough, CSSR

This is primarily of interest to those of you in the Boston area, but Father Edward McDonough, CSSR, (Redemptorist), known as “the healing priest,” has died. He had served at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston, also known as Mission Church.

There will be a wake on Friday at the basilica from 2pm to 8pm followed by a prayer service and the funeral will be on Saturday at 10am.

Fr. McDonough had been known far and wide for the gifts granted to him through which the Holy Spirit used him to effect miraculous spiritual and physical healings.

The second and third photos on this page are from one of Fr. McDonough’s Masses at my parish, Immaculate Conception Church in Salem, Mass., in recent years.

Father was no faith-healing huckster. He was always very clear with people that the more important healing was the healing of your relationship with God broken through sin and that no one should count on a miraculous physical healing. Sometimes it is God’s will that you should bear that cross. He always saw the Eucharist and the Sacrament of the Sick as working hand in hand as well.

Father McDonough was 86 years old.