BRAINTREE -- In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the Black Catholic Ministries of the archdiocese held a virtual celebration on Nov. 14 in lieu of their annual Bishop James Augustine Healy dinner. The hour-long event honored all past Bishop James Augustine Healy Award and Robert Leo Ruffin Award recipients.
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BOSTON -- The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts are voicing opposition to the state legislature's efforts to push forward several key elements of the controversial ROE Act in the form of a budget amendment.
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BOSTON -- Catholic Charities of Boston announced on Nov. 12 that Kelley Tuthill will serve as the organization's chief operating officer, a newly created position. The former WCVB-TV journalist most recently served as the vice president of marketing and communications at Regis College.
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BOSTON -- The archdiocese is urging parishes to continue to "exercise maximum caution" against the coronavirus despite many cities and towns no longer being classified as high-risk on the state's color-coded COVID-19 map.
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BRAINTREE -- During the fall assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Nov. 16-17, Bishop Robert P. Reed was selected to be the next chairman of the conference's Committee on Communications.
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On Friday, I had a Zoom meeting with FOCUS campus missionaries in the archdiocese. Ordinarily, we would meet for a dinner and a time of dialogue, but this time we did it virtually. The gathering was a chance for them to share with me, and with each other, some of their experiences working in the various universities during the pandemic. A number of the priests who are university chaplains were part of the meeting, as well, and they spoke about how wonderful it was to have the collaboration of the FOCUS missionaries.
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BRAINTREE -- At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, as businesses and their employees suffered the economic impact of the shutdown, the ability to pay for housing was a major concern for workers. Fears of eviction or foreclosure were abated by legislation that froze rents for months at a time, but Catholic Charities has seen the problem return in full force since the state's moratorium came to an end on Oct. 17.
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BRAINTREE -- Over 600 people participated in the archdiocese's 12th annual Social Justice Convocation, which took place in a virtual format on Nov. 7. Focusing this year on the topic of racial justice, two recurring themes emerged from the speakers' presentations: the idea of the "beloved community," and the Church's task of reckoning with its history.
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BRAINTREE -- Since the beginning of the academic year, the Catholic schools of the archdiocese have served as a case study of in-person learning during a pandemic. The results have been encouraging, according to the archdiocese's superintendent of Catholic schools, and have gained the recognition of the governor of Massachusetts as evidence that in-person instruction is safe when health and safety protocols are followed.
Read moreBRAINTREE -- Former priest Paul R. Shanley who was a key figure in the Archdiocese of Boston's clergy abuse scandal died on Oct. 28 at the age of 89 in a hospice facility in Ware. The Associated Press reported that the Ware Police Department confirmed Shanley's death, but did not say how he died. Boston Fox affiliate WFXT-TV reported the cause of death as heart failure.
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On Saturday, I traveled to Hartford to participate in the Beatification Mass for Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus. The beatification was held at Hartford's Cathedral of St. Joseph. It was certainly disappointing not to be able to have a large beatification ceremony, such as the one that was held in Detroit for Blessed Solanus Casey, where they filled a stadium with something like 80,000 people. But, of course, because of the pandemic, there was a very limited group allowed in the cathedral. The cathedral is very large but, with social distancing, attendance was limited to only about 200 people, and a large percentage of those were parish priests who were concelebrating.
Read moreThe following statement was issued by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley Nov. 10, 2020: The "Report on the Holy See's institutional knowledge and decision-making process related to former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick" is a painful and shameful account of how someone in McCarrick's position rose to the role of bishop and cardinal and caused so much harm to so many. In word and deed, Pope Francis has followed through on his commitment to a comprehensive, transparent and thorough investigation.
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BRIGHTON -- St. John's Seminary will hold its 16th annual All Souls Memorial and Auction in a virtual format on Nov. 14, marking 20 years of lay formation programs at the seminary. St. John's Seminary began offering its Master of Arts in Ministry (MAM) degree in 2000. Another degree, the Master of Theological Studies (MTS), was made available about a decade later. These master's degrees are open to laypeople, deacons, and professed religious. To date, over 250 people have graduated from these programs.
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LOWELL -- This week, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul formally opened its newest, largest store in the archdiocese, which will help the society further its charitable mission. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is an autonomous, self-funded charity affiliated with the Church. The society operates five thrift stores throughout the archdiocese, with locations in Lawrence, Lynn, Plainville, and Stoughton. The stores' revenue supports the programs of the archdiocese's 160 local SVdP conferences. These programs include funds for rent and utility assistance, a holiday meals program, and a parochial school trust fund. Additionally, the society can provide vouchers for its stores to people in need of clothing.
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BOSTON (AP) -- Students at Assumption University in Worcester have been told to shelter in place for a week in response to a cluster of coronavirus cases on campus. The order at Assumption took effect Oct. 30 and comes after eight new positive cases among students in the past week, school officials said. In addition, more than 100 students are in quarantine.
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During our recent board meeting of Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, Maryann McLaughlin, the co-director of our Worship and Spiritual Life Office, mentioned that they had a Cursillo Ultreya meeting coming up. I said I would love to participate, and so they sent me the Zoom link to join them last Friday.
Read moreThe following statement was issued by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley on Nov. 5, 2020: Today our country, one of the oldest democracies and most diverse societies in the world, should take pride in the success of the electoral process. We thank all the candidates who have participated in the elections and commend the historic voter turnout, a tribute to the citizens who voted in such striking numbers, in stark contrast to earlier elections. That encouraging sign has opened the way to begin a process of participation among all citizens however they voted. As Catholics, we are committed to the common good, social justice and the Gospel of Life. Participation in the political process is a sacred duty. In a country facing the threefold challenge of addressing a global pandemic, repairing a fractured economy and renewing a national commitment to the goals of racial justice and equality, the broad participation of citizens in the election should be a foundation for rebuilding our unity as a people.
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BOSTON -- In a ceremony marking one of the final steps in preparation for the priesthood, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley ordained nine transitional deacons on Oct. 24 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The deacon is the first of three ranks of ordained ministry in the Church. Among the many functions they perform in parishes, the deacon may assist the priest at Mass, proclaim the Gospel, deliver homilies, and preside at baptisms, weddings, and rites of Christian burial.
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DORCHESTER -- Members of the Nigerian Catholic Community of St. Katharine Drexel Parish held a Mass on Oct. 23 to pray for peace and justice while expressing solidarity with protesters calling for an end to police brutality in Nigeria.
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Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley issued the following statement Oct. 27. Pope Francis announced on Oct. 25 that Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC, would be among those elevated to cardinal in November.
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Last Thursday, I had a virtual meeting with benefactors and supporters of FOCUS campus ministry. They asked me to share some of my experiences of having the FOCUS missionaries here in Boston. Of course, I noted the large student population we have here in the Archdiocese of Boston and how successful the FOCUS missionaries have been in campus ministry. I also said how impressive it is, not only to see the evangelization that they undertake but also the transformation in the lives of the missionaries themselves, which prepares them to be leaders in the Church. Certainly, many of them will go on to embrace vocations to the priesthood or religious life, but all of them will be very much involved in leadership roles in their parishes and in the life of the Church in the future.
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(Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley issued the following statement Oct. 27. Pope Francis announced on Oct. 25 that Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C., would be among those elevated to cardinal in November.)
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