Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2020 CNA.- The city of Somerville, Massachusetts, has broadened its definition of domestic partnership to give polyamorous relationships the same rights as a married couple.
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Boston -- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston Board of Trustees announced June 26 the appointment of Board Chair Kevin M. MacKenzie as President and CEO. Mr. MacKenzie has been serving as Interim President and CEO since December 1, 2019 following Deborah Kincade Rambo's retirement after more than 40 years with CCAB.
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BRAINTREE -- When the coronavirus began to spread in Massachusetts, the leaders of various departments and ministries of the archdiocese came together to discuss its potential impact. This group, which expanded from 10 to about 30 individuals, would continue meeting throughout the shutdown and oversee the archdiocese's response to the pandemic.
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BRAINTREE -- Financial stress resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has caused several parishes in the archdiocese to announce plans to merge in the coming months. In a June 19 interview, Father Paul Soper, secretary of evangelization and discipleship, said greater financial stability is one of the principal reasons parishes seek to merge.
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BRAINTREE -- As the 2019-2020 school year drew to a close, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Boston continued to be felt. St. Patrick School in Roxbury has confirmed that it will not be reopening for the 2020-2021 school year.
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It was announced this month that Chelmsford native Father Dennis Gallagher, AA, has been named to a second term as provincial superior of the North American Province of the Augustinians of the Assumption by Superior General of the Congregation Father Benoit Griere.
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ROME -- Deacon Denis Nakkeeran thought he had his life figured out. Having grown up in a Catholic family in Brooklyn, New York, he planned to study medicine and become a doctor. He moved to Boston to study human physiology at Boston University. There, he was invited to go on a retreat, during which he had a "very powerful conversion experience" and began to better understand his faith.
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On Saturday, June 13, I went to Castle Island in South Boston to celebrate a special Mass for racial justice and healing. I was gratified to be part of that celebration at the very place that the parishioners from St. Brigid's and Gate of Heaven usually have their sunrise service on Easter. I thought it was very significant for us to have this Mass there, particularly considering there has been a difficult history around the issue in South Boston.
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SOUTH BOSTON -- Dozens of people, including local officials and African American faith community leaders, came to Castle Island on June 13 to attend an outdoor Mass celebrated by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley for racial justice and healing.
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BOSTON -- After being delayed due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the archdiocesan Year of the Eucharist began on June 14, the feast of Corpus Christi. The Year of the Eucharist, a year dedicated to teaching and celebrating the Eucharistic faith, was originally intended to begin on Holy Thursday, April 9, 2020. One of the first events was to be Walking with Mary, a procession of hundreds of Catholics through the streets of Boston in April.
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As the school year comes to an end, The Pilot congratulates all members of the Class of 2020, who graduated from Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, most graduations planned for May and June have been rescheduled to be held over the summer. Some have already taken place in an online format. This year's roundup of commencement exercises is presented alphabetically by school.
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(This is the second in a series of articles profiling each of the five men in the Archdiocese of Boston's ordination class of 2020. Their ordination Mass is currently scheduled to be celebrated by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley Aug. 1 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.)
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WINCHESTER -- The archdiocese announced on June 11 that a volunteer at St. Eulalia Parish in Winchester has tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting a two-week shutdown of the church while its leaders stay in quarantine and the building undergoes a deep cleaning.
Read moreBOSTON -- The Catholic chaplain of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Father Daniel Moloney, was asked to resign his post after making comments criticizing George Floyd's character and questioning whether his death in police custody was an expression of racism.
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This past week, we were very pleased that the New York Times published an extensive article about our COVID-19 ministry team here in the Archdiocese of Boston. I realize that we are not the only diocese with a ministry like this, but we have a very dedicated group of priests who have volunteered to live in quarantine and take special training to be available to bring the sacraments to people who are sick with the coronavirus. They have anointed many hundreds of people, and for this, we are very grateful.
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QUINCY -- Mother Olga Yaqob learned about the death of George Floyd the same way many people did, from news reports. On May 25, Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis, died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. A widely shared video recorded by a bystander indicates that a police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, even as Floyd said he could not breathe and passersby pleaded on his behalf.
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BRAINTREE -- Every parish in the archdiocese has had to contemplate how to resume a public life of worship as pandemic restrictions are lifted, but their timing and methods for doing so have varied.
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BRAINTREE -- The Massachusetts Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy of arm of the Church is the state, issued an alert June 9 that a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the Commonwealth has advanced on Beacon Hill.
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CAMBRIDGE -- The Boys' Choir of St. Paul's Choir School, Harvard Square has been selected as one of 100 local nonprofits to receive a $100,000 grant from the Boston-based Cummings Foundation. The Cummings Foundation's $20 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties. Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the area where it owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed, at no cost to the foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 10 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the foundation.
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BRAINTREE -- During a June 3 webinar for parish leaders on "Parish Fundraising in the Time of the Pandemic -- And Beyond," the archdiocese revealed the progress of the 90 Days Now -- For Your Parish campaign and announced a new phase of the program.
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On Monday, I received a message from the Holy Father, in which he expressed his concern and prayers for our country during this time of unrest, occasioned by the killing of George Floyd. The Holy Father also called the president of our bishops' conference, Archbishop Gomez, this week in order to assure him of his prayers for the Church in the United States.
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BRAINTREE -- The Massachusetts Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy of arm of the Church in the state, issued an alert June 9 that a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the Commonwealth has advanced on Beacon Hill.
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