Category Archives: Archdiocese of Boston

The Archdiocese of Boston  Office of Worship, in consultation with local health authorities and the Archdiocesan Office of Risk Management, continues to encourage the clergy and faithful to observe necessary standard precautions to protect the health of others during this time. The best way to prevent the spread of contagious disease is to practice good hygiene, such as frequent handwashing (using hand sanitizers with 60% alcohol when soap and water are unavailable); protecting your coughs and sneezes with tissues disposed of immediately, or coughing into your elbow if tissues are not available; cleaning and disinfecting commonly used surfaces often; avoiding contact with people who are ill, if possible; and following other healthy practices of good diet, sleep and exercise.

In addition to practicing good hygiene, the Archbishop directs the following for the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and for flu prevention:

• The Holy Water fonts are to be drained and cleaned.
• The distribution of the Precious Blood for the faithful is suspended, save for those who must receive from the cup due to severe cases of celiac disease. The faith of the Church teaches that Christ, whole and entire, is received even under only one species.
• The exchange of the sign of peace is to be offered without any physical contact.

These directives will be in effect until determined otherwise by the Archbishop.

For further information, we suggest that you frequently consult these websites where up-to-the-minute authoritative information is readily available:

Center for Disease Control
MA Department of Public Health
Boston Children’s Hospital

“The mass murder of 31 innocent people in a 24 hour period, fueled by hate and disregard for human life, is unacceptable in any society. We offer our prayers and support for the communities of El Paso and Dayton in the midst of this time of immense pain…”

Click here to read the full statement…

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Our Commonwealth is facing an issue that holds significant moral implications for all citizens. At this time there are two bills (HB 3320 and SB 1209) proposed in the Massachusetts legislature which have extreme consequences for the protection of life. These bills have been described as a means of protecting the provisions of the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, but they go far beyond that decision and take us in dangerous directions. The bills are threatening to human life and dignity and should, in my judgement, be opposed even by those who support the Roe v. Wade decision.

The citizens of Massachusetts and their elected officials represent many faiths and also a secular position that does not embrace any particular religious tradition. I do not address the proposed legislation from a religious perspective but as an issue of human rights, in this case the right to life, as I also speak to other human rights issues such as welcoming immigrants to our country, supporting a strong social safety net for the poor and the call for racial justice. I do not seek to impose the Catholic Church’s teachings on a diverse society but wish to help build a society which protects human life from its inception to natural death.

The purpose of the proposed legislation is clear: in a time when state law may become a central focus in the larger debate about abortion, these bills seek to extend current Massachusetts law in unnecessary and unjustified ways. Specifically, the proposed legislation would produce the following consequences:

• Allow abortion in Massachusetts during all nine months of pregnancy.
• Eliminate any requirement that even late-term abortions be performed in hospitals.
• Eliminate the requirement to make efforts to care for a child who survives an attempted abortion.
• Eliminate any requirement that a pregnant minor (under 18) have any adult consent (parental or through the courts) before undergoing an abortion.

Collectively these changes have radical consequences for society. In the proposed legislation abortion is described as “any medical treatment intended to induce termination of a clinically diagnosable pregnancy except for the purpose of producing a live birth”. There are many clinical procedures which can satisfactorily be described in purely medical terms. Abortion is not one of them. While the procedure has significant clinical dimensions, there is also a human reality that deserves more adequate recognition at any stage of development. By depersonalizing the reality, the legislation dehumanizes the decision faced by women, their families and physicians.

Prior to and following the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision the Church has tried to provide care, compassion and assistance to women in crisis pregnancies. The Archdiocese of Boston today sponsors Pregnancy Help to provide spiritual and material assistance to women facing difficult choices about abortion. We also sponsor Project Rachel, a retreat program for women seeking counsel and healing after abortion.

We do not seek to judge or blame individuals, particularly women and families faced with excruciatingly difficult pregnancies. Our objective is to consider the implications of the proposed legislation, which among its provisions removes any limits to abortion in the third trimester of pregnancy. The legislation is being advocated on the basis of complex and emotionally wrenching medical cases, but the implications of these laws without limits can lead far beyond the hard cases.

The proposed legislation (HB 3320 and SB 1209) presents all citizens of the Commonwealth with a serious moral question concerning the protection of human life. Legislators, I hope, will not presume that broad support in Massachusetts for legal abortion automatically translates into willingness on the part of the public to embrace the extreme provisions of these bills. These realities deserve our serious consideration with the highest convictions of what is right and our full compassion. And the unborn children who will be most directly impacted by the proposals deserve to have their lives protected.

This week, Cardinal Seán released a Lenten Letter to the Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Boston. The letter offers a reflection on the just completed Rome Summit to Protect Children and Minors, and includes an action the Archdiocese is implementing regarding reporting misconduct related to bishops.

Please click this link to read the Cardinal’s letter: Lenten Letter from Cardinal Seán

“Today, we stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters who are experiencing the bitter pain of suffering and loss inflicted on them by a senseless shooting in their holy place of worship at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

On this Sabbath day, a day that is sacred to the Jewish people, we embrace them in their anguish. I join my own prayers with many throughout the Archdiocese of Boston who offer consolation and support to the loved ones of those who have been killed and wounded, and we ask God to bring comfort in this hour of need. We are especially mindful of the first responders who bravely ran towards danger in order to defend others.

I have spent many joyful times with our Jewish friends in my more than forty years as a priest. Our two faiths – Catholic and Jewish – are committed to building a civilization of love to combat the hatred, violence and anti-Semitism in our world. Today’s tragedy will not defeat us in pursuing this commitment, it will not defeat people of good will and it will not defeat the Jewish people.

I have always valued and respected the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, Repairing the World. It is time for all of us to stand in unison with the Jewish people to repair our world, affirming our love of neighbor as ourselves and working to root out hatred across the world.”