Last Friday, I visited New Horizons Assisted Living in Marlborough.

The site was originally a home for troubled girls run by the Good Shepherd Sisters. However, several years ago, it was converted into a long-term care facility, and many of our religious orders are sending their retired sisters there, particularly the Sisters of St. Anne, who are there in large numbers. They are very happy to have community amongst themselves, share their charisms and spirituality with each other, and be present to the other residents.

I had Mass for them in their beautiful Chapel. Then, afterward, we had a roundtable discussion with the sisters.



Dinner with Campus Ministry groups

That evening, I had a dinner with groups assisting us in campus ministry.

Since there are about 75 colleges and universities within the archdiocese, campus ministry is very important to us. We have been blessed with wonderful chaplains at the different campuses, as well as groups like the Brotherhood of Hope, FOCUS, and St. Paul's Outreach, which collaborate with our chaplains and have been successful in involving so many young people on our campuses in the life of the Church.

I try to gather with them about once a year, and it is an opportunity to hear their witness talks about their ministries on the various campuses. We are truly blessed by their presence and the enthusiasm of these young people, who are intent upon sharing the faith with their peers on college and university campuses.



St. Mary of the Assumption Parish

Sunday morning, I went to St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Lawrence to celebrate the installation of their pastor, Father Israel Rodriguez.

It was a very impressive celebration that really showed the vibrancy of the parish. There were probably about 1,500 people in the church, and afterwards, there was a luncheon that so many of the people participated in.

At the end of the Mass, they gave me a lovely gift of a basket of fruit that was just immense.

Father Israel has done an extraordinary job in whatever parish he has been assigned to, and that is certainly the case at St. Mary's, which is one of the largest parishes in the archdiocese. Even though he's been in that assignment for a while, it was nice to have a formal recognition of his role there as pastor with the formal installation ceremony.



Anniversary celebration

On Monday, I recorded a video for the 175th anniversary celebration of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

I am scheduled to celebrate a special Mass for their anniversary. However, I will be at the Synod on Synodality in October, when they hold their main celebration. So, we made a video with Sister Maria Delaney, who is a wonderful historian. She was full of fascinating information, and it was very interesting to learn more about their history.

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur have been such an important presence in the archdiocese, not just because of Emmanuel College but because such a large percentage of schools were staffed by the sisters going back almost 200 years. We are blessed by their presence in the archdiocese.