On Friday, I went to St. Patrick's Manor in Framingham to celebrate a Mass for the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, who are marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of their community by Servant of God Mother Angeline, who founded them in New York. She was actually an Irish sister who belonged to the Little Sisters of the Poor but founded another order under the auspices of Cardinal Hayes.

They have a beautiful altar that was brought from their very first home in the States.

We have been very blessed to have the sisters here in the archdiocese. As I told them in my homily, in three of my four dioceses -- Fall River, Palm Beach, and here in Boston -- I have been very fortunate to have homes that are run by Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm. They have such a beautiful charism of taking care of the elderly.

We were sorry that they needed to close Marian Manor, but the building was too old and continuing to operate it was just untenable. But we are so happy that they are with us at St. Patrick's, where they do extraordinary work and have a number of priests and religious living there in their care.



Newton Country Day School

On Tuesday, I went to Newton Country Day School for a Mass at which we installed their new head of school, Jessica Hooper.

The Mass was celebrated in the chapel of their former college (which is now part of Boston College Law School) because it is much larger than the school chapel.

There were many special guests with us there for the celebration, including Chair of the Board of Trustees Maura Murphy, former Head of School Sister Barbara Rogers, and the provincial, Sister Suzanne Cooke. Sister Suzanne had formerly been at Carrollton, the school of the Religious of the Sacred Heart in Miami, where my family was very involved. My cousin was the principal, and my sister, aunt, and cousins all taught there.



Cabinet meeting

Wednesday, I was asked by my cabinet to gather with them in the formal dining room of the Pastoral Center. I was taken by surprise when they announced their very magnanimous gesture of renaming the formal dining of the Pastoral Center in my honor.

It's a place where we've had many joyful celebrations, so I am gratified to be associated with that place.

I am also grateful for the thoughtfulness of the cabinet, who have collaborated with me in the governance of the archdiocese for so many years.



Virtual meeting

Thursday, we had a virtual meeting of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

We discussed some of the issues that came up during the Holy Father's recent visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor, as well as taking the opportunity to continue to prepare for our Plenary Session, which will be next month in Rome.