This month we are getting ready to welcome LOTS of people to our city. We already had an open church event this past weekend and over 300 people passed through our doors and were welcomed to our church. Amazingly, we also have people who have lived here all their lives and have never entered the church. It is a reminder that we are situated in this place for a reason. Since 1826 the Church’s presence in Salem has been for the purpose of evangelizing this area. The parish boundaries originally stretched across present-day Topsfield, Middleton, Peabody, and Danvers. Now we are within the city limits with still a lot of work left to do.
As a parish, our work is to serve Christ in others in our present context. I am sure that many years ago, no priest or pastor thought about this practice. Now we have the opportunity through the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, creating a prayerful environment, and being welcoming to plant the seeds of faith, nourish a growing faith, or offer respite to those overwhelmed by the cacophony outside the walls of the church. There is not a lot to learn, but some of the encounters are extraordinary as the Grace of God touches those who are visiting us. Thanks again to Peter Gordon and the welcome team who are part of this ministry.
At the end of the month, Halloween to be exact, our new Archbishop will be formally installed at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. Archbishop Elect Richard Henning, STD, who is a native of Long Island, NY, will be formally received at a Mass of Installation. Archbishop Elect Henning has served as a pastor in a bi-lingual parish, is fluent in Spanish and Italian, and was for a brief period the bishop of Providence, RI. He is the tenth bishop of the archdiocese and the seventh Archbishop. An archbishop is a bishop who is responsible for the oversight of the surrounding dioceses; in this case, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. In addition, there are the four dioceses of this state, Springfield, Worcester, Fall River, and Boston. Dioceses are land masses where there are Catholics and are subdivided into parishes. So the whole earth is part of a diocese or Archdiocese. There are also exceptions within each diocese, such as national churches, but all are under the jurisdiction of the (Arch)Bishop. A Cardinal is a title of honor and is also granted by the Holy Father. It is from the College of Cardinals, a worldwide representation of the church that the Popes are chosen. Welcome Archbishop Richard! New Ministry: Starting this coming Friday (10/11), we will gather after Mass to pray for those family members who have wandered away or rejected the faith. Our simple plan consists of gathering after Mass in the chapel at IC, listing the first name of the people for whom we are praying, and then saying the prayer of St. Monica. All are welcome to this prayer which we will begin to do initially twice a month on the second and fourth Fridays.
This week we will say goodbye to Anna Spadoni (nee Lenney), who had been working as our part-time administrative assistant. Anna has taken on another position and is returning to graduate school. We wish her well and hope and pray for the best for her. Thank you Anna for your time and efforts here.
Building news. The masonry company assured me that they would be back this week to do some repairs on the front of the building. While closing the windows, I noticed that some of the stained-glass windows are beginning to show signs of decline. They are next up on the list.
Thanks to Richard and Donna for taking down the box that held the commandments and beatitudes. We hope to have that area restored with grass this fall and next spring.