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February 7, 2023 - 7:00 PM - Webinar Living the Scriptures
With Deacon Art Miller. Deacon, author, radio host, revivalist and retired businessman, Deacon Art Miller is the
fomer director of the Office for Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of Hartford. In
addition to his assigned parishes, he is also the Catholic chaplain at Hartford's Capital
Community College.
A nationally known preacher of God's Holy Scripture, he has traveled throughout the country
raising the need of conversion to "Radical Love". The kind of self-denying love that can only
be accomplished through the grace and power offered to us through Jesus Christ. Deacon
Miller has preached throughout the United States – from New England to the Katrinaravaged
Gulf Coast of Mississippi, from the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico, to the
south side of Chicago; he teaches and preaches Christ's call to His life-changing "Radical
Love"
Join Online Webinar via computer, tablet or smartphone with Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83026229267
Meeting ID: 830 2622 9267
March 28, 2022 - Healing Mass for Those Impacted by Divorce or Separation
Come to the waters...from the wellspring of the Lord's heart we find healing, freedom, peace and joy. The Family Life team of the Archdiocese of Boston invites all family members impacted by divorce or separation to a Healing Mass celebrated by Fr. Matt Williams on Monday, March 28th at 7 PM at St. John the Baptist Parish, Quincy. Confession will be offered, and prayers of healing following the Mass. For more information, contact Emily_Elliott@rcab.org, or visit https://conta.cc/3Bb2WRz to register.
19th Annotation Retreat of the Spiritual Exercises
I am happy to share with you an invitation to pray the 19th Annotation Retreat of the Spiritual Exercises led by Mary Ann McLaughlin and Deacon Dan Burns. Please see the attached flyer with details about meeting times and place. The retreat is set to begin on December 1st. Mary Ann and Dan are copied to this email if you have particular questions. I am sure they would appreciate it if you could share the flyer with others who might be interested in this retreat experience.
July 14, 2021 - Resource for singing the Hours
This remarkable resource is being spearheaded by a very talented young man who happens to be a parishioner at St. Paul's – chanted morning and evening prayer, every day. These are very compelling chants. He uses a bit of Latin, mostly known parts like the Gloria Patri, but if you listen on Youtube both Latin and English show up on the screen.
You can also listen on a podcast which is convenient but obviously lacks the visuals.
The subscriptions are growing rapidly, and this deserves to be well-known in the diaconate community. Please feel to share!
https://www.youtube.com/c/singthehours
https://singthehours.org/how-to-listen/
June 2021 -Pope Francis addressed the deacons of the Diocese of Rome. In it he speaks beautifully about the ministry of deacons.
See full text of his address here.
Communion and visiting the sick during the pandemic
A question has come about regarding the Archdiocese policy on visiting the sick and brining communion.
Per the Archdiocese:
Communion may be brought to the sick and homebound under the following conditions.
An individual member of the clergy or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion may visit only one Communion call in any fourteen-day period.
The rationale is to prevent the spread of the virus by the person bringing Communion. If the minister were to visit five communion calls in one morning, and the first recipient had Covid and gave it to the minister, potentially he or she could give it to four others, all in vulnerable categories. Thus, only one call each two weeks.
So, for instance, if you have fifty Communion calls, and you want to get Communion to each one once a month, you will need twenty-five visitors.
The minister must wear a mask and must disinfect his or her hands before giving Communion, and again after leaving the home.
If it is feasible for the communicant to wear a mask, that should be done.
If it is feasible for the minister to be met outside of the home, that should be done.
The visit must be very brief.
If it is possible to arrange for a family member to bring Communion to the shut-in, that could be done apart from the restrictions in this protocol.
If a parish is in the red zone, Communion calls should be suspended.
For additional resources and information regarding procedures and protocols during the pandemic, see here.
Stay safe!
Procedures for priests and deacons who travel outside of Massachusetts during COVID-19
From Very Reverend William Joy, Assistant Vicar for Administration and Special Assistant to the Vicar General and Moderator for the Curia, concerning procedures for priests and deacons who travel outside of Massachusetts during COVID-19.
Letters of Good Standing
From time to time, Deacons of the Archdiocese of Boston may be requested to assist and/or preach at weddings, baptisms, funerals and other liturgical events outside the Archdiocese of Boston. In those cases it is required by the bishop of the diocese in which the deacon hopes to minister that a "Letter of Good Standing" be provided to him or his delegate certifying that the deacon is indeed in good standing within his own (Arch)diocese.
In certain instances, dioceses may also require a "Statement of Suitability for Ministry" which is a certification that the deacon is of good character and reputation and qualified to perform his Diaconal duties in an effective and suitable manner, and that he :
- has never been suspended or otherwise canonically disciplined;
- has no criminal record, nor had criminal charges brought against him;
- has manifested no behavioral problems in the past that would indicate he might deal with minors in an inappropriate manner;
- has never been involved in an incident which called into question his fitness or suitability to fulfill the responsibilities and duties of his Diaconal ministry due to alcohol, substance abuse or other causes;
- has no other particular mental or physical attribute, condition, and/or other past situation which would adversely affect his performance of Diaconal ministry.
A new procedural system for obtaining these credentials is now in place. You may start a request for a Letter of Good Standing at: bostonprovinceministry.org
Requests should be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the wedding or baptism (funerals will obviously be handled with greater dispatch) so as to allow adequate time for processing. When approved, you will be sent a copy of the credentials that are forwarded to the diocese and the parish or institution.
If you may have any questions regarding this procedure, please contact
Mary Blake at the Office of Canonical Affairs at (617) 746-5651, or e-mail mary_blake@rcab.or