Archdiocese of Boston

Joseph Muzquiz, Servant of God

You may not know about The Servant of God, Father Joseph Muzquiz, a candidate for sainthood. His cause opened in 2010 in the Archdiocese of Boston. I recommend following the work of seeing if Muzquiz is saint material.

Since 1949, Father Muzquiz has been in the USA having been born in Spain and well-educated in Europe. The reason for his coming to the States was the establishment of Opus Dei ; he was sent by St. Josemaría Escrivá. You may remember a line I use from time to time: saints beget saints. Muzquiz died in 1983 and yet his influence continues to be felt and followed.

There is a website giving pertinent info for Father Joseph Muzquiz which will help you to know this holy and very man better (the site includes a video presentation).

For private devotion here is a prayer:

God, you helped your servant Joseph work with generosity and simplicity. He spread the message of sanctity in secular life to many people, teaching them to find joy and peace in their daily life. Help me to seek first the kingdom of God, by sanctifying my everyday work and dedicating myself generously to the salvation of souls. Glorify your servant Joseph, and through his intercession, grant me the favor I ask of you.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.

Congrats to the newly ordained

In recent days several dioceses and religious orders have ordained men to the priesthood.

The priest is to “understand … imitate … and conform” his life to the Cross of Jesus. The bishop exhorts the man to be ordained to see that he believes what he reads, that he teaches what he believes and practices what he teaches.

Here is a random sample:

The Archabbey of Saint Vincent: 1

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: 4

The Order of Preachers, New York: 6

The Idente Missionaries of Christ: 1

The Archdiocese of Boston: 5

The Archdiocese of Hartford: 7

The Archdiocese of New York: 6

The Archdiocese of Newark: 5

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia: 3

The Archdiocese of Los Angelus: 2

The Eparchy of Newton: 1

The Eparchy of Saint Maron, Brooklyn: 2

The Diocese of Bridgeport: 7

The Diocese of Paterson: 9

Saint John Mary Vianney, pray us.

A working cardinal: O’Malley really does work

Boston’s Cardinal does outdoor work.

From being a candidate in some people’s eyes for the Petrine ministry to doing menial tasks, Sean Cardinal O’Malley gives good example.

One can only guess what the papacy would be like today had O’Malley been elected. It makes no sense to speculate, and yet one wonders.

I doubt one can say that the estimation he enjoys is due to this kind gesture, but I do think it helps. Cardinal O’Malley knows that hard work means getting his hands dirty and collaborating with others.

Work gives dignity to man’s life; it gives to joy to the heart seeing a task completed as well as can be.

On this feast of Saint Matthias, may his intercession before God give us more bishops like this one.

Saints Matthias and Francis, pray for us.

New life in a New England seminary

The heart of a diocese is a seminary (or a seminary program if a diocese doesn’t have a major seminary formation program). No would have guessed 10 years following the sex abuse crisis erupted in the Archdiocese of Boston, that Saint John’s Seminary would see new life in forming men to be Catholic priests. Patrick Doyle wrote a very descent article for the Boston Magazine titled “Resurrection” on the uptick of the call to priesthood and good work of the Boston seminary.

Blessings on Seán Cardinal O’Malley, Msgr. Jim Moroney, and Father Eric Cadin, indeed on all of the Saint John’s Seminary community! A true testimony to grace!

A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus

The Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston issued a pastoral letter to the Archdiocese on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ: salvation is offered to all. While some of the the pastoral letter, “A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus” is oriented toward the situation of his local church, Seán Patrick Cardinal O’Malley says a number of things that all of us ought to study and incorporate in our situation since by Baptism we are all called to be missionaries of the Gospel. The section of the pastoral given below speaks to our need to work on our own conversion first….

You can read the entire pastoral letter here: A New Pentecost, Cardinal O’Malley.pdf

We can only
share what we have received. In preparing to evangelize, we are called to
conversion, which means continually to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ
individually and as a Church. The Good News nurtures us, makes us grow,
and renews us in holiness as God’s people.

Continue reading A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus

Boston’s Charity’s Appeal

I love this picture. Don’t you?

Non-discrimination admission policy for schools issued by Boston Archdiocese

The Archdiocese of Boston, under the direction of His Eminence, Seán Cardinal O’Malley, OFM Cap., issued a new educational policy for its schools which includes a non-discrimination policy and reiterates that Catholic teaching will be taught in the curricula. There’s an openness to the real life situations people face and live each day but there is no compromise in the passing on the Truth to others: care for the whole person and concern for the eternal destiny of souls.

Read the admission policy here

Cause for sainthood opened for priest in Boston: Joseph Muzquiz

The Archdiocese of Boston and Opus Dei have begun in earnest the study of the cause of saint of Father Joseph Muzquiz. Muzquiz labored in the Boston area for many years and died there in 1981. These first steps are being taken to do a proper investigation in possibility of presenting a cause for sainthood to the Church.

Here’s the story in The Pilot.