PWC Collaborative Welcomes Cardinal Seán, New Music Ministries at St. Mary

PWC Collaborative Welcomes Cardinal Seán, New Music Ministries at St. Mary
 

Our Collaborative Parishes are honored to welcome His Eminence, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, as he visits us this Saturday to celebrate the 4 o’clock Mass with members of both parishes. Parishes cannot be complete experiences of the Church on their own - we are part of a diocese and a catholic (i.e., universal) family. Each diocese or archdiocese, though, can be considered a “particular Church” because it includes its lay faithful, religious and clergy gathered around the diocesan bishop, a successor of the apostles. Our archbishop is our shepherd, high priest, and principal teacher in faith and morals. Cardinal Seán recently returned from the Summit Meeting in Rome of leaders of the world’s bishops. As President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, he helps to promote policies throughout the world which protect minors and vulnerable adults, advocating for all who have been harmed by some of the Church’s ministers, and against those who failed to hold their abusers accountable - no matter how highly ranking they may be. Like St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the cardinal’s Capuchin order, Cardinal Seán also humbly challenges us to support the Church of Boston in our collective efforts to promote the Gospel (to evangelize), to serve those in need, and to protect all vulnerable adults, children and the unborn - all of whom are undervalued and often persecuted by our society.

The 4 o’clock Mass the cardinal is celebrating also marks the first week of our adult choir moving from St. Mary’s 9:30 Mass to this Saturday evening Mass that serves members of both of our parishes. The Director of Music Ministries at St. Mary, Jillian Carelli, has continued the good work of her predecessors and added her personal gifts, including humble leadership and affection for both adults and children. As a result, Jillian and I have embraced this change which has been bandied about for a couple of years. With the support of the Collaborative Pastoral Council, we believe the 4pm Mass will help the adult choir to continue to grow both in number and effectiveness in leading more members of the congregation singing. Meanwhile, the children’s choir which Jillian has continued to nurture will become the primary music ministers at the 9:30 Family Mass, with the support of a small number of adults who will accompany them.

May the communities of our collaborative parishes be blessed by this visit from Cardinal Seán as we continue to grow in faith and practice, in accord with our archdiocesan pastoral plan, Disciples in Mission, and our local pastoral plan for our Plainville-Wrentham Collaborative, Go Therefore and Make Disciples!