Saint Cecilia. Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. 31 May 2015 P A R I S H

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1 Saint Cecilia P A R I S H Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity 31 May 2015 Our Newly Confirmed 24 May 2015

2 our community news Ministers of the Liturgy Saturday 5:00 p.m. Rev. Peter Grover, OMV, celebrant Laura Orrell, lector Sunday 8:00 a.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Jim Dougherty, lector Sunday 9:30 a.m. Rev. John Unni, celebrant Will Kelly, Moira Macdonald, & Letitia Howland, lectors Special intentions Saturday, May 30 5:00 p.m. Susan Szum, 6 th Anniversary Sunday, May 31 8:00 a.m. Arthur Downing, Memorial Sunday, May 31 9:30 a.m. Maureen Cullen Yadil, Memorial Sunday, May 31 11:15 a.m. Frank J. Unni, Anniversary Deceased Members of the Dyer Family, Memorial Sunday 11:15 a.m. Rev. John J. Unni, celebrant Jim English, & Cynthia Wanner, lectors today s readings Deutoronomy 4:32-34, Romans 8:14-17 Matthew 28:16-20 next sunday s Readings Exodus 24:3-8 Hebrews 9:11-15 Mark 14:12-16, FOOD DONATIONS FOR CATHOLIC CHARITIES This week's featured donation item is: PASTA! Next week's featured donation item is: PEANUT BUTTER! Donations of pasta, sauce, cereal, tuna, & other canned food are always also accepted. Please leave food donations in the narthex baskets. 2

3 Prayers & Occasions Our Sick Please pray for all our sick and for those who are in need of our prayer, especially Jennifer Serpico, Rudy Kikel, Annette Kulas, Steven Whitkens, Lisa Caputo, Anthony Simboli, Lisa Caputo, Anne Frenette Handly, Ruth Frost, Roséa Aubrey, Brenna Smith, Mildred McLaughlin, Domenic Iannaccone, Cameron Robinson, Ken Bennett, Paul Claveau, Jaheel Robinson, Robert Lupis, Michael Claveau, Max Tubman, David Worster, Derek Schall, Susan Noll, Jennifer Murdock, Julie Downey, Donna Thagard, Penny Maynard, Robert Kimball, Owen Kyes, Mark Schatzl, Hugo Collamati, Chris Novosielski, Gayle Haley, Michalina Maniscalco, Niall O'Shaughnessy, Javier A. Sattler, Annie Flaherty, Pattie Geier, Colin Landry, Jake Mercier, Michael Patrick Kelly, Pilar Estrada, Mark Anderson, Matty Goddard, Stephanie Merenda, Carlo Pagani, Shea Hammond, Bill Downing, Skyler Stevenson, Rob Morrissey, Nimet Yousif, Rev. Robert Quinn, CSP, Boris Chermak, Dennis Heaphy, Mary Yanez, Roberta McMann, Silvia Basagni, Brian Donnelly, Peter Webster, John Farris, Karen Thoresen, Theresa Wier, Lena Bryant, Silvana Franco, Bill Ahern, Michael Steffen, Kenny Borum, Kevin, Lisa Anzalone, Joseph Pierre, George Driscoll, Bill Pennington, Rose Rizzo, Lisa Mazzanti Cox, George Morales, and Richard Smith. Welcome to Saint Cecilia! We are pleased to welcome the following new members of our parish who have recently registered: Jonathan Doan of Cambridge, Jill and Todd Tessier of Jamaica Plain, the Thomas Family of Somerville, and Lisa and Jeffrey Doyle of Boston. If you have not previously registered with the parish, there are forms in the narthex for this purpose or you can register online at Congrats, Jillian, Lukas, Madeline, & Pearse! Jillian Rossi graduated on May 16 from The Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Jillian recently signed with an agency in New York and plans to move there soon. Lukas Cevetello will be graduating from Bedford High School on June 4. Next year Lukas will be attending Washington State University, in the state of Washington, where he has been accepted into their honors engineering program. Madeline Westover will be graduating from Newton Country Day of the Sacred Heart on June 4. Pearse Martin will be graduating from Boston Latin School on June 8. Well done, Jillian, Lukas, Madeline, and Pearse! Parish Pastoral Council Elections - TODAY! Parish Pastoral Council elections are being held this weekend, following each of the liturgies. Please familiarize yourself with our candidates who are presented on pages 8 and 9 of the bulletin. There are five open positions on the PPC. You will be able to vote for up to five candidates. Absentee ballots will be accepted until 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 31 at the parish office or by at info@stceciliaboston.org. We are grateful for those members of our community who are running for a seat on the Council. We pray that the parish be guided by the Holy Spirit as we enter into this discernment process. Men's Spirituality Group The Men's Spirituality Group will meet this Friday morning, June 5 at seven o'clock in the Parish Hall. The meeting will end at seven-fifty for those who wish to attend the eight o'clock Mass. All men of the parish are welcome to join us. Refreshments will be served. Thank You! Last week s second collection was designated to support the formation and training of seminarians in our Archdiocese. Due to your generosity, we were able to collect $1,699 to help with priest formation. Thank you! 3

4 Ordinary Time & Today's Solemnity With the celebration of Pentecost, Easter drew to a close last Sunday and we re now back in Ordinary Time. We have been renewed and strengthened by our ninety day journey through Lent and Eastertide. What a wonderful Easter we had here at Saint Cecilia! We celebrated the initiation of sixteen men and women at the Great Vigil of Easter; twenty-six of our youngsters were welcomed to the table of the Lord on the Sixth Sunday of Easter; and twenty-four young men and women received the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit when we celebrated the sacrament of confirmation last Sunday. Though we are now in Ordinary Time, the "ordinal" or "numbered" Sundays are still two weeks away. The Church eases us into Ordinary Time with two solemn feasts: the Most Holy Trinity (today) and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (next Sunday). With today s feast, the Church expresses our Trinitarian faith by professing a belief in the oneness of God in whom there are three divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This feast is ancient its origins can be traced to the seventh century and it has been on the Church s universal calendar for nearly seven hundred years. It would be impossible to overstate the significance of the mystery we celebrate today: "The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life," the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us. "It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them." The history of salvation is the history of how God gradually reveals himself to humanity as the one true God, unity in Trinity. Today the liturgy holds this mystery before us, not explaining or defining, but simply showing us some of the facets of the mystery through the readings and prayers. TWEETS FROM THE POPE There are times when God is silent, a silence which cannot be understood unless we gaze upon Christ crucified. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit each day: He guides us along the path of discipleship in Christ A Step Along the Way By Margery Eagan Although often attributed to Oscar Romero himself, who was beatified Saturday, the following prayer poem was actually written by the late Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw and spoken in a homily by his friend, the late Cardinal John Dearden of Detroit. Dearden used the prayer in a Mass for departed priests in November 1979, a year before Romero s 1980 assassination. Thereafter the poem was renamed as Romero s prayer. All three men Romero, Untener, and Dearden shared a passion for the poor and were known as fierce fighters for social justice. A Step Along the Way: Archbishop Romero s Prayer It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen. 4

5 SUPPORT CATHOLIC CHARITIES As you know, one of our parish's ongoing ministries is to supply food donations to Catholic Charities' food pantry at the Yawkey Center in Dorchester. If you are unable to bring the requested grocery items to church, there are envelopes on the table in the narthex that you can use for making a donation to Catholic Charities. Thank you for your consideration. Pope Francis, General Audience - May 20 - Courtesy of Catholic News Services A REQUEST FROM CATHOLIC CHARITIES Sunset Point Camp, located in Hull, serves as a dream "vacation" for 300 children each summer. The goal of the camp has always been to provide a free vacation for at-risk, low-income children from the Greater Boston area, without regard for their race, nationality, or religious affiliation. Sunset Point Camp is supervised by our friends at Catholic Charities' Yawkey Center in Dorchester. They have mentioned to us that they always need donations of sunscreen for the kids at the camp. So the next time you're at CVS or Walgreen's or your local supermarket, please consider picking up an extra tube of sunscreen and dropping it in the plastic bin identified for this purpose in the narthex. We have been told the higher the SPF number, the better. The Camp also needs kids' flip flops for boys and girls age 6 to 12. attention graduates We want to acknowledge and celebrate all our graduates this spring. Please the names of parishioners who are graduating from high school or college to Caroline Gélinas at cgelinas@stceciliaboston.org. Please place the word graduate in the subject line. Feel free to include the name of the school and the degree awarded. We are also happy to announce student recitals. staying IN TOUCH If you are moving, or have changed your phone or address, please be sure to update your contact information with the parish office. You can simply Mark Donohoe at mdonohoe@stceciliaboston.org with the new information. Thank you. seeking research participants Emmanuel College student, Ms. Olivia Cordingley, is working with Dr. Joyce Benenson on a research project regarding social support entitled "Allies Over a Lifetime". She is looking to interview men and women over the age of 65 to study support systems during adult life. Specifically, she will explore with you on the topic of the people who provided the most support to you between the ages of 25 and 60 years. If you would like to participate in the interview of approximately one hour, either individually or in a group, please contact Olivia at or cordingleyo@emmanuel.edu. Parish Retreat Canceled Unfortunately, due to a lack of numbers, we have decided to cancel the parish retreat. For those of you who are interested, we will look towards next year and will hope for greater interest. Notable Saints of the Week June 1 - Saint Justin, Martyr Early Apologist June 3 - Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs Patron of African Catholic Youth Action, converts, & torture victims June 5 - Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr Patron of brewers, Germany, & World Youth Day 5

6 SAINT CECILIA YOUNG ADULTS! Inflatable Maze at the Lawn on D Saturday, May 30 I 4:00-7:00 p.m. Come try to navigate the tunnels of Pentalum, an inflatable maze making its first visit to the East Coast. Admission into the maze is $5. After mazing around, we ll hang around the park to play lawn games, hit the food trucks, and enjoy the art installations. aliput2006@verizon.net to RSVP. Suppah Club Tuesday, June 9 I 7:00 p.m. Tremont 647 $2 Taco Tuesday? Sí, por favor! Number of spots capped at 15. RSVP to scyoungadults@gmail.com. Play Ball with The Red Sox and Pine Street On Wednesday, June 24 Saint Cecilia parishioners, for the fourth year, will be hosting residents of Pine Street's scattered-site, independent-living projects at a Red Sox game! The Sox will be playing the Baltimore Orioles. We will be asking parishioners to pay for their own Grandstand 2 bleacher seat (a covered area) and to subsidize half the cost of a Pine Street guest's ticket. The cost will be $45. Also included is a hot dog and hamburger dinner in the Parish Hall before the game. This event will be entirely alcohol-free and we are expecting that parishioner attendees will engage with and provide a nice social event for our Pine Street guests. There will also be a basket in the narthex if you cannot attend the game, but would like to make a donation toward the pre-game dinner. If you would more details please Mark Lippolt at mlippolt@hammondre.com. VOLUNTEER: Prison and After Ministry Potluck Team Mondays, June 8, July 13, August 10 I 6:00-8:00 p.m. Parish Hall If you can't get enough tacos, we have spots available for a taco-fiesta themed potluck for the Prison and After program on select Mondays. Setup runs 6:00-7:00 p.m., followed by dinner and fellowship from 7:00-8:00 p.m. The men we are serving are truly grateful and impacted by your presence. If you want to be a part of the fiesta fun and help form the cooking team, please RSVP to scyoungadults@gmail.com. REFRESH Meeting Tuesday, June 2 I 6:30-7:30 p.m. Parish Hall - Classroom 3 Please join us for a chance to share your faith with other parishioners in a small group setting. For more info please natasha.m.pierre@gmail.com. DONE TIME? Men who have been incarcerated are invited to join the Prison & After group which is designed to provide participants with a sense of welcome and support. The meetings are held on Monday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. We will begin with a group session followed by a simple meal. For information, please contact Peg Newman at sc.prisonandafter@gmail.com. JOIN US AT COMMUNITY SERVINGS On Saturday, June 13 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. we will be volunteering in the kitchens of Community Servings. We are looking for volunteers to assist in preparing and packaging nutritious meals for those who are homebound with lifethreatening illnesses throughout Eastern Massachusetts. No culinary skills are required, but volunteers need to be at least thirteen years of age. Please feel free to join us even if you cannot be there until a bit later than 10:00 a.m. Community Servings is conveniently located next to the Stony Brook T Station in Jamaica Plain. To volunteer or for more information, please contact Mark Lippolt at: mlippolt@hammondre.com. WANT TO GO FOR A WALK?! Gregg Ramsey, a Saint Cecilia parishioner and electric guitarist at our 6:00 p.m. Mass, provides dog sitting and dog walking services in the area. Anyone in need of these dog services can contact Gregg directly at FLOWERS If you would like to contribute flowers in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving to God, all you need to do is contact Scott MacDonald at smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org in advance of the weekend. Flowers can be donated for our sanctuary or for the gifts table at the rear of the church. 6

7 saint cecilia ministry groups join in the community! Saint Cecilia is an active community of parishioners, dedicated to the parish and one another. If you have been wondering what groups come together here at Saint Cecilia or if you have been wanting to connect with a new group, now is a great time! Below is a list of our different ministry groups that are alive and well, as well as contact information for each group. Feel free to enquire with a group leader or sign-up. Would you prefer helping out from time to time? If so, please contact Caroline Gélinas at cgelinas@stceciliaboston.org to join the One-Time Helpers list and be contacted as projects and events arise. Liturgy & Music Music Ministry Richard J. Clark rclark@stceciliaboston.org Lectors Letitia Howland sc.lectors@gmail.com Altar Servers Scott MacDonald smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Jenny Jones sc.extramin@gmail.com Liturgy of the Hours & Taizé Prayer Mark Brown sc.hoursandtaize@gmail.com Faith Formation RCIA Scott MacDonald smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org Faith Formation for Children & Teens Scott MacDonald smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org Men's Spirituality Chuck Senatore sc.mensspirituality@gmail.com Adult Faith Formation Scott MacDonald smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org Hospitality Greeters Christina Searby sc.greeters@gmail.com Fellowship Rainbow Ministry Charlie Petit stceciliarainbowministry@gmail.com Whole Body Prayer Lara Gómez wbprayer.sc@gmail.com Saint Cecilia Young Adults Carly Caminiti scyoungadults@gmail.com REFRESH Natasha Pierre sc.refresh@gmail.com Outreach Prison & After Ministry Peg Newman Patrick Donohue sc.prisonandafter@gmail.com Homelessness and Hunger Ministries Mark Lippolt sc.hhministries@gmail.com Nativity Prep Susan Donnelly sc.nativityprep@gmail.com Saint Cecilia CARES Jeanne Bruno jbruno@stceciliaboston.org Advent Giving Tree Ann Faldetta sc.adventtree@gmail.com Parish Gardeners/Environment Susan Donnelly sc.parishenv@gmail.com Parish Hospitality Pat Maguire patmaguire@gmail.com 7

8 Meet the Candidates for Parish Pastoral Council Lynne Callahan Finding my way to Saint Cecilia's by invitation from a friend, I have rarely missed a week at Saint Cecilia since then. At Saint Cecilia I found a community that lived the Gospel message in its outreach and community service. Here I have become involved in the After Prison ministry, along with the Greeter's ministry. Additionally I have tried to assist in an odd job capacity as needed, in order to serve my parish that has given me a spiritual home. It is my desire to continue service and commitment to Saint Cecilia Parish in a more formal way as a member of the parish council. I am a grade 5 elementary teacher. Additionally, I am involved in addiction and recovery education and support. I have been married for 25 years and have three children. My happy place is at a working class barn with my chestnut mare Daisy. Robert (Bob) Haas I am excited to see that Pope Francis has brought collegiality back into Catholic conversation. I ve been an advocate of collegiality all along, through the more than 40 years of my adult life that I ve lived in Boston. And now I want an opportunity at Saint Cecilia to live it out. To me, collegiality means leadership broadly spread, among generations, socioeconomic backgrounds, varying levels of education and different cultures, across the boundaries that can separate race, gender, and sexual orientation. To me, collegiality means leading as servants, growing as we learn from one another. On the Parish Council, I would work toward a community with a strong sense of belonging, one that clarifies our values as we increase our responsiveness to needs. I hope my experiences long ago as a leader at St. Clement s and more recently at St. Ann s, gave me wisdom I can now contribute to Saint Cecilia. Carly Caminiti Immediately after discovering the magic at Saint Cecilia in 2013, I became an active member and helped reignite the Saint Cecilia Young Adults group, shaping it to connect those aged through fellowship and service. We currently have 440 people on our young adult listserv; we had 257 when I started. We began by promoting one service activity and one social activity per month, but now thanks to a core planning committee, we usually have more than six opportunities. We have collaborated with other ministries of our parish, like the CARES Ministry, the Prison and After Ministry, and the Sant Egidio Community. I believe that young adults are a critical underserved population of the Catholic Church. I have seen the untapped passion and dedication that they have for this parish and for making our community better, and I hope to serve as their representative on the council. Melon Regis-Civetta I am running for re-election to the Parish Council as I believe it is a way to stay involved and be part of this wonderfully diverse and accepting Parish. As a member of the Jesuit Urban Center Transition Committee I am proud that we chose Saint Cecilia as our new home almost 8 years ago. I was active there and continue to be active here. I am a single mother of 5 and a Grandmother of 14 so my organizational skills are well developed. In addition to being a Eucharistic Minister and an Altar Server I am very active in the Rainbow Ministry. I firmly believe in equality for all and work diligently to show our Church the beautiful and committed spirituality of our LGBT brothers and sisters. I run the Advent and Lenten Speaker Series which while sponsored by the Rainbow Ministry are open to the entire Parish. I will continue to work hard to get more people involved in our Parish and to keep Saint Cecilia's the vibrant and loving community it has become. There is still a lot of work to be done and I sincerely ask for your vote. Thank you.

9 Meet the Candidates for Parish Pastoral Council Doug McNicol My name is Doug McNicol, I live in Dorchester, and I have been a parishioner as well as a member of the choir since the fall of I am a regular at the 9:30am mass, mostly because Fr. John s homilies are too long and I have stuff to do! All jokes aside, though, I have truly found a home here at Saint Cecilia. After singing in the Chapel hoir at aint ose h s niversity, I wante to fin a church that was warm and welcoming and a choir that challenged me musically. My church search came to a grinding halt on Belvidere Street. I knew that I wanted to remain here. My hope, as a member of the parish council, is to be proactive in meeting parishioners, promote the opportunities that Saint Cecilia has to offer, and be a model for young adults, especially young men, to become involve in the arish. I loo forward to joining the council! Thank you! Celeste DiJohnson Amy Paulin In 2010, I discovered the blessed sanctuary of Saint Cecilia. The dynamic community here truly lives out the word of the Gospels, whether through the gracious warmth extended to all who enter, engagement in church ministries, or the meaningful social justice work that impacts our community and beyond. Entering this church evokes indescribable gratitude and joy. In an effort to express my deep appreciation to this sacred community; I have joined several ministries including Greeters and Pastoral Care. It would be an honor to serve on the Parish Council to further nurture and expand the wide, impactful reach of Saint Cecilia. For 15 years, I worked as an educator in Boston and surrounding communities. Two years ago, I left teaching to pursue an MBA. I have maintained a close connection to the community through serving Saint Cecilia, as well as, volunteering for Catholic Charities on their Basic Needs Team. Hello! My name is Celeste and I have been a member of Saint Cecilia Parish for the past three years and during this time I have truly enjoyed being a part of such a dynamic and vibrant community. Perhaps we have had the pleasure to meet each other at the 11:15 mass where I serve as a Greeter. My interest in the Parish Pastoral Council is inspired by the biblical passage highlighting that stewardship is a way of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ by recognizing that each one of us has received special gifts from God. It is my belief that we shoul return our time, talent, an treasure accor ing to the s ecific gifts that we have received, thereby fostering spiritual and social outreach among individual parishioners and within the parish as a whole. Before closing, I would like to share with you a little about myself personally. Undeniably, the most important accomplishment of my life has been raising three wonderful children who are now young adults what joy they bring to me on a daily basis. Professionally, I work for a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a therapy for muscular dystrophy. My hobbies include traveling, reading, and taking care of my 1-year old puppy. I would be honored to serve on the Saint Cecilia Pastoral Council and, if elected, you have my sincere commitment to o my very best to facilitate, nurture, an contribute to a faith fille community. Elections will take place during the weekend Masses of May 30 & 31.

10 Archbishop Oscar Romero The postscript of a martyr By KATHLEEN HIRSCH Oscar Romero died because he told the truth. Oscar Romero lives because he told the truth. From out of his historic crisis he forged a universal truth, and left a postscript for us who follow to read for our own times. The details of his life are well known to most of us. Romero died as the archbishop of San Salvador in the midst of a civil war that pit a US-armed military oligarchy against disenfranchised peasants who sought the right to farm their own land. But he began as a good Catholic boy who wanted to do good by obeying the rules. The son of a poor carpenter, he entered seminary at the age of 13. Sent to Rome for theological studies, he was forced home with the rise of Italian fascism. During a layover in Cuba, he was imprisoned for a time on suspicions of espionage. Formative encounters with power, these, but Romero appears to have emerged unchanged in his basic character. In 1975, Romero became bishop of a small rural diocese. Within a year, five peasants were murdered by the local police. Romero kept his head down, performed baptisms, said Masses, and ran an AA group for the men whose lives had led them to drink. When, three years later, he was appointed archbishop of San Salvador, the country s left-leaning priests were disappointed; the oligarchs, thrilled. Romero, the obedient, may have stayed on the sidelines except that a month after his installation, a close priest friend, the Jesuit Rutilio Grande, was assassinated for forming self-reliance groups among the poor. This was Romero s moment. Grande s death changed the lens through which he saw his flock and the teachings of the gospels. From that day forward, Romero became a voice of justice, a powerful critic of the entrenched forces at work in El Salvador. Day after day, Romero used his pulpit to preach against the killing of innocent peasants and priests. Week after week, he went on the archdiocesan radio station and delivered what became his famous sermons : hour-and-a-half-long briefings on the war, the murders, torture, and disappearances, that the official media wouldn t dare report. He used his weekly newspaper to rail against violence, lies, and disinformation. Romero s miracle is that in a time of unfathomable darkness, he bore the light of truth. He spoke out, and named names. He pointed fingers and had no hesitation in making the powerful uncomfortable. He wrote to American congressmen and to President Jimmy Carter. He articulated the reality that his people were suffering, and offered a context for understanding how, in the midst of unthinkable horror, they could find a shaft of hope. Romero never spiritualized his understanding of salvation. He argued that economic reforms were urgent but insufficient. Distributive justice was not enough. Instead, he preached, genuine well-being would involve true democracy and equality, inclusive decision-making, the values of Christian community, and peace. In his diary, Romero wrote: The human progress that Christ wants to promote Is that of whole persons In their transcendent dimension And their historical dimension In their spiritual dimension And their bodily dimension. In social relationships All practices that disagree with the gospel must be removed if we are to save people, he wrote. We must save not the soul at the hour of death but the person living in history. Romero believed that God s word could not be separated from the historical reality in which it is proclaimed. It is God s word because it enlightens, contrasts, repudiates, praises what is going on today in this society. Here and now matter. Anguish and agony are not to be surrendered to, but engaged with humble, determined work creating more just and peaceful conditions. 10

11 Toward the end, he was regularly calling on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to refuse orders to carry out acts of aggression against their brothers and sisters. A staggering 73% of the country s rural population and 47% of its urban residents sat rapt, week after week, listening. * * * * * These are not the works of an ecstatic or a magician. They are the strategies of a man who understood clearly the conditions in which he stood, and the specific ways in which the gospel spoke to them. In speaking of both, he became the voice above the din that the world far beyond El Salvador heard. As this messenger and witness, he was killed saying Mass on March 24, He was called a madman, accused of subversion and communist leanings, of being an agitator. One day Romero told his followers, I am a man, frail and limited, and I do not know what is happening, but I do know that God knows. Romero did not ask for the role of hero. But once he set himself on the path of justice, he didn t flinch. This is how I want to read his postscript. Even as we venerate him today as our newest saint, Oscar Romero will always be, for me, first and foremost, a martyr. Sainthood runs the danger of putting him out of reach. In a world too inclined to sanitize our heroes, I don t want to forget the forces of darkness against which he struggled. I want to keep my encounter with him honest. For, in the end, Romero s postscript is a question: To what truth am I giving my life? I do not become a saint or a martyr by aiming for the Nobel Prize of holiness. I do it, if at all, step by small step, one foot after the other, one radio broadcast a day, confronting what is unjust here, in my time; gathering the facts, wondering whether, tonight, the office will be firebombed, the professional lunatic dispatched to assassinate me, the carping critic to cut me down for personal gain. Romero joins other 20th century martyrs, Martin Luther King, Jr., Etty Hillesum, Simone Weil, Steve Biko, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, to name just a few of many. To a person, these individuals reveal a way that isn t bright and tidy and spiritualized and filled with ecstasy. Quite the opposite. It is a way into darkness. It is the discovery that to participate in the life of Christ is not a position of privilege, is not to be related to the highest, most powerful, and best Being imaginable but, as Bonhoeffer wrote from a German prison, is to engage with the powerlessness of God in the world. The powerlessness of God in the world. This is a difficult concept. No good man by our side business, but rather, to suffer the existential state of being stripped naked of consolation, as alone as Jesus felt in his final moments on the cross. Unarmed, a humble, simple man speaking truth from an altar, Romero the martyr followed the crucified one into the depths of transforming consciousness. Nikos Kazantzakis has written of such junctures, It is not God who will save us it is we who will save God, by battling, by creating, and by transmuting matter into spirit. Or as Paul wrote, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. This is the Christ Romero confronted as events ground to their inevitable conclusion. He foresaw his own death. Days earlier he wrote in his diary: I place under his [Jesus s] loving providence all my life, and I accept with faith in him my death, however hard it be. For me to be happy and confident, it is sufficient to know with assurance that in him is my life and my death, that in spite of my sins I have placed my trust in him and shall not be disappointed, and others will carry on with greater wisdom and holiness the works of the Church and the nation. His death became a fulcrum point on El Salvador s long path to redemption, the truth embodied in his martyrdom, his challenging postscript. What truth am I giving my life to? Romero teaches that the light triumphs, but only if I don t stand on the sidelines, obeying the rules, trying to be good. My prayer today is that Romero will continue to be a live force in history, not a gilded icon. I pray that his writings and thought become more available, in classrooms and retreats not the beautiful, oft-quoted piece erroneously attributed to him, but his own humble words, his witness, and his life. I pray that his postscript not fade in the clouds of his glory. Kathleen Hirsch is an adjunct professor at Boston College, spiritual director at Bethany House of Prayer in Arlington, Massachusetts, and a retreat leader. She has written three books and edited a fourth, and has written for The Boston Globe, New York Times, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor, among other publications. 11

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13 Parish RESOURCES Parish Office & Mailing Address 18 Belvidere Street, Boston, MA Hours Monday Friday, 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Phone Fax Website Parish Staff Rev. John J. Unni, Pastor Mark Donohoe, Pastoral Associate for Administration, Scott J. MacDonald, Director of Faith Formation and Leadership Development, Jeanne Bruno, Coordinator of Pastoral Outreach, Richard J. Clark, Director of Music and Organist, Caroline Gélinas, Executive Assistant, Maureen Sullivan, Special Projects Manager, Assisting Clergy Rev. Arthus M. Calter Rev. Mr. Ryan Duns, SJ Rev. Thomas Gariepy, CSC Rev. Peter Grover, OMV Rev. James Shaughnessy, SJ Rev. Michael Simone, SJ Rev. George Winchester, SJ Schedule for Liturgy Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday 8:00 a.m. Lord s Day Sat 5:00 p.m.; Sun 8:00, 9:30, 11:15 a.m. Holy Days 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Reconciliation Available at St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine ( x221), St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center ( ), and St. Anthony Shrine ( ). Please call for scheduled times. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the communal process through which non-baptized men and women become members of the Catholic Church. It is also suitable for those baptized in different faith traditions who are interested in becoming Catholic, or, for those who were baptized Catholic, but have yet to receive the sacraments of eucharist and confirmation. For more information, please contact Scott MacDonald. Baptism for Infants Infant baptism is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month. For more information, please contact Mark Donohoe. Faith Formation for Children To register your child for our Faith Formation Program, please contact Scott MacDonald. Marriage Couples who wish to prepare for marriage should contact Mark Donohoe in the parish office at least six months in advance. Care of the Sick To arrange for the Sacrament of the Sick, for Holy Communion to be brought to those unable to attend the Sunday celebration, or for Viaticum for the Dying (Holy Communion for those in danger of death), please contact the parish office. It is always possible to anoint the sick during regularly scheduled liturgies. Order of Christian Funerals The parish is prepared to celebrate the Vigil (wake) in the church. Please contact the parish office for more information. Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Team The CAP Team is responsible for training all parish staff and volunteers in mandated reporting laws and the Protecting God s Children program (VIRTUS). They also provide consultation and support to anyone in the parish who has concerns about reporting child abuse and neglect. Please contact Lois Flaherty (loisflaherty@gmail.com), Maria Roche (maria.roche15@gmail.com) or Letitia Howland (l_howland@hotmail. com) if you have any questions or concerns. The Archdiocese of Boston has in place a vigorous program to protect children from harm and to educate its ministers and faithful about the nature of abuse, with a goal of increasing knowledge, creating a safe environment for children, and recognizing and reporting potentially dangerous situations. The full text of the policy is also available in the narthex and parish office, as well as on our website. For Those with Celiac Disease If you have celiac disease, please let us know. We have a supply of low-gluten altar bread available for those who cannot tolerate gluten. Hearing Assistance in Church The church is equipped with an FM listening device. Small receivers are available for anyone who may have trouble hearing the sound system. Simply request a receiver from any one of our greeters before Mass. Access for the Disabled The church is accessible by elevator. Sunday Parking Reduced-rate parking is available on Sundays at the Prudential Center parking garage and at the Hilton Boston Back Bay. Be sure to have a greeter validate your parking ticket before returning to your car. Saint Cecilia Rainbow Ministry Saint Cecilia Rainbow Ministry is a GLBTQ community at Saint Cecilia. For more information, contact stceciliarainbowministry@gmail.com. Joining Our Community We re happy that you re with us! Our community offers a warm, spiritual home for a diverse group of Catholics. We come from many neighborhoods in and around Boston but also have parishioners from as far afield as Marlborough, Newburyport, and Stow. Please introduce yourself to a staff member, drop in for coffee on Sunday, or fill out a new parishioner form in the gathering space. 13