Saint CeciliaP A R I S H

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time15 July 2018

Landscape Between StormsPierre-Auguste Renoir, 1874-1875

2

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

Ministers of the Liturgy

Saturday, July 14 | 5:00 p.m.Rev. Peter Grover, OMV, celebrantChris Orrell, lector

Sunday, July 15 | 8:00 a.m.Rev. Peter Gyves, SJ, celebrantJames Paradis, lector

Sunday, July 15 | 9:30 a.m.Rev. John Unni, celebrantEden Kelly, Rosaria Salerno,and Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, lectors

Sunday, July 15 | 11:15 a.m.Rev. John Unni, celebrantChristina Gebel, Ben DeWinter, andJohn Thompson, lectors

today’s readings

Amos 7:12-15

Ephesians 1:3-14

Mark 6:7-13

next sunday’s readings

Jeremiah 21:1-6

Ephesians 2:13-18

Mark 6:30-34

our community news

Special intentions

Sunday, July 15 | 9:30 a.m.Teresa McGarvey, Special Intention

Sunday, July 15 | 11:15 a.m.John Nichols, Memorial

Sunday, July 15 | 11:15 a.m.Barry Goughan, Memorial

3

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

Our DeceasedBarry Goughan died on July 10. Pray for the eternal reposeof Barry, as well as for the consolation of his wife Lois and their family and friends. Barry's Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, July 14 at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Cecilia. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Our SickGerard Franchi, Andrew Banacos, Josephine Mason, Margaret Boland, and Stephanie Brown.

Weddings at Saint CeciliaCongratulations to Carlie O'Connor and Daniel Pardini who were married here yesterday, July 14. May God bless the happy couple as they start this next phase of life together.

Welcome to Saint Cecilia ParishWe are pleased to welcome the following new members of our parish who have recently registered: Rich Sciretta of Boston, Stacy Fortunato and Robert Gray of Boston, and Kelsey Morgan of Gardner. If you have not previously registered with the parish, there are forms in the narthex for this purpose or you can register online at www.stceci-liaboston.org.

Happy Anniversary!Today we celebrate the baptismal anniversary of Rosaria Salerno who was baptized on July 18. May the Lord con-tinue to bless Rosaria with the grace to liveout her baptis-mal call. Happy Feast Day, Rosaria!

Welcome, Sister GliceriaIn accordance with the Archdiocesan Missionary Coop-erative Plan, we are pleased to welcome Sr. Gliceria Cruz of the Mary Queen of Heaven Missionaries at all of this week's liturgies. There will be a second collection to help rescue women and children who are victims of prostitu-tion and to support the good work of the Sisters.

Vespers This WeekMonday, July 16, in commemoration of the memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we will celebrate Vespers at 6:30. All are welcome.

Godspeed, Sr. Esther and Sr. LaurieOn June 20, Saint Cecilia Hunger and Homelessness Min-istry volunteers joined Catholic Charities President Debby Rambo (far left) at the Yawkey Center in Dorchester to say thank you and goodbye to Sister Esther and Sister Laurie, both Franciscan Sisters of Atonement. In addition to run-ning the daycare center at Yawkey for the past three years, they have greeted parish volunteers on early Sunday morn-ings when we dropped off donations for the food pantry.

Introducing our Parish

Historians

Parishioners Roy Frost and Maureen Corcoran are diving deep into the history of our parish. Thanks to our welcome letter at the beginning of every bulletin, we all know a bit about when the church was erected, its architecture, and the renovations it's undergone since. But Roy intends to learn even more about Saint Cecilia’s history, land purchase, permits, interior features, pastors, parishioners, etc. Mau-reen, who has a background in music herself, will focus on the musical history of the parish, so we might get a sense of the joyful sounds that have filled our sanctuary over the last 125 years. Already this journey has taken Roy and Mau-reen to the Boston Public Library, City Hall, Suffolk Registry of Deeds, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston Historical Society, and the Archdiocese of Boston, where they discov-ered key resources illuminating the rich historical past of our beautiful Saint Cecilia. Maureen and Roy appreciate any old photos, articles, or suggestions regarding Saint Cecilia history. They can be reached at Roy.Frost@icloud.com. Stay tuned as we plan to report some of their findings in the bul-letin later this summer!

Prayers & Occasions

4

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

Shakespeare on the Common and

Parish PotLuck Picnic

Shakespeare on the Common has become a Saint Cecilia tradition. If you have never joined us for this fun evening under the stars, you should consider doing so this year. The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is presenting Rich-ard III, a story of jealousy, manipulation, and deceit, depict-ing the villainous plan, rise to power, and subsequent short reign of the deformed and Machiavellian King Richard III. We are going on Tuesday, July 24. The play begins at 8:00 p.m. on the Boston Common near the Parkman Bandstand. As we've done in the past, we will be reserving space (thank you, Jenny Jones!) and will have a potluck picnic before-hand at 6:30. For more information, please contact Jenny Jones at jennyinjp@gmail.com or 617-283-7927. The play is free, though donations to the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company are appreciated and can be made via www.com-mshakes.org.

WOMEN'S LUNCH PLACE

Please keep in mind the Women's Lunch Place's need for donations of travel-size toiletries, particularly if your busi-ness travel includes hotel stays. Individual size shampoo, conditioner, and soap are always needed. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, and deodorant (none of which can typically be found in a hotel room!) are also always in demand. Do-nated toiletries need to be unused, of course, and there is a plastic bin in the narthex for donations.

Saint Cecilia

Summer Hashtag!

This summer we want a piece of your summer fun! Tag any of your summertime adventures with #StCSummer on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and we'll pull a few to feature each week on the emailed Bulletin Blast!

Wisdom and Mature

Spirituality Group

Life involves tragedy and suffering. What does that mean to you? How does faith help (or not help) you deal with the contradictions of life? These are a few of the questions that we will discuss at our meeting today from 10:00 to 11:00.

These questions stem from Chapter Four of the book, Fall-ing Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, by Rich-ard Rohr, OFM, which we are currently reading. Please read Chapter Four and think about a comment or question for our July 15 meeting. At future meetings we will continue to discuss one chapter of this book each month.

Our Wisdom Group is a community of adults who meet once a month, journeying in the second half of life and looking to build a deeper relationship with our Christian faith through fellowship, trust, sharing and prayer. We invite other like-minded individuals who would like to dig deeper into the practices of prayer and reflection. Confidentiality within the group is based on mutual trust and respect. We meet out-side the conference room in the parish hall.

Clothing Needed

The men at Bridgewater State Hospital no longer have to wear prison issued clothing! However, many men don't have families of friends who can bring them alternative clothing. Men returning to the community from prisons and jails also need clothes desperately. Can you help? For the next 2 weeks, we will have a bin in the narthex to collect any gently used items. All donations will either be distributed by the state hospital, or the clothing rooms of the halfway houses in our neighborhood.

DRIVERS NEEDED

Each month parishioners have the opportunity to pick up donated meat, dairy products, and produce from four local supermarkets and deliver it to either Catholic Charities' Hai-tian Multi-Service Center in Dorchester or the Pine Street Inn in the South End. This vital ministry takes place at 7:30 a. m. every Saturday and Sunday morning and on Sundays can be completed in time to attend the 9:30 parish Mass. We need drivers for all the Saturdays and Sundays in July and August.

5

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

Join the Saint Cecilia Team

Some of the staff are planning to run/walk the Boston 10K for Women on October 8, this year. We would love to build a Saint Cecilia Team! If you'd like to join, please email lben-nett@stceciliaboston.org. For more information about the race, you can visit https://boston10kforwomen.com/.

Interested in El Camino

De Santiago?

Join the Boston Chapter of American Pilgrims on the Cami-no to celebrate the feast day of Saint James the Apostle. We will be meeting on July 25 at 6:00 p.m. here at Saint Cecilia in the Parish Hall. This will be a casual gathering of veter-ans and aspiring pilgrims to share some tips & tapas. Please bring something to contribute to our potluck meal. This is a a BYOB gathering. RSVP to boston@americanpilgrims.org.

Leah Goes Back to Kenya

Our Communications and Operations Coordinator, Leah Bennett will be heading back to Kakamega, Kenya for Friends of Kakamega's three week summer trip. As you may remember, Leah is an active member of the board of direc-tors of Friends of Kakamega a small nonprofit in Maine that supports the education and wellbeing of orphans and vul-nerable young people in Kenya as they become confident and caring members of their communities. During this time Leah and a group of other New Englanders ages 18–73, will live at the Care Centre, home to 48 children and 11 staff. While there the group will organize a series of short sum-mer camps with their Kenyan partners for about 250 stu-dents in the programs. The students will play games, travel to town for a new book and an ice cream, go swimming and write letters to their sponsors in America. This will be Leah's eighth (YEEK!) trip, and she looks forward to this as a time to catch up with staff and friends, and be with kids whom she has watched grow up.

While she is gone, the weekly bulletin will take a slightly different format. If you have submissions for early August, please send them in this week to lbennett@stceciliaboston.org. Leah will return to work on August 20, and any sub-missions before then can be sent to Scott at smacdonald@stceciliaboston.org. Bon Voyage Leah!

VOLUNTEERING AT

THE PINE STREET INN

Our parish has committed to volunteering at the Pine Street Men's Inn one night a month throughout 2018. Our next op-portunity will be on Sunday, August 12, starting at 4:45 p.m. There are 6 slots open for volunteer parishioners to assist in feeding the guests at Pine Street Men's Inn. If you would like to join us from 4:45 to 6:30 p. m. on Harri-son Avenue in the South End, please contact Mark Lippolt at mark.lippolt@gmail.com for more information! Some park-ing is available at the shelter. Please let us know if you can help with carpooling, too.

Lighting the Way Campaign

THANK YOU!

(And it's not too late!)

We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our goal of $6.1 million! While we're so happy that we've reached that amount, we feel that just as important as the dollar figure is the rate of participation.

Reaching beyond our goal can make the transformational initiatives and social justice programming we are dreaming about become a reality. The future of Saint Cecilia belongs to all of us, so if you would still like to contribute to it, we welcome any gift large or small.

If you are ready to make your decision known, special pledge forms and envelopes are available in the narthex for your use. Please complete the information on this form and drop it in the offertory basket, bring it to the office, or mail it to us.

To those of you who have made your commitment already, thank you for your dedication and support of Saint Cecilia. To those of you who are still discerning, you are welcome to join the effort!

6

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

To find out more about this ministry, visit https://bit.ly/2JLWWYa.

Furniture DriveThursday, August 9 – Friday, August 10 Must arrange pickup

After a successful winter furniture drive for the Mass Co-alition for the Homeless (http://mahomeless.org/) we have decided to partner with them again in August. Please see the flyer on page 9 for information on accepted furniture and how to set up pick-up from your home. Thank you in ad-vance for helping families turn their new places into homes.

Social and Racial Justice Ministry

Looking for work?

Regina Cleri, a residence for retired priests of the Archdio-cese of Boston, is seeking a full-time office coordinator. Under the direction of the executive director, the office co-ordinator will be responsible for providing administrative support to ensure efficient operation of the office; support-ing managers and employees through a variety of tasks re-lated to organization and communication; and maintaining confidential and time-sensitive material. This position also requires familiarity with a variety of up-to-date concepts, best practices and procedures, and the ability to effectively communicate via phone and email, ensuring that all duties are completed accurately and are delivered with high qual-ity and in a timely manner. This position may direct and lead the work of others and will depend upon experience and good judgment in order to prioritize and accomplish goals. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. To sub-mit a résumé, please contact Stephen J. Gust, executive di-rector, at sgust@reginacleri.org.

A Request from

Catholic Charities

For nearly 100 years, Sunset Point Camp has provided a dream vacation at the seashore to over 40,000 low-income, at-risk children aged 6-13 from Greater Boston without re-gard for their race, nationality, or religious affiliation. Nearly 450 city-based boys and girls travel to Hull, Massachusetts each summer for a one or two week overnight camp expe-rience letting them enjoy the fresh air, learn new talents, receive academic summer support and simply have fun.

Sunset Point Camp is operated by our friends at Catholic Charities. 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 Walgreens or your local super-market, please consider picking up 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 and the staff prefers the spray-on version of sunscreen. The Camp also needs kids' flipflops for boys and girls age 6 to 12.

Serving the Spiritual

Needs of Grieving

Parents

A Catholic ministry for parents whose chil-dren of any age have died by any cause, no

matter how long ago

Losing a child under any circumstance is hor-rific. Focusing on the spirituality of the griev-

ing process can help tremendously. Please join us. All are welcome.

Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents At St. Anthony Shrine, Boston, MA One-Day

Spiritual Retreat August 4, 2018

For more information on this and other retreat times and locations, call (617) 542-

8057 Or visit www.emfgp.org

7

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

ADULT FAITH FORMATION EVENTS CALENDAR

The Craft of Teaching Theology: A Pedagogical Toolkit for the High School TeacherJune 25 – June 28 | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Instructor: Cynthia Cameron

ONLINE COURSES

For further details and to register for an online course at Boston College, please check their website: www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/sites/crossroads.html

Church: A Spirit-led Community of Hope Content Scholars: Dr. Richard Lennan.July 25 – August 14, 2018 | 3-Week Online Course Registration Required | $25.00

Forming A Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult Faith Formation TodayJuly 25 – August 30, 2018 | 5-Week Online Course Registration Required | $50.00

Teaching Religion to Adolescents: Creative Strategies and Best Practices July 25 – August 30, 2018 | 5-Week Online Course Registration Required | $50.00

Featuring videos with master religious educators Jared Dees, Max Engle, Thomas Groome, Patrick Manning, Theresa O'Keefe, Susan Reynolds

Teaching Religion to Children: Creative Strategies and Best Practices July 25 – August 30, 2018 | 5-Week Online Course | Registration Required | $50.00

Featuring video with Dr. Thomas H. Groome and master teachers; articles by Jane E. Ayer and Melinda Brown Donovan.

Online Book Club: Hillbilly Elegy July 25 – August 30, 2018 | 5-Week Online Course Registration Required | $50.00 | This course has a required text: J.D. Vance. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.

PAULIST CENTER – BOSTON

For further details on this event, please check their website:http://www.paulistcenter.org/upcoming-events/

Discussion of We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the YouTube video “This Is America” by Childish Gambino. Tuesday, July 24, 2018 | 7:00 p.m.

These are important vehicles for examining racism from an African American perspective.

SUMMER AT BC SCHOOL OF

THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY

For further details or to register for these events, please check the School of Theology and Ministry website: www.bc.edu/schools/stm/edevnts/events/2018.html

10TH ANNUAL MARY OF MAGDALA CELEBRATION

Images of the Magdalene: A Natural HistoryFriday, July 20 | 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. | St. Ignatius Church and Corcoran Commons, Heights Room, Chestnut Hill Campus Registration Required |Free of charge, includes lunch

Presenter: Francine Cardman

SPECIAL ONE-WEEK COURSES

The following courses are offered by Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry as part of their Summer Session, and further details regarding costs and registration may be found online at www.bc.edu/schools/stm/acadprog/summer/summercourses.html

Ministering with the LGBTQ CommunityJuly 16 – July 19 | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Instructor: Arthur D. Canales

Wise and Holy Women and a Few Good MenJuly 23 – July 26, 2018 | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Instructor: Mickey McGrath, OSFS

8

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

There is an episode of 30 Rock in which Tracy Morgan’s character says he is converting to Catholicism. He thinks he has found a loophole for continuing his wild lifestyle: confession. It is that old chestnut that a Catholic can keep sinning and confessing and sinning again, totally carefree. But Alec Baldwin’s character, Jack Donaghy, throws cold water on the idea:

"That’s not how it works, Tracy. Even though there is the whole confession thing, that’s no free pass because there is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you’re simply eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."

I am not sure where the idea of the neurotically guilty Catholic comes from. To outsiders, it might seem like we have a morbid fixation on sin or that Catholicism has not fully shed its medieval reputation—with its history of hair shirts and self-flagellation. In 30 Rock, the Irish-Catholic Jack mimes flogging himself as he warns Tracy off the faith.

But for some believers, Catholic guilt is not a joke. Taken to the extreme, it can become an obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as scrupulosity. A number of famous Catholics have written about or struggled with scrupulosity, including St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Alphonsus Liguori and the soon-to-be-sainted Archbishop Óscar Romero. Today, helping people who struggle with scrupulosity has become a mission of the Redemptorist Order, which maintains a website and monthly newsletter called Scrupulous Anonymous.

A person with scrupulosity might fixate on having done something to offend God. She might think that the prayer she just said was not heartfelt enough or was said incorrectly. She might have unwanted blasphemous thoughts and worry that those thoughts are a mortal sin or indicate spiritual depravity. Even if she is pretty sure that she did not do anything wrong, the needling doubt wears away at her. St. Ignatius called it “making it make out sin where there is not sin” in his Spiritual Exercises.

To alleviate their anxiety, people prone to scrupulosity

might try to repeat prayers or perform acts of penance. But their efforts often become chores without any of the spiritual meaning and in the end, only increase their distress. Eventually, their anxiety can even estrange them from their church.

Scrupulous Anonymous features letters sent by men and women worried about the state of their souls. Missing Mass while traveling is a recurring concern. One person writes: “Summer travel makes me anxious. What if we’re far from a church on Sunday or travel reservations conflict with the Mass schedule? Every summer I find myself worrying about mortal sin instead of enjoying the time with my family.”

Another common question is what to do when someone receives Communion, and you think they might not be eligible for it. “We have a family wedding coming up,”one person writes. “Many extended members of my family no longer go to church. If they try to receive Communion at the nuptial Mass, what is my responsibility? To avoid unpleasantness at the wedding, should I make a general announcement, perhaps at the rehearsal dinner, reminding everyone about the rules?”

Another asks if it is a mortal sin to accidentally hit an animal while driving. “I read that serious cruelty to animals is a mortal sin. When I see things on the road that could be small rodents, snakes, or turtles, I try to avoid them, but sometimes it’s impossible. Is that cruel, and therefore a mortal sin?”

One particularly poignant letter comes from an older person, who says “I’m seventy years old. Lately I’m plagued by memories of serious sins, even some from my childhood. I can’t remember whether I confessed them or whether I tried to minimize their seriousness in my description to the priest. I’m trying to trust in God and leave the past behind. What should I do?”

The Patron Saint of ConfessorsA common symptom of O.C.D. is confessing your bad thoughts to others for reassurance. Psychologists who treat people with O.C.D. help patients learn to stop confessing their worries because they only lead to more anxiety. But for

WHEN “CATHOLIC GUILT” GETS IN THE WAY OF CATHOLIC FAITH

By RACHEL EHMKE

9

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

scrupulous Catholics, for whom confessing is a sacrament as well as an impulse, avoiding confession altogether can seem like a nonstarter—especially if you are already anxious about sinning.

For people with scrupulosity, going to confession can create a perfect storm. For example, a man might confess a blasphemous thought to his priest but be dissatisfied with the reassurance he gets in response. So he might ask his priest about the same issue again and again, or he might try asking another priest for a second opinion. The spiritual meaning of the sacrament is lost, and the person is being driven by his anxiety, not his faith.

St. Alphonsus Liguori, the patron saint of confessors and founder of the Redemptorist Order, who struggled with scrupulosity himself, gave this advice:

For the consolation of timid and scrupulous souls, I will here state that, according to the common opinion of theologians, when a soul that fears God and hates sin is in doubt whether she gave consent to a bad thought, she is not bound, as long as she is not certain of having given consent, to confess it: for it is then morally certain that she has not consented to it. Had she really fallen into grievous sin she would have no doubt about it.

St. Liguori also emphasized the importance of trusting one’s confessor. Even if the confessor is wrong, trusting what he says is following the direction of God.

His intimate understanding of scrupulosity is perhaps why he is so identified with compassionate confessors and why the order he founded continues ministering to those with this affliction to this day. Father Thomas Santa, a Redemptorist priest and the director of Scrupulous Anonymous, also leads workshops on scrupulosity for pastoral ministers and professional therapists.

In a recent blog post, Father Santa wrote: “At any given moment, we are attacked by the idea that we are not what we are supposed to be, nor what we hoped to be, not to mention what we professed or believed ourselves to be.” He was writing about scrupulosity, but you do not need to have O.C.D. to have these thoughts. In fact, they sound a lot like Catholic guilt—but it is bigger than that, too. These qualms are part of the human condition.

If the guilt has not reached a clinical level—if it is simply the sign of an active conscience—it might not be such a bad thing. Maybe it will make us take more care in our interactions with others or have more sympathy when we see people struggling. But if we find ourselves worrying too much—if misplaced guilt sucks the joy out of life’s simple pleasures, even eating tacos in the park—that is a different matter. But that, too, is very human, and there is help.

~ Rachel Ehmke is a freelance writer based in New York.

10

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

Parish Office & Mailing Address18 Belvidere Street, Boston, MA 02115Hours | Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.Phone | 617 536 4548Fax | 617 536 1781E-mail | info@stceciliaparish.orgWebsite | www.stceciliaboston.org

Parish StaffRev. John J. Unni, PastorMary Kaye, Pastoral Director of Operations,mkaye@stceciliaboston.orgMark Donohoe, Pastoral Associate for Administration,mdonohoe@stceciliaboston.orgScott J. MacDonald, Director of Faith Formation and Parish Visibility, smacdonald@stceciliaboston.orgJeanne Bruno, Chaplain, Pastoral Associate, Coordinator of Pastoral Outreach,jbruno@stceciliaboston.orgRichard J. Clark, Director of Music and Organist, rclark@stceciliaboston.orgLisa Pickering, Events and Facilities Manager, lpickering@stceciliaboston.orgLeah Bennett, Administrative Coordinator,lbennett@stceciliaboston.org

Assisting ClergyRev. Erick Berrelleza, SJRev. Peter Grover, OMVRev. Peter Gyves, SJRev. James Shaughnessy, SJ

Schedule for LiturgyWednesday, Thursday, & Friday | 8:00 a.m.Lord’s Day | Sat 5:00 p.m.; Sun 8:00, 9:30, and 11:15 a.m.Holy Days | 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

ReconciliationThe sacrament of reconciliation is available by appointment. Please call the Parish Office.

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.

Baptism for InfantsInfant baptism is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month. For more information, please contact Mark Donohoe in the Parish Office.

Faith Formation for ChildrenTo register your child for our Faith Formation Program, please contact Scott MacDonald in the Parish Office.

MarriageCouples who wish to prepare for marriage should contact Mark Donohoe in the Parish Office at least six months in advance.

Care of the SickTo 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 FuneralsThe parish is prepared to celebrate the Vigil (wake) in the church. Please contact the Parish Office for more information.

Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) TeamThe 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), Letitia Howland (l_howland@hotmail.com), or Erin Young (erin.t.young@gmail.com) if you have any ques-tions 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 DiseaseIf 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 ChurchThe 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 DisabledBoth the church and Parish Pastoral Center are accessible by elevator.

ParkingThere is reduced rate parking for $11.00 at the Hynes Auditorium Garage located on Dalton Street on Sundays until 3:00 p.m. and every evening after 4:00 p.m. Please be sure to ask one of our greeters for a parking validation ticket before leaving the church. There is also reduced rate parking on Sundays only at the Prudential Center South Garage (enter at Huntington Avenue or Dalton Street); up to 4 hours: $14.00, up to 5 hours: $20.00.

Joining Our CommunityWe’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 narthex.. No matter what your background, please know that you are always welcome at Saint Cecilia.

Parish RESOURCES