Service to Welcome Home the Relic of the Holy Cross

Went this evening to the service of  thanksgiving welcoming the Relic Home.

The service was beautifully done in the Chapel.     Our Relic was processed in behind a processional Crucifix while we sang Lift High the Cross.  Readings, prayers, incense, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Veneration.  

For 200 years Boston Catholics have been venerating our Relic of Christ's Holy Cross here - including my family  for one hundred of those years.    My great grandparents (maternal) came from Ireland with their young family in tow and settled about a half mile from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.    My dad's family also lived within a few blocks of the Cathedral, was a graduate of Cathedral High School and attended many services there with his classmates.  Venerating the Cross tonight was very moving for those in attendance.

(I could have done without Terry Donilon  parading in the paparazzi sucking up the glory in front of the camera.)  

Kelly has a nice post up here.

Today's News on the Jihad Mosque

Just when you think this big old world can't get any crazier, it appears that in a sanity contest between Barack Obama and NY Gov. David Paterson, Paterson is the saner of the two of them.

You heard me right. When it comes to honesty and sanity, Obama lags behind Paterson.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), who faces a tough re-election race this fall, issued a statement in which he declared support for moving the mosque to an alternate location.

Republicans -- particularly those looking at running for president in 2012 -- have hammered away at Obama and Democrats for insensitivity and ignoring the wishes of families of some of those killed in the attacks.

Last week, Paterson offered state assistance if the mosque's developers would agree to move the project farther from the site -- an idea they rejected. Paterson said that, while he had "no objection" to the project as planned, he was "very sensitive to the desire of those who are adamant against it to see something else worked out."

"I think it's rather clear that building a center there meets all the requirements, but it does seem to ignite an immense amount of anxiety among the citizens of New York and people everywhere, and I think not without cause," Paterson said at an Aug. 10 news conference in Manhattan, according to published reports. He noted that "we really are still suffering in many respects" from the Sept. 11 attacks.

Whooda thunkit?

In some ways, we are sure to get a lot of mileage out of this Obama blunder if they don't shuffle the "religion" (that grant's license to decapitate women and burns children alive on the whims of men) ten miles down the street and cleans up the doo doo before the November elections .

Pelosi added fuel to the fire by throwing her weight behind the jihad memorial a 'zoning issue'.

How long do you think society would let Catholics mutilate the genitalia of women and stone them to death and keep quiet about it?   Put up with a President who keeps quiet about it and calls out for tolerance and religious freedom?

You know, the principles this country was founded on.

This is a zoning issue folks.  A zoning issue.

A religion of peace.

As Cardinal O'Malley said, the issue is about " important symbols of how much we value religious freedom".

This is the same guy, mind you, who didn't bother reporting the True Relic of the Holy Cross was stolen for two weeks and didn't bother going up to retrieve It for more than a week after the police called them to say they recovered it.

The duplicity is staggering.

Even Barbara Boxer's camp had the sense to  distance themselves from Obama's intellectual dishonesty.

"We all support religious freedom -- I don't think that's what its about. I think it's now about the sensitivities of people who lost loved ones and honestly I think we ought to leave it up to the community of New York to work this through," Fiorina says in the blog.

 Who will have the decency to say that the Muslim religion is one where too many promote violence to Muslim women and children and jihad upon America.

In a country where we do not tolerate clerics who sweep rapes of children under the rug in the name of religion, we should have zero tolerance for clerics and Presidents who pretend the violence in the Muslim religion doesn't exist.

We need to raise a biggest stinerkoo this side of Boston Tea party if they think they're going to put a Muslim memorial over the graves of those who lost their lives on September 11th.

Relic of the Holy Cross Recovered - (Richard Duncan, Thank You)

Earlier today, it was reported that our Relic has been recovered!

Thank you Jesus, Mary, Joseph, St. Helena and all the Saints who were petitioned in prayer (and the petitioners!) Many thanks to Kelly Thatcher who alerted Boston Catholics to the theft and got the story and embarrassed the Archdiocese into releasing a statement about It a couple of weeks after the theft.

In reading the police report, it should not go unnoticed that we also owe some prayers for a man named Richard Duncan. According to the police report, he was profoundly troubled that his partner was in possession of our Holy Relic and dialed 911 against his partner's wishes. Not an easy thing to do. His partner, Mr. Rust, sounded like he wanted to do the right thing and had been taking some steps in that direction when Mr. Duncan dialed the police.

Richard, if you come across this, thank you just doesn't say enough about how grateful we are to you for making that phone call and getting the Relic back to us. No words could express how much it means to Boston Catholics to have Our Piece of the Cross on which Our Savior was Crucified. Each time we see Our precious Cross, be assured of our prayers, especially on Good Fridays when we Venerate the Wood of the Cross (perhaps you can slip into the large crowd and be with us next Good Friday--we would love to see you there and I think you would understand much more about how much love and prayer and devotion you have allowed us to offer once again to God).

We were to gather on Wednesday, the Feast of St. Helena, to pray for the Relic's return and now we will be gathering to embrace Its return. Be assured of our prayers on Wednesday also.

Duncan advised Troopers he was having a verbal altercation with his partner Earl Frost. Duncan advised he had information that he felt the State Police should know about but the information should come from Frost. Frost was put on the telephone and advised Troopers that the altercation was over a religious artifact that was stolen from a church in Boston.

Boston Bloggers at BryanHehirExposed do a great job covering the (once again) less than enthusiastic involvement of the diocese in the theft and recovery here. A week later, they moseyed on into the car and took a two hour drive to sniff the situation out.

You don't want to know what I think about that.

Prayers Needed: The True Relic of the Holy Cross in Boston is Missing

Kelly Thatcher has the terrible news

Some good history of the Holy Relic from Holy Cross parishioner Chris Muldoon.

"This is the relic that Father Cheverus brought with him when he first landed in Boston. This is the relic that was reverenced every Good Friday at Holy Cross Parish by the first generations of the faithful in our city from 1788 until this past April. It is why our Cathedral has its name. We must storm Heaven for its return, privately and publicly."

Crushing.


Kelly reports that nobody in the Administration from the Cathedral acknowledged the Desecration. (Shocking and sad, but not at all surprising to me.)


The parishioners are going to try to organize reparation and prayer. As soon as I find out about the arrangements, I will post it.

UPDATE - email from Kelly.

+JMJ+

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Please pray for the return of the relic of the True Cross to Cathedral of
the Holy Cross. I only found out about it's disappearance today, from a
distressed parishioner sans Internet access.

The Crucifix still hangs in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (where it was moved
from the Washington Street wall of the Cathedral several years ago).
However, the relic is gone -- it looks as if it were ripped out with some
effort.

It has been suggested that the intercession of Saint Helena be sought. In
addition, parishioner Christopher Muldoon suggests:

"And we must do PENANCE. Traditionally, relics of the True Cross are
reverenced with genuflection - the same reverence shown to the Blessed
Sacrament - because the True Cross was drenched in our Saviour's True Blood.

After the Blessed Sacrament was profaned by the Know-Nothings in Charlestown
in the 1830's, the Bishop of Boston ordered that after every Low Mass, the
Divine Praises would be said in reparation. This practice continues after
Low Masses in the Archdiocese today. We need to follow the example of our
fathers and do penance.

This is the relic that Father Cheverus brought with him when he first landed
in Boston. This is the relic that was reverenced every Good Friday at Holy
Cross Parish by the first generations of the faithful in our city from 1788
until this past April. It is why our Cathedral has its name. We must storm
Heaven for its return, privately and publicly."

I ask, too, for prayers for the party or parties responsible for this sad
occurrence.

Thank you.

Your humble scribe,

Kelly

~~~~

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross, Thou
hast redeemed the world!


***UPDATE

More details are forthcoming on the theft of our Holy Relic.

After ten days of ignoring the theft of the Holy Relic, the approximately 7 million dollars 225,000 practicing  Catholics are giving communications and public relations, the diocesan PR teams have finally made a statement about Our Relic of the Holy Cross:

"On Thursday, July 1, staff from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross learned

that the relic of the true Cross was stolen from the Cathedral's Blessed
Sacrament Chapel.  Boston Police were immediately notified and an
investigation was begun to determine who might be responsible. That
investigation continues.   
"The relic of the true Cross is an important sacramental that helps
Christians contemplate the crucified Savior and the great suffering he
endured for the salvation of the world.  The true Cross was discovered in
the fourth century, and since then its particles have been diffused to the
Church throughout the world.  The Cathedral¹s relic of the true Cross was
brought from France in the Nineteenth Century and given to Bishop Cheverus,
Boston¹s first Bishop.  
"In the Christian faith, the Cross of Christ is an expression of the triumph
of Christ over the powers of darkness.  Fr. Kevin O¹Leary, the Rector of the
Cathedral, added:  ³We are deeply troubled that this sacred relic was
stolen, and we pray for those responsible.  We ask the faithful of the
Archdiocese of Boston to join the Cathedral¹s parishioners in praying every
day for its return.² 

Time is definitely of the essence now and it is critical to get out in the public in a campaign to get the relic back. 


We actually want it back and we think it is important for the diocese to....ASK FOR ITS RETURN WITH URGENCY AND ZEAL IN THE PRESS -- and put up reward for information that leads to It's return.


More on this later...