Easter Sunday8 April 2012

“Resurrection”by Piero della Francesca (c. 1463)

Saint CeciliaP A R I S H

Saint Cecilia Parish, Boston

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 7:00 p.m. Cecil B. DeMille’s

1927 silent movie masterpiece

The KING of KINGS Accompanied live by organist improviser extraordinaire

Peter Edwin Krasinski

Accompanied live on the St. Cecilia

Smith & Gilbert Organ of 3,000 pipes

“Mr. Krasinski is...one of the world’s finest—if not the lead-ing—silent film live improvisa-tional accompanists.” The Times Quotidian, University of Pennsylvania

Tickets available at the door:

$15 Adults $10 Seniors, Students

$30 Unlimited family pass

Rclark@stceciliaboston.org www.stceciliaboston.org

Welcome to Saint Cecilia Parish, a Roman Catholic community that gathers day by day, week by week, to know and make known the grace of God. By means of this abundant grace, we enjoy a diverse and close-knit parish family—young, old, rich, poor, of various ethnic origins and differing backgrounds. From our extraordinary music program to a growing children’s faith formation program; from the various liturgical ministries to the many opportunities for social outreach that the parish provides, Saint Cecilia is a vibrant community of faith, centered on prayer and worship that tries to keep the Gospel close to heart and to live by Jesus’ teachings.

Saint Cecilia Parish was established in 1888. At that time the Back Bay section of Boston along Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street was the residential section of the Yankee aristocracy. The maids (“Irish working out girls”) and coachmen who served these residents had long requested a church of their own. When Archbishop Williams granted their request and carved the parish from the territory of the Cathedral, they built a magnificent church out of their meager earnings.

The church was dedicated on April 22, 1894. Its architecture is Romanesque, XII Century Norman. The main altar, notable for its massive simplicity, was carved from a single block of white Carrara marble. The painting in the center reredos is a reproduction of da Vinci’s The Last Supper, and the dome above is an array of 24K gold rosettes.

For the sixtieth anniversary celebration in 1954, a massive renovation project was under-taken. During this renovation, a statue of Pope Saint Pius X (canonized that same year) was imported from Italy and placed on the right side of the sanctuary. Above the statue are paintings from Pius’ life. On the left side is a statue of Saint Patrick, principal patron of the Archdiocese of Boston, and above it are three scenes from his life.

Fourteen circular and sixteen square panels adorn the nave and arches of the church. The square panels are decorated with the symbols of Our Lady taken from the Litany of Loreto and the circular ones with symbols taken from the lives of the apostles. The great window of the Assumption—framed by the two oak cases of the organ—was installed in 1954 (the Marian Year) in spaces originally designed for windows but not until then used.

The original organ of 24 stops was built in 1902 by the Hutchings-Votey Organ Company, Opus 1465, and was rebuilt in 1954 with 32 stops. In 1998, Timothy Smith and Theodore Gilbert began a massive reconstruction of the organ. The current Smith & Gilbert Organ of 4 manuals, 50 ranks, and 2,926 pipes was dedicated on the Feast of Saint Cecilia, November 22, 1999.

Today we are experiencing something of an awakening within these old walls. We have just completed a major renovation, our numbers are increasing, and we continue to grow in our commitment to issues of peace, justice, and service to our neighbors, both near and far.

We’ve been right here on Belvidere Street, in the same building for over 120 years, but that does not mean that life here is stale, stagnant, or even predictable. We are proud to be entrusted with the legacy of Saint Cecilia Parish, where everything is the same, yet always changing; where we honor tradition while embracing the future; where God’s love makes all things new.

welcome!

SAINT CECILIA PARISH

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Prayers & Occasions

Our SickPlease pray for all our sick and for those who are in need of our prayer, especially Josephine Parker, John Saulenas, K. Champoux, Patricia Hoggard, Jennifer Ser-pico, Christine St. Pierre, Jessica Coviello, Harold Williamson, Jessica Rivieccio, Earl Chilcote, Colonel Robert C. Tashjian, Rose-anne Borgioli, Rosemary Messina, Kim Mur-ray, Heather LoRe, Rudy Kikel, Herbert Simmons, Peggy Furey, Janice Mascia, Winnie Dyer, Jane Cox, Pamela D’Ambra, Sue Lu-cas, Suki Coughlin, Roberta Keenan, Bridget Spence, Annette Kulas, Sam Gowan, Rhea Richard, Pil-Yun Son, Mary Yanez, Larry Buckley, M. Frances Driscoll, Ed Langlais, Bob McLaughlin, Steven Whitkens, Diana Slaton, Leo Garcia, Jean Marino, Joe Ford, Danny Cotter, Natalia Chilcote, Amy Sweetland, Jim Keyes, Michael Zawikowski, Cheryl Proctor, Patricia Macdonald, Elvera Dowsky, Frank Ackley, Fred Haslee, Lorraine Haslee, Robert Menson, Paul Flaherty, William Louttit, Lu-cie Kelly, Bro. Adam Zielonka, O.C.S.O., Amy Duarte, Karen & Rick, Phyllis Porras, Jim Linderman, Mark Amerault, Sr. Nuala Cotter, R.A., Kristen DeFranco Martinez, Michele Crowley Tippens, Sara Lima Santos, Joseph Driscoll, Pete Huttlinger, Anthony Simboli, Lisa Caputo, Edward Gill, Darlene McLendon, Jeanne Tibbs, Debbie Pace, Peter Schwahn, Deidre Sullivan, Roosevelt Brown, Mary O’Donnell, Ginny L’Abbe, Steve Chamber-lain, Matt Penchuk, Carrie Penchuk, Christy Cosgrove, Jacques Romberger, John Scaife, Maureen Sullivan, Alyce Haley, Joe Capizzi, David Walsh, Joe Huenke, Kaylin Marcotte, Avito Pacifici, Charlotte Egan, James Noone, Keith Plaster, Frederick Flather, David & Paula Fillion, Fred Maglero, Sarah Sweeney, Susan Shea, Bill Croke, Ettore Bergamaschi, Ryan Delaney, Anita Cipriani, Cecile

Finnerty, Manuela Almeida, Ilda Almeida, Joe Farrell, Ethan D’Amato, and Sophie Gagnon.

Our Newest MembersAt the Easter Vigil we celebrated the initia-tion of seven new Christians in the Easter waters. Pete Abernethy, Melissa Foley, Kara Gustafson, Vu Ho, Chris Rawlings, Bryan Willis, and Edison Wong professed their faith in Christ and were baptized, confirmed, and welcomed to the Eucharistic table. Nicole Aubourg, Tate Bevis, Antonio Garita, Kevin Gentry, Fatemeh Gholami Ghaleh, Bryan Kendall, William Knowlton, Fallon McLaugh-lin, Ryan McLaughlin, and Shelley Prencipe-Fish, were received into the full communion of the Catholic Church and were confirmed and welcomed to the table of the Lord. Lind-sey Tracy had already been baptized Catholic but last night was confirmed and received Holy Communion for the first time. Keep these men and women in your prayer as they begin the period known as “mystagogia.” Mystagogia is an ancient Greek word meaning, “education in the mysteries.” Christian believers in the first century used the word mystagogia to describe the period of continuing spiritual instruction following the celebration of the initiation rites.

Paschal Vespers Tonight at Six The Paschal Triduum concludes with the cel-ebration of Paschal Vespers on Easter Sunday. If you are in town, please join us this evening at six o’clock for this thirty minute liturgy.

Welcome to Our Visitors We extend a warm welcome to our visitors this Easter. One of the delights of the Easter Feast is the experience of a church bursting at the seams. We hope that you find a genuine welcome and a vibrancy in worship during your time with us. We’re glad you’re here!

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Remember your first Holy Week?

This Easter, remember the priests who haveplayed a signiÞcant role in your spiritual life,as well as the spiritual lives of your loved ones.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

This Easter we will celebrate the resurrection of Christ with so manyof our Catholic brothers and sisters. If you have been away from thechurch, please know that we are especially glad you are with us today.

During all EasterMasses, the collection will be in support of the ClergyFunds. The Clergy Funds supports the programs that provide for theretirement,medical care, and Þnancial needs of the priests throughoutthe Archdiocese. The revitalization of these funds is one of the mostimportant issues we face as an Archdiocese today.

I ask you to prayerfully consider giving generously to the Clergy Fundsduring the EasterMasses next weekend.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley

Above photo: Father Jim Curtin, ordained in 1951, has been serving the church for almost 60 years.His Þrst parish was St. Joseph in Woburn, below photo.

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easter sunday It’s not about the bunnies

By JAMES MARTIN, SJ

It’s not about bun-nies. It’s not about coloring eggs. It’s not about chocolate. It’s not about flowers. It’s not even about spring or signs of “new life” in nature after a long winter. So what is Eas-ter about?

It’s about something almost terrifyingly se-rious: Jesus rose from the dead.

That’s one reason why Easter hasn’t been completely subsumed by the consumer cul-ture. (Though de-partment stores and cheesy movies like “Hop” try their best to do so.) Christmas, which can be cast as the cozy story of Mary and Joseph and their lit-tle baby Jesus surrounded by cuddly animals in a manger, is easily domesticated. Easily tamed. More easily sold to the masses.

Easter, on the other hand, is untameable. The man whose followers imagined him to be the Messiah, the one who would forcefully, even violently, deliver them from the hands of their oppressors (For isn’t that what the Bap-tist said?) was tried, beaten and executed

like a common thug. What’s more, after the crucifixion the Gospels portray the disciples not as stal-wart stewards of their master’s legacy, but as abject cowards, cowering behind locked doors for fear of someone trying to arrest them.

Then on Easter Sunday everything changes. It changes so much that it’s hard for them to take it in. In one of his first of Jesus’s many “appear-ances,” one of the women doesn’t even recognize him. Sev-eral disciples refuse to believe the story—one until he actually

touches the man. But Christians believe, and I believe, that it’s true: Christ has risen from the dead.

Sounds strange said so bluntly, doesn’t it? But the resurrection is the heart of the Christian message. If you don’t believe it, then you’re not Christian. Not really, as St. Paul would say elsewhere: “If Christ is not raised, your faith is in vain.”

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About that new life: it is in fact “new.” Christ is not simply “resuscitated,” that is, brought back from the dead with the under-standing that he’ll die some time in the future. No, he lives “forever and ever,” as the Bible (and Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus) say. It’s a completely new kind of life. And a completely new kind of reality.

That may be one reason why the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s appearances after his resurrection are so confusing. As I said, in one passage he is mistaken for the gardener. But for the disciples he was the most impor-tant man in their lives: How could they not recognize him? In another account, he seems like a ghost—for he seems to pass through doors and suddenly appears before the dis-ciples. And in another passage he is clearly physical. “Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones,” Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke. What’s going on?

To my mind, the confusing accounts point out impossibility of describing what the disciples were seeing. What was it like? Well, he was like a ghost…but not really. He was flesh and blood…but something else. No one had ever seen anything remotely like this; no words could encompass the reality of what theolo-gians call the “glorified body.”

So everything changes on Easter. And what Jesus said during his earthly ministry (love one another, pray for your enemies, give to the poor) now takes on added meaning for the disciples.

Easter is not about bunnies or chocolate or eggs. It is an event that makes a claim on you. Either you believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead (or his body was stolen, or the Gos-pels are made up, or the disciples simply “re-membered” him and passed on his message). Or you believe he was raised from the dead. In

which case everything changes for you, too.

James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, culture editor of “America,” and author of the bestsellers, “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything” and “My Life with the Saints.”

EASTER 2012By JOAN CHITTISTER, OSB

The old news about Easter is that it is about res-urrection. The new news may be that it is not so much about the resurrection of Jesus as it is about our own. Unfortunately, we so often miss it. Jesus, you see, is already gone from one tomb. The only question now is whether or not we are willing to abandon our own, leave the old trappings behind and live in the light of Jesus, the Christ, whom the religious establishment persecuted and politicians condemned. It is the greatest question of them all in a world that practices religion as an act of private devotion and sees law and government as an arm of God.

The resurrection to which Easter calls us—our own—requires that we prepare to find God where God is by opening ourselves to the world around us with a listening ear. This means that we must be prepared to be surprised by God in strange places, in ways we never thought we’d see and through the words of those we never thought we’d hear.

We must allow others—even those whom we have till now refused to consider—to open our hearts to things we do not want to hear. We must release the voice of God in everyone, everywhere. It means putting down the social phobias that protect us from one another. It requires that we clean out from our vocabulary our con-tempt for “liberals,” our frustration for “radi-cals” and our disdain for “conservatives.”

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easter as opening the doors of hell

By RON ROLHEISER, OMI

Some years ago a young woman I knew, a uni-versity student, fell into a se-vere depression and attempted suicide. Her family, startled by what had happened, ral-lied around her. They brought her home and for the next few months tried to provide her with all the best that medicine, psychiatry, the church and human love could offer. They tried everything, but they couldn’t penetrate the dark hole into which she had descended.

Four months later she killed herself. She had descended into a private hell into which noth-ing on this side of eternity could any longer en-ter. She was powerless to open up her own soul for help. I suspect that many of the reasons for her depression were not her fault. She didn’t will herself into that paralysis, circumstance, wound and bad health put her there. All of us know similar stories.

What’s to be said about this? Does our faith have any answers?

There is a particular line in the Apostles’

Creed, which is deeply rooted in the Gospels that does throw light, major light, on this issue. It’s the phrase: He descended to the dead. Or, in some versions: He descended into hell. What is contained in that phrase is, no doubt, the most consol-ing doctrine in

all of religion, Christian or otherwise. What it tells us is that the way Jesus died and rose opened up the gates of death and of hell it-self. What does that mean?

This is not a simple teaching. There are dif-ferent layers of meaning inside of it. At one level, it expresses a Christian belief (which itself needs much explanation) that from the time of the fall of Adam and Eve until Jesus’ death, nobody, no matter how virtuous his or her life might have been, could enter heaven. The gates of heaven were shut and could be opened only by Jesus through his death. There is an ancient Christian homily (now part of the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday) which paints a picture of this as you might see de-picted on an icon.

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It describes both why nobody could go to heaven before Jesus’ descent into the under-world and how Jesus, once there, wakes up Adam and Eve, and leads them through a now open door to heaven. But that’s an icon, not a literal picture.

The Gospels insert this into a wider concept. In the Gospel of Mark, for instance, we see that is important that Jesus goes into every dark, taboo place on this planet and take God’s light and healing there. Thus Jesus goes into mor-ally taboo places, the single’s bars of his time. But he also goes into all other dark, taboo places, particularly into sickness and death. And, for first-century Judaism, there was no place more taboo than death itself. The belief was that human beings were created to en-joy God’s presence in this life and not to die. Death was seen as an evil, the consequence of sin, an alienation from God, a place separated from heaven, with no door in between. Hence to say that Jesus “descended to the dead” was the same as saying he “descended into hell.”. All of the dead were considered as separated from God.

One of our major beliefs about Jesus is that, by entering death, he precisely entered this underworld, this Sheol, this place of separa-tion and alienation, this “hell,” and, once there, breathed out God’s light and healing in the same way as, in John’s Gospel, he went through doors that were locked by fear and breathed out peace and forgiveness. By going through locked doors and breathing out peace, he both descends into hell and opens up the gates of heaven.

And this is not something abstract, a creedal statement to be believed. It is still happening. There are many forms of death, Sheol, the un-derworld, hell. Suicidal depression, incurable bitterness, a wound so deep it can never heal, helplessness inside of a life-destroying addic-

tion, a beaten and crushed spirit, an alienation too deep and long-standing to be overcome, any of these can leave us huddled in a locked room, in some underworld, in some private hell, too weak to open the doors that lead to love and life. The gates of heaven close for many reasons.

That was the case for the young woman de-scribed above who killed herself. She was in Sheol. But, I don’t doubt for a second, when she woke on the other side Christ came through her locked doors, stood gently inside of her private hell, and breathed out peace. In that ancient homily describing Jesus’ de-scent into hell, as Jesus wakes up Adam he says to him: I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. ... Arise, let us leave this place! No doubt this is what Jesus said too to this young woman, and then he opened the gates of heaven for her just as he once opened those same gates for Adam and Eve.

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It presumes that we will reach out to all others—to the gays and the immigrants and other races, to the strangers, the prisoners and the poor—in order to divine what visions to see with them, what cries to cry for them, what stones to move from the front of their graves.

That will, of course, involve listening to women for a change, seeing angels where strangers are, emp-tying tombs, contending with Pharisees and walk-ing to Emmaus with strangers crying, “Hosanna” all the way.

Easter is not simply a day of celebration: It is, as well, a day of decision. What is really to be decided is whether or not we ourselves will rise from the deadening grip of this world’s burnt-out systems to the light-giving time of God’s coming again, this time in us.

Then the Easter Alleluia is true: God is surely “with us.”

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Parish RESOURCESParish 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@stceciliaboston.orgWebsite | www.stceciliaboston.org

Parish StaffRev. John J. Unni, Pastor, junni@stceciliaboston.orgMark Donohoe, Pastoral Associate for Administration, mdonohoe@stceciliaboston.orgScott J. MacDonald, Director of Faith Formation and Leadership Development, smacdonald@stceciliaboston.orgRichard J. Clark, Director of Music andOrganist, rclark@stceciliaboston.orgMaureen Sullivan, Administrative Assistant to the Pastor, msullivan@stceciliaboston.orgGenevieve Fiorente, Office Administrative Assistant

Assisting ClergyRev. Thomas Gariepy, CSCRev. Peter Grover, OMVRev. James Shaughnessy, SJRev. George Winchester, SJ

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

ReconciliationBy appointment at any time and Wednesday evenings from 6:30—8:00 during Lent.

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 Mark Donohoe.

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

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), Ginny DiSanto (gin250boston@gmail.com) or Peg Quilty (nursempeg@gmail.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 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 DisabledThe church is accessible by elevator.

ParkingReduced-rate parking (maximum of three hours) is available Sundays at the Prudential Center parking garage, LAZ Parking (53 Belvidere Street), and at the Hilton Boston Back Bay. Please bring your parking ticket to church for validation before returning to the garage.

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 gathering space. No matter what your background, please know that you are always welcome at Saint Cecilia.