Boston, Mass., Nov 24, 2008 / 23:48 pm
The Archdiocese of Boston celebrated the Closing Mass of its bicentennial year on Sunday afternoon at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, Cardinal Justin Rigali of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and more than 20 bishops from around New England and the United States concelebrated the Mass with hundreds of clergy, religious, deacons and parishioners from across the archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Boston reports on its website.
The Mass began with a procession of flags representing the people whom the archdiocese serves in their native language each week. During the liturgy, the Cardinal O'Malley blessed a plaque to be installed in the cathedral to commemorate the archdiocesan bicentennial.
"We have been blessed as a Church during this Bicentennial Year," Cardinal O'Malley said at the Mass. "Our people, clergy, religious, deacons, parishes, schools, and ministries have all joined together in the presence of our Lord to celebrate our faith as one Catholic community. From every corner of our Archdiocese, we have prayed and worshiped together reflecting on our rich history and with great joy for the future of our local Church."