I am VERY pleased to note that the Serra Boston site is now live at: www.serraboston.org

As noted on the home page, Serra Boston’s mission is “to assist the Vocations Office of the Archdiocese of Boston in any way possible to foster, promote and support vocations to the priesthood and religious life.” The first meeting is Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 8am at St. Mary’s Parish in Waltham, MA.

This is one of the best sites I’ve done; the code is very well structured and I’ve used Google Sitemaps to (hopefully) increase traffic.  Hopefully it’ll serve as a good portfolio piece in addition to an important web presence for this new (but growing) organization.

Found this bike just off Mass Ave:

Looks like they’re not biking anywhere till May.

In his latest post, Cardinal Sean O’Malley writes of the possibility of unity between the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Church:

My own confidence in the possibility of unity during our lifetime has been strengthened by my experience of the pilgrimage and my friendship with Metropolitan Methodius and so many brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Church.

…I was very encouraged by the recent meeting between Catholics and Orthodox that took place in Ravenna. On November 15, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the catholic Church and the Orthodox Church released a statement entitled “Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority.”

In that document, the Orthodox have actually recognized the primacy of the Holy Father. There is still much to be done as far as to clarify what that means but that was a very important step towards unity.

Here is a portion of the document that I also shared with the Boston Greek Orthodox:

That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn 17, 21). We give thanks to the triune God who has gathered us — members of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church — so that we might respond together in obedience to this prayer of Jesus. We are conscious that our dialogue is restarting in a world that has changed profoundly in recent times. The processes of secularization and globalization, and the challenge posed by new encounters between Christians and believers of other religions, require that the disciples of Christ give witness to their faith, love and hope with a new urgency. May the Spirit of the risen Lord empower our hearts and minds to bear the fruits of unity in the relationship between our Churches, so that together we may serve the unity and peace of the whole human family. May the same Spirit lead us to the full expression of the mystery of ecclesial communion, that we gratefully acknowledge as a wonderful gift of God to the world, a mystery whose beauty radiates especially in the holiness of the saints, to which all are called.

More at Cardinal Sean’s blog.

What a fascinating idea – this could be a wonderful blend of the best of both Churches.

Today’s Globe has an update on the seemingly endless reconstruction at Kenmore Square in Boston.  Delays are blamed on the Red Sox and unplanned utility lines:

Problems had started almost immediately. When contractors began work, they ran into scores of undocumented utility lines that had to be moved or worked around, which delayed work, said Charlie O’Reilly, the MBTA’s assistant general manager for design and construction.

MBTA officials also didn’t take into account the complications that come with having a winning baseball team; the work zones were flooded with people well into October. “They had the good fortune to get into the playoffs,” O’Reilly said. “When the Red Sox are home, we’re inhibited with what we can do.”

More at the (redesigned) Boston Globe site. 

I saw the new movie Bella at the Fenway 13 in Boston this past weekend. It appears to be the new Catholic movie of choice, drawing church groups, volunteer organizations, and audiences tired of blood, sex and violence. Even Cardinal Sean likes it!

Overall I thought the movie was a bit melodramatic but tugged at the heartstrings pretty effectively. It was also nice to see a movie that was subtly Catholic – for example, the Virgen de Guadalupe appears in the background of a home, though it’s never referenced by the characters or explained.

Worth seeing while in Boston, or in other cities if you get the chance.