Dear Friends of Saint Anne's Shrine,

 

The final week of my sabbatical in Rome was nothing short of extraordinary. It began with concelebrating Mass on Palm Sunday in Saint Peter’s Square with dozens of other priests from around the world along with thirty cardinals and bishops. Pope Francis was absent due to his convalescence but made a spectacular appearance after the celebration circling the outdoor sanctuary in his wheelchair greeting people. Pope Francis passed within ten feet of me. You can view additional photos of this on our Facebook page.

On Holy Thursday I concelebrated the Chrism Mass inside the basilica with 1,600 other priests at which the holy oils for the sacraments were blessed. I was given the opportunity to distribute Holy Communion at the Good Friday celebration the next evening and concelebrated both the Easter Vigil liturgy on Saturday and the Easter Sunday morning Mass. Distributing Holy Communion to the thousands gathered at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter morning was quite an experience. Pope Francis made yet another appearance after Mass giving his Easter blessing to Rome and to the world from the balcony followed by touring the square in the popemobile. The Pope looked and sounded very weak.

Early Monday when I saw a report that Pope Francis had died, I could not believe it given that I was just in his presence the day before. Yet it was true that he died earlier that morning. I immediately walked to Saint Peter’s and celebrated Mass with hundreds of pilgrims praying for Pope Francis’ eternal rest. I spent a few hours greeting and conversing with pilgrims as we grieved the loss of Pope Francis and gave thanks for his compassionate leadership.

As we approach the opening of the Shrine for the 2025 pilgrimage season on May 11th, it is our hope to provide programs and activities that, in following the example of Pope Francis, celebrates the compassion and mercy of God. Click here to see our schedule of events for 2025. I hope you have the chance to join us for some of these liturgical celebrations and retreats.

To help support these activities, a family from Vermont and another from Massachusetts offered to provide a matching gift initiative up to $35,000. Each dollar you contribute to the ministry of Saint Anne’s Shrine will be matched, up to a combined total of $70,000. Please consider making a gift to the Shrine so we may continue to offer our seasonal activities and provide our visitors with an experience of God’s merciful love.

Also, please fill out our petition form so we can remember your intentions in our Masses and prayers. And thank you for your generous support! Happy Easter!

Sincerely,