Cardinal Seán Nails It: Harvard’s “Black Mass” Was Wrong

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, got a little lesson in using an electric screwdriver this week.

“During my visit with the workers,” he wrote of the experience, “I had an opportunity to get acquainted with an electric screwdriver for the first time.  I discovered I am much more adept at the manual variety!”  (Photo:  The Boston Pilot/Cardinal Seán’s Blog)

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His Eminence wrote on his blog this week about the recently scrapped plans by a student group at Harvard University to hold a “Black Mass” on campus.

“For us as Catholics,” Cardinal O’Malley wrote, “the celebration of the Eucharist is the most sacred event in our life as an ecclesial community.  It is where Christ makes a gift of himself to us, where he gathers us as his people, where he feeds us with the word of life and with his Body and Blood.”

He went on to express his gratitude because more than 90,000 Harvard students, alumni and others associated with Harvard signe a petition decrying the black mass.

“There was a great outpouring of support,” he said,

“…for the Holy Hour held at St. Paul’s and the Eucharistic procession that was organized between MIT, St. Paul Parish and the Harvard Catholic Center. The huge crowds that participated in the procession and Holy Hour were a great sign of hope to all of us that the Catholic people cherish the treasure of the Eucharist, and that we would not passively ignore the outrageous assault on our faith represented by a black mass celebrated in the heart of one of the most venerable American institutions and premier universities.

“I am very grateful to all of those who supported the Holy Hour and the eucharistic procession and to those who in other ways expressed their opposition to the black mass. We were pleased that Harvard President Dr. Drew Faust attended the Holy Hour at St. Paul’s. I think it was important for her to see the reaction of the Catholic Church gathered in prayer as a response to this threat to our beliefs.”

Read the rest here.  We can all use a story with a happy ending!