Cardinal Seán is a busy man!  Just check out his weekly blog at www.cardinalseansblog.org.  So the parish community here at St. Augustine was delighted by his visit, Wednesday April 28^th to help celebrate Vocations Awareness Week.  The prayer service was beautiful and the Cardinal's reflection on his vocation was very engaging!  Here is an excerpt from his blog about the event:

"On Wednesday evening I visited St. Augustine Parish in Andover to participate in their 5^th annual Vocations Awareness Week. The parish Vocations Committee…helps young people to understand that priesthood, religious life, marriage, parenthood and single life are all vocations in the context of our faith.

The parish turned out in great numbers for this event. The church was filled as together we prayed the Augustinian Corona and offered a reflection on my own experience of being called to religious life and priesthood. The Corona (which means “crown”) is an Augustinian devotion, consisting of 13 Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory Be’s, that prayerfully meditates on the Apostles’ Creed and is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Mother of Consolation. The friars presented me with my own corona before the prayer service. I noted that it had far fewer beads than the Franciscan rosary we wear with our habit and wondered if they were getting a shortcut on their prayers!"

For complete text and more pictures visit the Cardinal's blog at www.cardinalseansblog.org.

Parishioners in Service

Parishioner Nancy Cronin recently returned from a service trip to South Africa with her daughter Carrie.  They spent time assisting the Augustinian Volunteers by tutoring children at St. Leo's Primary school and a local clinic and wherever needed.  Here are some of Nancy's reflections:

 After a return of 30 hours combined airtime, airports, shuttle vans, and cars, my recent journey to South Africa with my daughter, Carrie, is now a memory. However, the experiences deepened my faith even more. We lived in the Augustinian Community amongst the sisters, friars, and volunteers, with an atmosphere of warm hospitality and friendship.

 The highlight has to be the day at Hillcrest Respite Center where a 24 year old woman named Cindy, HIV positive, was in need of treatments.  Most Zulu people do not have birth certificates, so the Augustinian Volunteers, Carrie and I went deep into the valley of Cindy’s township, dodging goats and cows in the road, to her primary school, HOPING to get birth information from the principal.  The principal was not there, however, a former teacher of Cindy’s recognized her.  Thank God!  The principal was called by cell phone, verbal approval was given, the handwritten letter was stamped and back we went to town, delivering it to Home Affairs for processing so that Cindy could get an ID to begin treatments and better health.  Life in Africa!  And we complain about paperwork here in America.

 I have been asked why I go to Africa and I have to say the reason for all reasons is “because God wants me to.”  This journey began with an unexpected and special blessing during Mass by Fr. Peter in which I felt God was “sending” me back to a place where I could continue to see, feel and value the things that really matter.  Through prayer and the Holy Spirit I witnessed God’s love more and more abundantly.  The poor Zulu people have innate hope, love and caring for each other, and I believe that is why they have such spiritual joy.  They may go days without food, but what they need the most, as do we, is the Word, love, God himself.  My journey didn’t end at Logan Airport, but continues to this day and beyond.  I’ve come to learn that people live on truth and on being loved: on being loved by the truth. 

God Bless,

Nancy Cronin

During the February school break parishioners John and Tara McCormick traveled with their five children Tristan(11), Liam(8), Kiara(7), Bridgette(5) and Nolan(3) on a service trip to the Rancho de los Ninos Orphanage in El Castilla, Mexico.  Accompanying them were occupational therapists from the Kioko Center of which Tara is founder and director.  Family members of the therapists and a local grade school teacher rounded out the team. 

At the ranch the therapists were able to evaluate and develop treatment plans for 22 of the children. Through translators, the Kioko Center therapists trained and educated their staff and caregivers. The rest of the team of volunteers were involved in multiple jobs around the orphanage. They constructed and repaired therapy equipment, painted the Spanish alphabet and benches, organized learning materials and installed new kitchen counter and sink. Above and beyond the smiles, there were many other measures of a successful trip.  The director of the orphanage, seeing the progress made in these children, added another caregiver solely to carry out therapy activities. A very special boy, named Jesus, reported that his muscles felt so good after receiving range of motion that he did not want it to end. 

As Mother Teresa once said, “you can do no great things, only small things with great love” and that is certainly what this team did.