Archbishop Richard Henning invites the clergy, religious, and lay faithful to gather at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:00 PM for a Mass in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. This Holy Mass, on the Feast of the Apostle Matthias, will be offered for Pope Leo XIV and give all the opportunity to give thanks to God for His providential care of the Church and the gift of our new Holy Father. It will also be an opportunity to pray that God may grant health, strength, and wisdom to Pope Leo as he undertakes his ministry to the Universal Church.

God bless Pope Leo XIV!

"We are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the Savior. Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God' (Mt 16:16).

It is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion. Then, to do so as a Church, experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the Good News to all (cf. Lumen Gentium, 1)."

– Pope Leo XIV,
from his homily at his first Mass as pope,
May 9, 2025

ARCHBISHOP RICHARD G. HENNING STATEMENT ON THE ELECTION OF POPE LEO XIV With great joy we received the news from Rome: habemus papam! We have a pope! I join with Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston and throughout the world, along with people of good will, in celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV as the new Holy Father. We pray for him as he begins this ministry as the Vicar of Christ and the Bishop of Rome. May he be for us a visible source and foundation of communion in faith.  In his first words to us, Pope Leo spoke of the peace that is the gift of the Lord Jesus: Peace be with you all, this is the first greeting of the resurrected Christ, the good shepherd who has given up his life for God. And I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts and our families. (Pope Leo XIV from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica) May that peace give him strength and consolation, and may it fill our hearts as we live our own calling.