Eight years later, the same priest.

The last post in this archive ends in October 2018 and then stops. Eight years is a long gap in a binder. This is what comes after it.

On Friday, September 25, 2026, there is a Healing Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish on William Street in Springfield. Prayers begin at 5:30 in the evening and the Mass follows at 6:00. It is free. Nobody is asked for anything at the door, there is no ticket to buy, and anyone is welcome whether they are Catholic or not, whether they are in treatment, done with treatment, caring for somebody who is, or grieving somebody who is not here anymore. It will also be streamed, for the nights when leaving the house is not possible.

The celebrant is Fr. Giuseppe Maria. He is the same Springfield-born priest who said the very first Pink Mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral on October 8, 2011, which is the first post in this archive. Fifteen years, a different parish, the same priest, the same reason.

What is raised goes to the Sister Caritas Cancer Center at Mercy Medical Center, here in Springfield. That is the part that has not moved since 2011: the money stays in Western Massachusetts, close enough to reach the people who live here.

The line on the flyer is from Psalm 34: the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. If you are looking for something to do in Springfield that Friday evening, and you have been carrying this particular weight, there is a room full of neighbors who have carried it too. Come and pray with us.