From The Pilot: Father Hehir addresses ethics of war

From The Pilot: Father Hehir addresses ethics of war

Father Bryan Hehir, secretary of health and social services for the Archdiocese of Boston, has been teaching about religion, ethics, and foreign policy for 40 years. He is fond of giving his students a challenging moral dilemma. He asks them to imagine themselves as a military leader during a conflict. An enemy tank factory has been discovered — but it is located next to a kindergarten, a school, and a hospital.

“We’ll do our best,” a commanding officer explains, “but we can’t guarantee that none of them would be killed.”

Would you approve an attack? Must civilian casualties be kept to zero at all costs? Or should the enemy target be neutralized by any means necessary? How many deaths is an appropriate price to pay for victory? Father Hehir attempted to answer these difficult questions from a Catholic perspective during “Two Wars: One Moral Framework,” a talk about the morality of the current conflicts in Ukraine and the Holy Land. Father Hehir delivered the talk to a packed house at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Wellesley on Jan. 25. . .

Mass of Remembrance and Healing for Pregnancy & Infant Loss

Mass of Remembrance and Healing for Pregnancy & Infant Loss

The Pro-Life Office and Project Rachel ministry of the Archdiocese of Boston will sponsor a Mass of Remembrance and Healing for Pregnancy and Infant Loss on Wednesday, November 15 at 7:00pm at Bethany Chapel in the Pastoral Center in Braintree. Celebrant and homilist will be Rev. J. Bryan Hehir. A light reception and opportunity for Sacramental Reconciliation (Confession) will also be available after Mass.

A special invitation is extended to parents, grandparents and siblings who grieve the death of children as a result of miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion or early infant death. These losses may be recent or extend over many years…

November 11: Bishop Healy 30th Anniversary Dinner – Honoring Fr. Bryan Hehir and Sr. Tess Browne, SCN

November 11: Bishop Healy 30th Anniversary Dinner – Honoring Fr. Bryan Hehir and Sr. Tess Browne, SCN

All are welcome to attend the 30th Anniversary of the Healy Dinner and Celebration! The evening will include:

An opportunity for wonderful fellowship and music.

A celebration to honor Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, Secretary for Social Services in the Archdiocese of Boston, recipient of the 2023 Robert L. Ruffin Award and Sr. Marie Therese “Tess” Browne, SCN, the recipient of the 2023 Bishop James Augustine Healy Award… 

October 21: 15th Annual Archdiocesan Social Justice Convocation

October 21: 15th Annual Archdiocesan Social Justice Convocation

All are invited to join the Archdiocese of Boston in celebrating 15 years of education, inspiration, and collaboration with outstanding people working to promote Catholic Social Teaching, Justice, and Peace. We will also be honoring, with deep gratitude, the contributions of Cardinal Seán O’Malley and Fr. J. Bryan Hehir for their spiritual leadership over the past 15 years. The Convocation is free and virtual.

Fr. Hehir, RCAB Secretary for Health and Social Services, will begin by explaining what he calls the “Moral Triangle” of urgent and intersecting issues in Boston today: lack of affordable housing, food insecurity, and immigration…

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