Archbishop of Boston Richard Henning will take to the sea on Saturday, June 21, as he travels by boat from Gloucester to Winthrop, with a stop in Swampscott around 4:15 p.m.
The Catholic communities of Swampscott, Lynn and Nahant are collaborating to welcome the archbishop at Fisherman’s Beach. Henning will arrive aboard his boat, aptly named “Shepherd’s Pie,” carrying a large monstrance, a vessel used to display the consecrated Eucharist for adoration. There will also be a period of prayer.
“The archbishop is bringing Jesus to the people. He is going out on the water like Christ did. He is bringing Jesus, in the consecrated host, to the people so they can encounter the Lord in person,” Liz Cotrupi, the director of family life and ecclesial movements for the pastoral center, said. “Before Pope Francis died, he proclaimed a Jubilee of Hope. As part of the Jubilee of Hope, the archbishop is bringing the source of that hope to the people.”
After the period of prayers and adoration, Henning will offer a blessing to those gathered.
“It shows he wants to meet people but that he goes out to the people,” said Monsignor John McLaughlin of St. John the Evangelist Church in Swampscott. “He’s a people person and wants to connect with as many people as possible.”
McLaughlin said this is the first time the archbishop has traveled by boat to the area.
“This has never happened in my lifetime,” McLaughlin said. “I never heard of an archbishop coming by boat before.”
The Archdiocese of Boston is the fourth largest archdiocese in the country. The late Pope Francis had named Archbishop Henning as Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s successor, and Henning was formally installed on October 31, 2024.
Born in Rockville Centre, New York in 1964, Henning attended parish grammar school and Chaminade High School, which he credits as a major influence on his faith. He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from St. John’s University and later trained for priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York. He was ordained in 1992.
Henning’s full weekend schedule includes:
Saturday, June 21:
- 8:30 a.m. mass at Our Lady of Good Voyage in Gloucester
- 10:50 a.m. Reed Park in Manchester-by-the-Sea
- 12:20 p.m. Beverly Town Pier in Beverly
- 1:30 p.m. Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem
- 2:50 p.m. Hammond Park in Marblehead
- 4:15 p.m. Fisherman’s Beach in Swampscott
- 6 p.m. prayer service at St. Michael the Archangel in Winthrop
Sunday, June 22:
- 8:15 a.m. Piers Park in East Boston
- 9:20 a.m. Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park in the North End
- 10:15 a.m. Fan Pier Park in the Seaport District
- 11:05 a.m. Boston Harbor Yacht Club in South Boston
- 12 p.m. mass at Gate of Heaven Parish in South Boston
