In his first Christmas season since he was installed as the seventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, Archbishop Richard Henning spent Tuesday morning giving out gifts at St. Peter’s Teen Center in Dorchester, met with guests and helped serve meals at the Pine Street Inn shelter, and was set to attend a Mass in Franklin, two months after a fire broke out at St. Mary’s Church that is being investigated as arson.
“Our parishioners will see him tonight and know that there’s great support from the archdiocese and from himself, from Archbishop Henning, that we’ve been displaced and he’s part of us and is going to be with us to celebrate Christmas, even if it’s not in our home right now,’’ Father Bob Poitras of St. Mary’s Church said Tuesday afternoon. “I think that’s just a great gift for us to have.’’
After the service at Franklin High School, Henning was scheduled to lead a midnight Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End.
“The Christmas Feast proclaims the closeness of God to creation and to the human family,’’ Henning said in his Christmas message on Tuesday. “. . . May the gift of God inspire us all to greater generosity and compassion. God bless you and yours and a Merry Christmas to all!’’
On Christmas Day, the archdiocese will broadcast a pre-taped Mass at 8 a.m. on WLVI-TV, according to a schedule released by the archdiocese. The Mass will also air online at CatholicTV and on Comcast Channel 268, Verizon Channel 296, Charter Channel 101, and RCN Channel 85 at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 9 p.m.
Henning will then lead a Mass beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The Mass will be broadcast on WHDH-TV beginning at noon, according to the schedule.
An investigation into the fire at St. Mary’s Church is ongoing, according to the State Fire Marshal’s office. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered by state and federal fire investigators for tips that lead to the suspect in the fire, officials said.
In November, federal authorities warned churches in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island to be on high alert following a rise in arson incidents.
The fire broke out in the church’s rear sacristy and was quickly extinguished by firefighters, but the blaze released heavy smoke throughout the church, causing an estimated $1 million in damages, and required extensive ventilation, officials said.
News of the fire was met with an outpouring of support from other churches across the state and in Rhode Island, offering materials lost in the fire so St. Mary’s could continue to hold Mass, Poitras said.
Poitras said Henning, who was bishop of Providence before he was named Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s successor in Boston, visited the church the evening of the fire and prayed with him.
“It was great to have him that night,’’ Poitras said. “And tonight for Christmas Mass is a great honor, and it’s a true Christmas gift for myself as pastor and brother priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, but also for our parishioners.’’
As he reflected on the past few months, Poitras said he is thinking of the people who reached out to help his congregation in their time of need, and how that embodies the Christmas spirit.
“As we near this Christmas Day, as we celebrate that, I recognize that they’re all true gifts that were able to lift my spirit. So my message is never feel alone. Never feel abandoned. Don’t let the challenges weigh us down,’’ Poitras said. “God’s providing all around us to be merry and to be happy the best we can. He’s supporting us with people all the time to lift us up.’’
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.
