St. Patrick's Day sendoff

Archbishop O'Malley's final Mass before heading off to Rome was at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where he led several hundred worshipers in a St. Patrick's Day Mass. Some of the worshipers wore green carnations; the ushers wore Irish flag armbands, and a giant statue of St. Patrick, amidst a bed of shamrocks, was placed on the steps to the altar.

O'Malley did not preach the homily, but instead gave that honor to the cathedral's new rector, the Rev. John J. Connolly, who has emerged as one of the archbishop's closest advisors. Connolly, highly regarded by many for his intelligence and common sense, but often mistaken for a bodyguard because of his brawn, has been at the center of the archdiocesan leadership at its darkest hours. He was a secretary to Cardinal Bernard F. Law, and for four years now has been helping oversee the archdiocese's response to the abuse crisis.

During his homily, which he delivered from the nave of the cathedral while wearing a body mike, Connolly turned around to face the archbishop, who was seated in the throne, or cathedra, and acknowledged the "controversies and difficulties" that have faced the archbishop throughout his time in Boston. But, Connolly said, "we trust, we pray, and we hope,'' as he asked the congregation to pray for the archbishop.

Overhead, as always, dangling from the cathedral's roof were the galeros of Boston's first two cardinals, William H. O'Connell, and Richard J. Cushing. The tasselled hat, along with the tradition of hanging them from the ceiling after a cardinal's death, was abolished mid-century, which is why there are only two; more recent cardinals got a red biretta, which is what O'Malley will receive at the consistory Friday.